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First Restoration Attempt

I going to restore this old brush. Using Vinny Bobo's restoration post (thanks Vinny) as my guide I have managed to the remove the knot whithout damaging the handle. Yay!!

I need a little advice from the pros in order to continue:

As you can see from the photos a lot of the old epoxy remains in the bottom of the handle. Apparently it was used to build up a floor for the old knot. Should I remove it or is it OK to leave it?

Also, the hole measures 15/16" or 23 mm (approx). What size knot should I order? Are they all the same length? I would like to set the loft at 48-50 mm.
 
Harry,
What's the depth of the current knot hole ???

That is what will determine the loft and whether you need to drill further down into the handle to get the desired loft.

You can use any size knot under 23mm again depending on the depth of the final knot hole.
 
I'm certainly not an expert, but I'd leave the epoxy unless you need more depth to set the knot. I have a few handles that, after knot removal, also have remaining epoxy and I left it. If anything, I consider it a stabilizer - especially for any fragile or brittle base handle materials.

Nice job, Harry. Good luck!
 
Harry,
What's the depth of the current knot hole ???

That is what will determine the loft and whether you need to drill further down into the handle to get the desired loft.

You can use any size knot under 23mm again depending on the depth of the final knot hole.

Current depth 7/16" to 1/2", depending on how hard I squint. I assume all knots are the same length then?

I'm certainly not an expert, but I'd leave the epoxy unless you need more depth to set the knot. I have a few handles that, after knot removal, also have remaining epoxy and I left it. If anything, I consider it a stabilizer - especially for any fragile or brittle base handle materials.

Nice job, Harry. Good luck!

Thanks, Bill.
 
If you look at TGN, and look at say the 20mm Finest Two Band ( seems to be a pretty popular choice )

Fan shaped: 20mm X 60mm
Bulb shaped: 20 mm X 65mm

Now if my old maths serves me correctly, then 1/2 inch = 12.7 mm

So the fan will give you 47.30 loft, bulb will give you 52.30 mm loft.

Make any sense ? ( and please note I'm not expert on brush restores :tongue_sm )
 
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If you look at TGN, and look at say the 20mm Finest Two Band ( seems to be a pretty popular choice )

Fan shaped: 20mm X 60mm
Bulb shaped: 20 mm X 65mm

Now if my old maths serves me correctly, then 1/2 inch = 12.7 mm

So the fan will give you 47.30 loft, bulb will give you 52.30 mm loft.

Make any sense ? ( and please note I'm not expert on brush restores :tongue_sm )

Makes perfect sense. Thanks.
 
V

VR6ofpain

Looks like the white van der Hagen handle. You can still buy those today. Maybe that was an older Surrey version?
 
If you look at TGN, and look at say the 20mm Finest Two Band ( seems to be a pretty popular choice )

Fan shaped: 20mm X 60mm
Bulb shaped: 20 mm X 65mm

Now if my old maths serves me correctly, then 1/2 inch = 12.7 mm

So the fan will give you 47.30 loft, bulb will give you 52.30 mm loft.

Make any sense ? ( and please note I'm not expert on brush restores :tongue_sm )

Y'know I've never measured the knots before setting them. Do those measurements include the actual knot, or is that usable brush loft?

In any case, the measurements aren't exact. There can be a couple mm difference from one knot to another, so you'll probably have to put the knot in the handle, see how much loft you have, then decide how much farther you want to drill it down. Keep in mind when choosing a knot size that the knots get fatter as they go up, so if you need to set it very deep, you may want a slightly smaller knot. But then, you can always widen the hole a touch with a Dremel, if necessary.

withoutink said:
Good luck with the resto. Keep us updated.

Absolutely! And don't forget to add it to the Share Your Restorations thread. (I'm determined to get more people to contribute to that thread, even if I have to become a nuisance to do so. :wink: )
 
Y'know I've never measured the knots before setting them. Do those measurements include the actual knot, or is that usable brush loft?

Tell you the truth I never measured either, just used it as a rough guide

e.g. 65mm knot, 19mm knot hole approx 46mm loft......

Just roughly measured
20 X 60mm Finest , Base to tip is approx 63mm, total brush hair 55mm
20 X 67 mm Silvertip, Base to tip is approx 67mm, total brush hair 60 mm

So looks like Tony's measurements are bottom of base to tip.

In any case, the measurements aren't exact. There can be a couple mm difference from one knot to another, so you'll probably have to put the knot in the handle, see how much loft you have, then decide how much farther you want to drill it down.

So as you say, there is some variance.

Yeppers, make sure you test seat the knot before final gluing as a small difference can effect the final outcome :tongue_sm
 
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Looks like the white van der Hagen handle. You can still buy those today. Maybe that was an older Surrey version?

Looks like the "Select" handled VDH you can buy at CVS for around $7.....

I think you're both correct. I wanted to learn restoration using a relatively cheap and common brush. I have two more handles like this, another white and a green to continue practicing.

I didn't want to tear up an old Fuller or an Ever Ready or the aluminum handled Dubl Duck brushes I have while I'm learning. After all, artists who restore old oil on canvas paintings don't begin their training on Rembrandts. :biggrin:
 
I think you're both correct. I wanted to learn restoration using a relatively cheap and common brush. I have two more handles like this, another white and a green to continue practicing.

I didn't want to tear up an old Fuller or an Ever Ready or the aluminum handled Dubl Duck brushes I have while I'm learning. After all, artists who restore old oil on canvas paintings don't begin their training on Rembrandts. :biggrin:

Hah good point!

While you're at it, you should practice wet-sanding plastic and lacquering. :biggrin:
 
Someone asked for length measurements.

On these knots, the 22mm Black measures approx 2.75" long and the 18mm Silvertip is approx 2.625" long.

The camera angle is a little distorting...
 
I'm going to set the Black Badger knot in the white handle, so it looks like I will need to drill out the remaining epoxy.

I was thinking about setting the Silvertip in this little baby brush I found
 
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