About 7 months ago, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at making a brush and also wanted to test out a TGN knot. Since then I have ordered a few more knots and done some restores that I'll post about soon enough, but I wanted to see how this one held up before starting a thread about it.
Because I wanted to test the knot, I challenged myself that to spend money on only the knot and nothing else. To my surprise I was quite disciplined in keeping to this challenge.
In order to stick to the challenge, I used only items that I already had at home. This is what I used.
This is the raw slab of wood as it was before I began.
And then after a little hand carving with the utility knife and a round or two of sanding.
After three coats of Rust protection paint, four coats of Purple nail polish for the accent, and about five coats of clear nail polish for some shine and protection.
The pre-bloom 22mm TGN Finest, set in the handle by using the ShoeGoo. I also glued a Canadian nickel in below the plug to make sure the plug has a stable and flat foundation.
And, I am glad to say that the experiment worked out well. This is a picture of the brush as it is seven months later. No signs of cracking or showing any wear at all. The Finest knot does wonders to creams and overall the brush is a pleasure to use.
I certainly would not look at this as an example of how to do it. But it was nice to see it work out. On another note, since I whittled the wood by hand, while continuously checking how it fits into my hand, this is by far the most ergonomic brush I have
Because I wanted to test the knot, I challenged myself that to spend money on only the knot and nothing else. To my surprise I was quite disciplined in keeping to this challenge.
In order to stick to the challenge, I used only items that I already had at home. This is what I used.
- An off-cut piece of 1x1x6 knotty pine (bought for almost nothing for another project)
- A utility knife to shape the soft wood
- Regular drill bits (nothing nearly as big as the plug)
- Some 80 grit and 120 grit sandpaper that I happened to have
- Black Rust Guard paint for cars (useful in Nova Scotia)
- Purple nail polish borrowed from SWMBO (I didn't have a lot of colour choices)
- Clear nail polish for shine and protection
- ShoeGoo (since I did not have Epoxy at home)
- And Finally, a 22mm Finest from TGN
This is the raw slab of wood as it was before I began.
And then after a little hand carving with the utility knife and a round or two of sanding.
After three coats of Rust protection paint, four coats of Purple nail polish for the accent, and about five coats of clear nail polish for some shine and protection.
The pre-bloom 22mm TGN Finest, set in the handle by using the ShoeGoo. I also glued a Canadian nickel in below the plug to make sure the plug has a stable and flat foundation.
And, I am glad to say that the experiment worked out well. This is a picture of the brush as it is seven months later. No signs of cracking or showing any wear at all. The Finest knot does wonders to creams and overall the brush is a pleasure to use.
I certainly would not look at this as an example of how to do it. But it was nice to see it work out. On another note, since I whittled the wood by hand, while continuously checking how it fits into my hand, this is by far the most ergonomic brush I have
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