Handle Materials and Impact Of Water

[Barber-Eile]

Hi everyone.

So I was thinking today about the types of brush handle materials and how they react with water. I have one brush with a pine wood handle and I have to be very careful with it not to get the handle wet (bar the unpreventable lather spill over).
Now here's the thing... when soaking the hairs of the brush I fill a cereal bowl halfway with water and put the brush's hair in the water with the handle resting on the side, but I'm always paranoid that the whole brush will just slip in (as has happened me on several occasions with some other brushes with non-wood handles).

When I look on here and I see videos of guys soaking their brushes I notice some people just fill a bowl or sink and pop the whole brush into the water. Is this not bad for the handle regardless of what it is made of?

Also does anyone know of anything like a bowl with a stand attached to it so you can just sit your brush in the stand over the water in the bowl so the hairs are being soaked but the handle is kept securely out of the water? It'd be even better is this existed and the stand height was adjustable so you could move it higher or lower depending on the brush. Some sort of "dipping stand" I guess.

Hmmm I smell a DIY project of some sort coming on. Those test tube holders you can get spring to mind.

So in short - in relation to each material what is the best way to soak your brush in order to protect the handle?

Thanks!

 

[Thebigspendur]

Well, I've never soaked a brush so I don't know about that but certainly wood and water don't mix and eventually the wood will deteriorate. If your gonna keep the brush in water alot better to get acrylic or horn or something not affected by water.

 

[DE Shaver]

I'm not so fussy about soaking a brush in a methodical manner. I simply soak my brush in hot water and if the handle get a little water on it, it's not a big deal.

 

[Barber-Eile]

Well, I've never soaked a brush so I don't know about that

Do you just use your brush dry?
Also there are lots of brushes with lovely wooden handles and indeed my favourite brush has one so I'm wondering about the best method of treating it well.
How do you find shaving with a dry brush is? Maybe this would be a good option for my pinewood brush, but I can't imagine lathering with a dry brush.

 

[rodeo]

A halfways decent brush (heck, even the cheap ones) should be designed and manufactured to get wet. The knot should be well potted and the glue used should protect the inside of the handle from seepage and interior degradation. The exterior (if wood) should be coated likewise with paint or laquer to protect it too. Other handle materials are likely water resistant, such as the plastics, rubbers and acrylics used. So I don't think there's much fear to soaking the entire brush. The bigger fear is not drying it properly or adequately and having the knot deteriorate, but that's another subject.

 

[huntmol]

I soak my brush in an old coffee mug, and I usually won't fill it past the knot line. My brush handles are all synthetic material, but I just figure that there's no need to soak the whole thing, since the brush naturally sucks water up into the knot when soaking.

 

[skipnord]

I have been using a brush I made of Cocobolo, with a CA glue finish for about 6 months. I soak it in the sink before use. I haven't had any problems yet with water and wood. Don McIvor uses tung oil, and Cooncat uses Spar Varnish. All of these products are designed to be used in wet environments. I have no concerns about getting mine wet.

 

[Barber-Eile]

I think maybe I should see about using a mug instead of a bowl as the side won't be so wide. Or if I could find a cheap bowl with a lip on it that'd be perfect - maybe some sort of giant ashtray? Hmmm.

 

[Barber-Eile]

I have been using a brush I made of Cocobolo, with a CA glue finish for about 6 months.

It seems though that Pine wood often has a problem with water or so I'm told.
I don't mind being extra careful with it as I love this brush and hope to have it for a long, long time.
My brush was only 6 - 7 months old when the problem began but the supplier has very thoughtfully taken the brush to restore it so when I get it back I use want to be uber-careful just in case.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Don't brushmakers know that a shaving brush is going to get wet and design their products accordingly? Seems to be a non-issue to me.

 

[c0ry]

I'm fairly OCD and I try not to let the knot or handle soak in the water, so I stand the brush up on the tips of the hairs in my scuttle, with the water level just below the knot/handle.

Probably not necessary, but it makes me feel better.

 

[RSC]

I've never soaked a brush either. I just run it under hot water for a couple of seconds. I use a synthetic, so maybe that makes a difference? What benefit do you get by soaking? I'm kind of new to this.

 

[Bertilak]

I answered "soak the hair but amn't too bothered if the handle gets wet too or falls in" but that doesn't really apply as I don't *soak* my brush. I just swish it under the faucet to get it pretty thoroughly wet and then give it a couple of gentle shakes to get out the excess water.

Perhaps we have different ideas of what "soak" means.

 

[Barber-Eile]

I normally leave my brush's hair/bristles in a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes while a do some other shower things. Then I take it out and give it a gentle squeeze and shake. I find this softens up the bristles nicely and I know how much water the brush is holding at this stage. YMMV of course.

 

[andrew98]

I normally don't soak my badgers. I just run them under warm water for a few seconds to wet the brush before use.

I soak my boar brush, and I use a tall, narrow coffee mug, similar to this one. I fill the mug with water to just below where the bristles enter the handle.

-Andy

 

[brianw]

I soak my brush in an old coffee mug, and I usually won't fill it past the knot line. My brush handles are all synthetic material, but I just figure that there's no need to soak the whole thing, since the brush naturally sucks water up into the knot when soaking.

what he said

 

[memoryleak]

I believe Bruno (aka "Leon" from Vintage Scent) advised NOT to get brush handle wet on a regular basis. I'd take that as a learned opinion.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Do you just use your brush dry?
Also there are lots of brushes with lovely wooden handles and indeed my favourite brush has one so I'm wondering about the best method of treating it well.
How do you find shaving with a dry brush is? Maybe this would be a good option for my pinewood brush, but I can't imagine lathering with a dry brush.

I just run the brush under hot water for maybe 20sec and it always works for me.

 

[ginhud]

Like a couple members so far, I set my brush in a mug with water only as high as I want for the bristles. But when I'm finished I put the whole brush in the sink for the final rinse, then squeeze and shake it out. Figure it's not there long enough to do damage.

 

[ackvil]

I don't have any wooden handled brushes - yet.

However, I fill a mug with water and place it in a bowl also filled with warm water which is then placed on a warming plate. There are times that the brush will fall into the water no matter how careful I am. One of my brushes is more than 20 years old and continues to be in great shape. So, I don't believe an occasional dunk will hurt it. BTW, all of my brushes are badger.

Interesting question, however.