Having a buttescotch on its way!

[Permit]

Hi!

I will soon attempt my first restore on nothing less than a butterscotch!

I have a few questions.. Are there any do's and dont's I should know? I don't want to ruin the handle.. What products to use (please don't start naming brands like scrubbing bubbles and whatnot, we don't have them here)? I am thinking lathering steele wool to gently polish and clean the handle, but this won't give a glossy surface, right?

Also, I have seen people naming the 40-something test. I did a search but didn't find how the test actually is carried out. How does it work? Are there any other ways of finding out if it is a real butterscotch handle (that doesn't ruin the handle, of course)? I'm thinking of determining its density as one test.. Does anyone know the density of catalin?

A lot of questions here, I would truly appreciate your help.

 

[RF1963]

Excuse my ignorance but I've seen that butterscotch handles seems to be highly prized/regarded. Why?

 

[mretzloff]

Excuse my ignorance but I've seen that butterscotch handles seems to be highly prized/regarded. Why?

The look is unique and no major brush manufacturer produces them.

 

[Permit]

Excuse my ignorance but I've seen that butterscotch handles seems to be highly prized/regarded. Why?

The look is unique and no major brush manufacturer produces them.

Also they are white from the start. UV light makes them change color which take decades.

 

[Greybeard]

Hi!

I will soon attempt my first restore on nothing less than a butterscotch!

I have a few questions.. Are there any do's and dont's I should know? I don't want to ruin the handle.. What products to use (please don't start naming brands like scrubbing bubbles and whatnot, we don't have them here)? I am thinking lathering steele wool to gently polish and clean the handle, but this won't give a glossy surface, right?

Also, I have seen people naming the 40-something test. I did a search but didn't find how the test actually is carried out. How does it work? Are there any other ways of finding out if it is a real butterscotch handle (that doesn't ruin the handle, of course)? I'm thinking of determining its density as one test.. Does anyone know the density of catalin?

A lot of questions here, I would truly appreciate your help.

As far as identifying Catalin/Bakelite, you can rub the handle vigorously with your thumb until it feels quite warm. It will give off an odor of formaldehyde. Celluloid will smell like camphor. Plastic/acrylic resin has no discernible odor.

Don't use any vigorous cleaning methods like boiling, steel wool, or scrubbing bubbles. They will remove some of the butterscotch color. Dish soap like Dawn for an initial clean is best.

The 409 test is to use a small dab of 409 cleaner on a cloth and rub the underside of the base of the handle gently. The cloth should have yellow/orange residue on it. Brown residue is just dirt.
Simichrome, Maas, Flitz, Meguiar's PlastX polishes can all substitue for 409 for this test. At the same time you can use them to clean and polish the handle. Be careful because these also will remove some of the butterscotch color, but more slowly than 409. Stop polishing when you get to the point where you wouldn't be happy with the color being lighter. Then just buff with a dry cloth.

Please post pics when you get it.

 

[Permit]

As far as identifying Catalin/Bakelite, you can rub the handle vigorously with your thumb until it feels quite warm. It will give off an odor of formaldehyde. Celluloid will smell like camphor. Plastic/acrylic resin has no discernible odor.

Don't use any vigorous cleaning methods like boiling, steel wool, or scrubbing bubbles. They will remove some of the butterscotch color. Dish soap like Dawn for an initial clean is best.

The 409 test is to use a small dab of 409 cleaner on a cloth and rub the underside of the base of the handle gently. The cloth should have yellow/orange residue on it. Brown residue is just dirt.
Simichrome, Maas, Flitz, Meguiar's PlastX polishes can all substitue for 409 for this test. At the same time you can use them to clean and polish the handle. Be careful because these also will remove some of the butterscotch color, but more slowly than 409. Stop polishing when you get to the point where you wouldn't be happy with the color being lighter. Then just buff with a dry cloth.

Please post pics when you get it.

Great answers, thank you!

Is it possible to buff the handle until it's glossy? Would love a nice shine to it!

Yep, I will upload pictures when I get it!

I believe I got quite a bargin - only about $15 with a classical Swedish shave stick tube included! About $20 with shipping..

 

[Nadir M]

Also they are white from the start. UV light makes them change color which take decades.

I had no idea...very cool!​

 

[Greybeard]

Great answers, thank you!

Is it possible to buff the handle until it's glossy? Would love a nice shine to it!

Yep, I will upload pictures when I get it!

I believe I got quite a bargin - only about $15 with a classical Swedish shave stick tube included! About $20 with shipping..

You're welcome.
Yes, it's possible to get a glossy finish but at the expense of lightening the butterscotch color. Just keep an eye on it as you're doing it and stop before you go too far.

If it's a true butterscotch, then that's a terrific bargain. If it's not a true butterscotch then that's still a fair price for a nice restorable handle and shave stick tube.

 

[Jeapeacock]

I just did a restore of a Catalin/Bakelite with butterscoch colored Catalin on top and black bakelite on the bottom. I was able to get a high gloss shine using simple green to clean the handle followed by brasso, then Plastx. I was not worried about loosing the aged butterscotch as my brush handle was not one of the butterscotch due to ageing of the white handle.

If you have one of the aged butterscotched handles take your time and go slow. I would first try just cleaning with mild detergant or possibl simple green ect. The before doing a buffing compound like plastx, maas, brasso ect.. I would just try taking a soft cotton cloth and buffing it dry to bring some of the old shine back. You may be happy with just a soft cloth buff...with out going to a high shine and loosing some of the nice aged butterscotch color.

Good luck and it is very rewarding restore/reknoting your own brush.

 

[Greybeard]

I wouldn't use Brasso or Simple Green. Brasso is a very abrasive polish and will remove much more of the butterscotch color than other polishes. Simple Green will also remove a lot of the butterscotch color because of its industrial strength solvent 2-butoxyethanol.

 

[Permit]

A lot of brand names being thrown around.. What are the active ingredients in these polishes (Green, Brasso, Plastx etc)?

Since I'm removing the knot, should the inside of the handle be white (where no UV reaches)? Or if poke around with something sharp inside the handle, shouldn't some white plastic become visible? Why is this never talked about when testing a handle?

 

[Greybeard]

A lot of brand names being thrown around.. What are the active ingredients in these polishes (Green, Brasso, Plastx etc)?

Since I'm removing the knot, should the inside of the handle be white (where no UV reaches)? Or if poke around with something sharp inside the handle, shouldn't some white plastic become visible? Why is this never talked about when testing a handle?

The inside of the handle should be white. You have to be sure that you've reached the handle material though since a lot of the glues/resins used to glue the knot in are also white.

Simple Green is a cleaning product. It contains the solvent 2-butoxyethanol in concentration under 4%. Over 4% is considered toxic. It's strong enough that it has been used to help clean up oil spills.

From most abrasive to least abrasive polishes.

Brasso is a polish that contains 15% to 20% powdered silica. It's an old formula and a relatively coarse, fast cutting abrasive as far as polishes go.

Meguiar's PlastX also contains an abrasive. I don't know which one but I suspect a coarse jeweler's rouge. It's much milder than Brasso. The manufacturer does warn to try to avoid painted surfaces.

Maas contains fine jeweler's rouge as an abrasive. It's a very mild abrasive.

Flitz is a chemical composition that appears to contain no solid abrasives. The manufacturer warns against using it on electroplated surfaces.

I would lean towards Maas or Flitz for your butterscotch handle. Try a dab on the underside of the handle base and check the result. You might be better off to just clean it with dish soap and buff with a soft, dry cloth.

Edit: I'm not familiar with Simichrome.

 

[Permit]

The inside of the handle should be white. You have to be sure that you've reached the handle material though since a lot of the glues/resins used to glue the knot in are also white.

Simple Green is a cleaning product. It contains the solvent 2-butoxyethanol in concentration under 4%. Over 4% is considered toxic. It's strong enough that it has been used to help clean up oil spills.

From most abrasive to least abrasive polishes.

Brasso is a polish that contains 15% to 20% powdered silica. It's an old formula and a relatively coarse, fast cutting abrasive as far as polishes go.

Meguiar's PlastX also contains an abrasive. I don't know which one but I suspect a coarse jeweler's rouge. It's much milder than Brasso. The manufacturer does warn to try to avoid painted surfaces.

Maas contains fine jeweler's rouge as an abrasive. It's a very mild abrasive.

Flitz is a chemical composition that appears to contain no solid abrasives. The manufacturer warns against using it on electroplated surfaces.

I would lean towards Maas or Flitz for your butterscotch handle. Try a dab on the underside of the handle base and check the result. You might be better off to just clean it with dish soap and buff with a soft, dry cloth.

Edit: I'm not familiar with Simichrome.

Wow, great info! Thank you! How about whitening toothpaste on a cloth? But I guess I will try just cleaning and dry buffing as a first step, before I move on to more radical methods.

My gf has a nail buffer that has three different parts.. One quite rough, one smoother and one very smooth part. I tried it on the base of my fake ebony EJ brush and I guess if you work it a while it might give quite nice results.. On the other hand it probably removes quite some material.

I should get the brush today so hopefully I will have time to post some pictures tonight!

 

[Derty]

Flitz is amazing stuff. I went to the website and got a few samples sent to me. It puts a high gloss quick on a handle.

 

[Permit]

Long overdue:

For those who want to fix the white balance, the one where my shirt is visible, the white on my shirt is really white.

I have also confirmed that is it indeed catalin by smell after 30 seconds under hot water, and by accidentally scratching it (both outside and under the knot that I now have removed).

 

[hometownhero]

She is a beauty that is for sure.

 

[ssultan]

Quite a unique shape...don't recall seeing one like this before...congratulations!!!

 

[Permit]

She is a beauty that is for sure.

Quite a unique shape...don't recall seeing one like this before...congratulations!!!

Thank you guys!

I have started to remove the knot but the glue is really hard, so I will try drilling to remove the last of the bristles and then maybe sand the inside to get it all out and to get a rough surface for the new glue.

The hole is 20mm, but seems a bit conical, so I will probably put in a 19mm silvertip or something. But we'll see what happens. Maybe it's the glue that makes it look conical, so I hope I might be able to fit a 20 mm in there.

 

[RF1963]

The look is unique and no major brush manufacturer produces them.

Also they are white from the start. UV light makes them change color which take decades.

Thank you both.

 

[Permit]

I have some new pictures coming on the empty handle, but as I said, the glue is impossible and really hard, so sanding is still required.

Is epoxy the way to go when setting the new knot?