Got me a couple of old brushes to restore in the mail today

[JGKC9AYC]

Haven't taken the knots out yet. Don't know where to start, but i'm sure someone here can tell me or point me in the right direction.
I'm anxious to get them done. I think they're pretty cool looking...& check out the name of that one!! LOL!! That's one of the reasons why I bought it!

 

[GDCarrington]

You will do well to look at the aluminum restorations.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/311509-Two-More-Down

 

[JGKC9AYC]

Thank you for that link. I wished mine unscrewed like that!
This might be a toughie for the first restore!

 

[GDCarrington]

Thank you for that link. I wished mine unscrewed like that!
This might be a toughie for the first restore!

Look at some other restorations for discussions of knot removal (don't steam) but remember the aluminum for the polishing.

Good fortune.

 

[JGKC9AYC]

OK. I got the knot out & didn't mess anything up (that's a switch for me!).
Now how do I know what size knot to replace it with?

 

[tomcj2]

... how do I know what size knot to replace it with?

Calipers can be purchased for less than $10, or you can get pretty close by using US coins:

US penny =19mm
US Nickel = 21.2mm
Dime =17.9 mm
Quarter = 24.2 mm

(all diameters are approximate to 1 decimal place)

 

[JGKC9AYC]

So depth doesn't matter?
A nickel is darn close to fitting perfectly, so the next question is whether a 20 or 22mm knot.
I assume the smaller of the two?

(Sorry...n00b question

)

 

[Big Jim]

You need a little room for the glue, so if you want a 22 you are likely to need to open up the hole.

Most likely the 20 is the right size.

The best thing to do is not work with the hole any further until you have a knot in hand. Even a 20 may need to be opened up and / or tapered a bit depending on the individual knot.