For boars and badgers how much do you like to soak? And if you only soak part, how?

[WindyShaver]

To soak my badger brush I toss it into my larger cup and it tends to fall sideways and then the brush sinks a bit as it takes on some water.

Read a comment that it's best to avoid soaking the handle to extend the life of the brush. Read that someone noted it's best to only soak part of a boar brush as it can get floppy and lose some backbone. I'm waiting on my boar so I can't test this quite yet

Any truth to either of these? What do you do for your boars and badgers? How much do you soak and if you're not soaking it all then how do you prop it up vertically?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[SteveWY]

I prefer not to submerge or float brushes in a sink full of water. I use a small glass or jar and place the brush bristles down. Look for a small juice glass or similar about 3-4" tall and 2" wide at the mouth. Place brush bristles down. Add warm water until about 2/3 of the way up the bristles. I soak boars this way for 5-10 minutes or about as long as my shower and getting things together. I don't think badger brushes need a soak, just run under or dip in warm water for a minute. Badger hair holds the water between the hairs vs. boar hair that absorbs the water.

 

[Sfbagger]

I put the brush in a warm cup of water while I shower. The whole brush generally gets soaked; it's gonna happen when I shave with it anyway. This is for boars; badger brushes just get a dip. My feeling is that if a brush can't be soaked it's really not a very well engineered tool. That goes for plastic handles, wood, painted wood, resin, etc.

 

[YetiDave]

I never found soaking made much difference

 

[goby]

I never found soaking made much difference

+1 I never do it. 5-10 of warm water is good enough for me.

 

[wrinkles2]

I Soak both types of brushes in a (Retired) Coffee cup

 

[Doryferon]

5 minutes for Boar
6-7 for Horse
1 minute for Badger and Synthetics.
My intention is on bristles,i don't throw my brush into hot water and forget them
There is no need to "torture" the wooden handles.

 

[Mick]

I find that denser brushes like Chubby, Polo, and the XL Rooney take a bit longer to soak then smaller less dense knot badgers do.

I soak my brushes in my promotional Williams 1976 pewter shaving mug, keeping the handles of the wooden brushes out of the water

 

[Coler]

I have to say I just toss them in the sink (filled with hot water) while I shower.

I guess I'd be annoyed with myself if this significantly affects the life of the knot. Can't see how it should though.

I hang them to let them dry off.

 

[rts9364]

Yeah, just use a cup/glass that is narrow enough so the brush will stand up vertically. Add a bit of water up to the point you want to soak the bristles. I usually keep mine well below the handle.

 

[DukeNDuke]

I usually just run the brush under warm water until it's saturated and then rest it (on its side) on the sink while I'm in the shower.

 

[Elder Scrolls]

I use a glass small enough to soak the brush say 3/4 up...I dont soak the handles. I find that dry boar bristles tends to get brittle and break if I dont soak them.

 

[mftoms59]

I always use a coffee mug for all brushes regardless of knot hair/synthetic, and soak ~60% of the knot while I shower.

 

[The_Anderman]

I usually soak my boar brushes two-thirds of the way up for five minutes in the mouth of my scuttle