First Restoration: Art Deco Ever-Ready 250 with Questions on The Original Knot

[mgbbrown]

Hello All! Antique hunting with my wife in South Boston, Virginia, yielded what has become my first attempt at restoring a vintage shaving brush- an Art Deco period Ever-Ready 250. This is tailor-made to compliment my small collection of early Gillette Super Speed razors. The handle was blemish free, save a razor cut, which can be seen along the edge of the handle's base. The nick was removed by subtracting material uniformly around the circumference of the base with 1000 grit 3M wet or dry sandpaper, then buffing along the sanded edge and the rest of the beehive shaped handle with Mothers Polish to achieve the same degree of luster as when new. The handle was then soaked in three, twenty minute duration, immersions in bleach, to remove any discolorations, particularly between the concentric circles which gradually taper to the 22 mm brush opening at the top of the handle. All of the lettering on the side of the handle and on the foot were painted with a Number 2 brush, allowed to dry, then airbrush paint thinner applied to the edge of a piece of card stock and rubbed over any paint excess. Testors 1144 Gold Enamel was used to duplicate the original paint. Final polishing of the handle was done using Novus Number 2 applied with a cotton Q-Tip applicator. Having not seen another, my thought was that Ever-Ready used gold paint on the bottom, and what remained prior to the restoration was just heavily oxidized paint-it seems odd that they would use two colors of paint on the same handle, but perhaps one of the resident experts can help to answer this question. If it was indeed painted black-that will be easy enough to rectify. I want to restore the brush as it would have appeared in period, so details such as this are important to me. The hope too, is that Virginia Sheng, through her ebay store, or another respected supplier, will be willing to duplicate the original boar bristle and badger hair combination knot. I have emailed the Golden Nib using their on-site form, but have not received an answer. Does anyone have additional contact information for these suppliers, or recommend a source for such a combination knot? The knot appears to be uniform in color without banding, and has a shallow, if any, fanning of the hair. What would be the best method to remove the original brush remnant? Thanks and God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
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[mgbbrown]

Well; A little research, as well as a thorough re-examination of the photographs of the Ever-Ready 250 shaving brush before the restoration, indicated that the lettering and numbers on the base of the handle were indeed black and not oxidized to what appeared to be black. It was an easy fix to rectify the mistake with Testor's gloss black enamel after removing the previous application of gold paint. To date, I have received no reply to my emails to The Golden Nib, but Virginia Sheng will reproduce the combination badger hair and boar bristle brush that was original to the handle when made. She suggested that a 22mm knot would be too wide for the hole, and to order a 21mm one instead. I was more than happy to oblige, as she has certainly lived up to her reputation for stellar customer service. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[droffilcal]

very nice work so far.......!

 

[edwinhmcbride]

I simply would not have the patience for the detail you are putting in to this but it is beautiful.

 

[mgbbrown]

Thank you both Droffilcal and Edwinmcbride! This particular Ever-Ready brush fits squarely into the period of my earliest Gillette Super Speed- a 1949. The styling cues designed by Ever-Ready are classic Art Deco Style, which was transitioned during the early 1950's into the more modern era of suburbanism, Sputnik, and automobile fins. Not knowing the exact date of it's manufacture does not allow one to make some generalizations, as this era in United States history spanned the Depression as well as the vast industrial mobilization that occurred during World War II. Badger hair was both scarce and expensive, with imports from Manchurian China cut-off during the Japanese invasion that preceded our involvement following Pearl Harbor, as well as during the War Years themselves. As exports from China resumed following hostilities, badger hair became a more available commodity, and still enjoyed its status as the premium brush hair. As design preferences and tastes changed, Ever-Ready ceased production, so the general availability of this brush was relatively short-lived. This brush will reside on the vanity next to a Sterling China Company diner mug, relegated to shaving service, and is also from the same period as the Ever-Ready 250. Both are virtually indestructible, so they should provide years of service once the restoration is complete. The handle is made of polished and turned Catlin- and is hard as nails. The valleys within the lathed concentric circles along the body of the handle are ragged, and quite a testimony to just how hard and dense this material actually is. Thanks again and God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[Country Boy]

Very nice work indeed, I admire your attention to detail and historical accuracy! I too have recently ordered from Virginia Sheng, due to her great reputation and also because her prices and shipping are significantly less than the others. I am restoring an antique Ever Ready 75 (I think that's what it is) with the black wooden handle and aluminum ferule. It will be re-knotted with black badger as some of the originals were.

 

[mgbbrown]

Thank you Country Boy! I married and moved from the big city of Raleigh to the northern Granville County Piedmont country in 2000-best move I have ever made! I was an archaeologist before becoming a nurse, so I am as much interested in the shaving culture surrounding the introduction by Gillette of the early Super Speeds as I am of the razors themselves. From the time just prior to the onset of the second World War, Fuller brush salesmen were a source for many to buy their shaving brushes, as was their competitor, Stanley Home Products. The quality of brushes was high, as these companies had both their own, in-house designs, as well as brushes made by other manufacturers as a private label brush with the Fuller or Stanhome name. Both companies offered drying stands for their brushes, which made purchasing from their door-to-door sales force even more attractive. I have focused on shaving brushes from these to companies, but the designs and overall quality of the brushes available from Ever-Ready in period is hard to overlook. I think a nice Lucite handled shaving brush is in my future at some point...God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

I have now completely removed the original badger hair and boar bristle brush from the Ever-Ready 250 handle, taking it down in depth from the mouth opening at the top of the handle by 7mm. I used a fine grit Dremel attachment to remove it. In fact-it was a Dremel tool given to my twin brother and I on our ninth or tenth birthday! However, not quite as old as the brush I am restoring by a long shot, perhaps twenty years younger. I have always said-"If you take care of your tools-they will take care of you." I was conservative in the process, not wanting to remove too much material so as to properly fit the duplicate badger and bristle brush that Virginia Sheng will be making with a 21mm base. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrownView attachment 603553

 

[mgbbrown]

I emailed Virginia Sheng with additional photographs of a period 1940's unused Stanhome Products shaving brush which was manufactured at about the same time as the Art Deco styled Ever-Ready 250. It too is a mixed badger hair and boar bristle brush, with the boar hair comprising the crown of the fan and encapsulated entirely by the badger hair. Hopefully she will be able to make the knot proportional to the handle-the original brush on the Stanhome Products handle is quite tall. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[BSAGuy]

Very interesting thread. Nice photos. Good luck with your project.

 

[global_dev]

Great brushes and narrative. You did a great job on restoring the handle. Omega has some mixed knot brushes you could steal a knot from.. So does semogue.. If Zheng doesn't come through. I love my semogue mixed knots.. Caravela and 2012 le iirc.

 

[mgbbrown]

Thank you BSA Guy and Jon! I have yet to hear back from Virginia Sheng, so an Omega or Semogue knot may be what I will need to complete the restoration. Any information on how to obtain these brushes would be appreciated. If I am nothing else, I am persistent...As with good car restorations, parts are often restored twice, as the initial impression of important details can be incorrect, or the restorer was unhappy with his work in relationship to the rest of the car's presentation. My MGB is a prime example, as I have acquired better pieces or perhaps felt that the work was not true to just how it was originally. My style of restoration is known by the British as a sympathetic restoration, which preserves as much history as possible. I am certainly applying that to this Ever-Ready 250 shaving brush. Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[global_dev]

i'm not current on most brush offerings

the omega 11047 is a 20mm, readily available online called the mixed mighty midget

i don't know if semogue has regular production.. maybe contact vintagescent

vie-long also has mixed knots, but horse/badger or horse/boar, lots of them online at place like giftsandcare, wcs,

you ay want to start a new thread on mixed knots vs the one now as the title might be slightly vague as mixed knots as OEM are not common

good luck. if wuldn't mind getting a sheng mixed knot if she comes through.

 

[mgbbrown]

Thanks John! The Omega banded brush that you mention, the Omega 11047 will be a perfect fallback, should Virginia Sheng not respond accordingly. West Coast Shaving has them in stock for roughly the same price as the Virginia Sheng knot. Thank you so much for your help and quick response! A true brother of the brush! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[global_dev]

tony,

No prob, glad I could be of help.. Can't wait to see the finished brush.

 

[ackvil]

I'm always amazed at the knowledge and skill of fellow B&Bers.

 

[mgbbrown]

Jim; Your mother certainly raised a gentleman-you corrected a typographic error that I made earlier in the thread at the blink of an eye! Thank you for the compliment, but thank you so much for your hard work as a moderator and your devotion to this gentlemanly retreat we call the Badger and Blade. I do by learning, and I come here for school... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

John; Thanks to your advice- an Omega 11047 is on its way to the Brown house! The knot is a banded badger hair and boar bristle, and duplicates the one found in the Ever-Ready 250 precisely. This brush has received many complimentary reviews, so my expectations are high. Hopefully, someone can offer advice on how to extract the Omega knot, keeping the brush base intact for insertion into the restored handle without damage. I have been sanding down the interior of the Ever-Ready brush barrel portion of the handle, and it is a smooth cylinder to 8mm in depth from the top aperture, with the depth of the cavity remaining at 10mm. I did this by hand rather than using a sanding drum, Dremel attachment, so this is both controlled albeit slow as molasses. I will post some photographs as this portion of the restoration nears completion. Because of its density and resultant hardness, Catlin is quite predictable, and a wonderful base material on which to perform my first shaving brush full restoration- far easier than the Bakelite parts found on classic British automobiles from the 1950's. This brush handle has been put through its paces, with the painted lettering wearing in the more shallow impressions as it would through normal use. This brush certainly has the potential to last the rest of my lifetime... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

While on a long overdue vacation and fifteenth wedding anniversary get-away to the mountains of North Carolina- I had the opportunity to resume work on the Ever-Ready 250 restoration. The inside of the handle barrel was sanded and smoothed to a depth of 10mm. Repeated handling removed some of the gold paint on the side lettering, and that will be renewed once the brush has been transferred. Now That the cased badger and boar bristle Omega Mighty Midget is in hand- I will increase the depth to match the 15mm inset on the Omega shaving brush. The knot is extremely soft, yet exhibits adequate backbone for lathering with Williams mug soap. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

The Omega cased, or banded badger hair and boar bristle knot has been removed from the original resin handle. This was a dirty job indeed... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown