Help with Restore

[houlejames]

Just got a nice ivory Made Rite 750 off of eBay. Put the knot in the vise and twisted and pulled and knot came out. Lucky there, didn't need to drill. Used some hardware cloth to clean and smoothe the outside. Now I need to polish/shine it up. Don't know what to use, any suggestions??
Also I have the hole 10mm deep and it seems solid a ways down. Tony's knots are 60-65mm and I was going to set the loft at 45-50mm. I am going to wait until I get the knot but I think I'm going to have to get the base down 5-10mm more. Is there a good way to do this with basic tools I have, chisels, drill etc. Hope it doesn't get hollow on me.
Looks like a 20mm finest extra stuffing from TGN will work.

 

[vitaman]

To polish that nice brush handle, I would use some 0000 steel wool followed up by a good fiberglass/plastic polish.

As far as setting your knot depth I would drill it all the way out.(hopefully it's hollow) and fill it w/ a wine cork. To set your desired depth cut the cork accordingly.

Hope that helps.

 

[houlejames]

I have the hole down 20mm and there is still some bottom left so this should work out good. I will post a picture when I get it polished up. It seems to be turning more of a butterscotch color as I polish it. Looking good.

 

[MaxP]

Nice looking handle you've got.

Please post a photo or two of the finished brush.

 

[houlejames]

It will probably be awhile before I get a knot in it as there is a couple more vintage handles I'm dealing on, and I'm having a brush custom made for me with the 20mm TGN finest with extra stuffing. I want to use the one that is being made before I order any knots and make sure this is what I want. This was my first attempt at a restore and so far it has really been alot easier so far than I thought it would be.

 

[Jack-in-the-Green]

I've had good luck using a basic metal polish to shine up handles. And for drilling down, I suggest using a forstner bit in your drill.

 

[houlejames]

Tony recommended a 20x63mm Best Badger with the loft at 50mm so I have one coming and will experiment with the loft before I epoxy in. My other brush restores I was bidding on didn't work out. It would be cheaper to buy a handle custom made than what some of these old brushes are going for on eBay.
I think I will be good for now with a Vulfix 20mm Pure Badger, a custom made 20mm finest badger w/extra hair, and now the Made Rite with 20mm best badger.
I have had 14mm, 18mm,22mm and 24 but 20 seems to be the sweet spot for me. I will probably sell one on the BST as soon as I can decide which two to keep.

 

[Vinny Bobo]

I recommend 'Flitz" which I get from my local Tru Value / Arrow Hardware Store.

 

[fidjit]

I think I will be good for now with a Vulfix 20mm Pure Badger, a custom made 20mm finest badger w/extra hair, and now the Made Rite with 20mm best badger........I will probably sell one on the BST as soon as I can decide which two to keep.

Good luck ! I just can't bring myself to get rid of any of my 5 restored brushes

Oh and please make sure you post pics of the finished product and give us some feedback on the Best knot..... should look nice the white handle and the dark knot !!!

I recommend 'Flitz" which I get from my local Tru Value / Arrow Hardware Store.

Vinny, where's a picture of all your restored beauties ???

 

[houlejames]

Actually the pictures of the Best knot on TGN wasn't that dark, more creamy.
What seemed to polish it up the best was Armor-All all purpose interior cleaner and polish. It's looking pretty shiny. Should get the knot by the weekend and I'll post as soon as it's done.

 

[Schwert]

This one ought to work up nicely. That is a great looking old handle for sure.

 

[houlejames]

Waiting for the epoxy to dry. I marked the inside hole where I wanted the expoxy to go and just filled it to that mark and set the knot in. Nice best badger knot from TGN and fast delivery. I ended up with a 48mm loft. The knot fit real good in the 22mm hole. The handle just started to compress the bloom at 48mm and it looked about right. I will probably use it Sunday morning. Will post again after a few days use. Really surprised how good the knot smelled brand new. No old badger smell, had a clean smell like MWF soap.

 

[Schwert]

Very nicely done. That loft ought to work well. I bet you will detect a bit more malodorous badger soon however....

 

[gaj90027]

I made 3 test lathers with my new TGN knot using the strongest smelling soaps and creams I had (speick, proraso and tabac) plus one additional lather with some american crew mint shampoo. When I finally made some actual lather for my face the brush had no nasty badger smell left in it

Good job on the restore by the way - very nice!

Very nicely done. That loft ought to work well. I bet you will detect a bit more malodorous badger soon however....

 

[houlejames]

Cleaned and conditioned brush up and it's got a great bloom. This 20mm Best from TGN is a really nice knot. My Vulfix is a 20mm Pure but the bloom looks puny compared to this one. Very soft but has alot of backbone. I think it is going to be a keeper. First shave with it will be in the morning.

 

[fidjit]

Excellent Job. Enjoy!!