I have a InSinkErator 140°F to 200°F i think its set for 180 i like to mix this hot water with my hot water and let my brush soak. can i or should i just soak it in the 180°F water??
how hot is too hot for a Silver tip brush.
- Thread starter Jeremydelagarza
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Remember that this is hair and maybe glue, versus epoxy, we are talking about as the components of the brush that could be damaged by heat. I would generate heated lather by using a scuttle at a lower temperature than using that level of hot water on my brush.
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Basic Rule of thumb:
If it is too hot for you to comfortably stick your hands in it is too hot to stick your brush in
I soak my brushes in cold (tap cold) water in a Williams promotional shaving mug.
Before I fill my sink with hot (tap hot which for me is 118 degrees) I pour the water out of the mug that the brush soaked in, fill the sink with hot tap water and put the brush in there to warm up just before I use it.
I also put my scuttle in the sink full of warm water, no matter whether it is my brush scuttle or my lather scuttle.
My shaves in winter are warm. In summer I use cold water all around (soak, lather, and shave with)
If it is too hot for you to comfortably stick your hands in it is too hot to stick your brush in
I soak my brushes in cold (tap cold) water in a Williams promotional shaving mug.
Before I fill my sink with hot (tap hot which for me is 118 degrees) I pour the water out of the mug that the brush soaked in, fill the sink with hot tap water and put the brush in there to warm up just before I use it.
I also put my scuttle in the sink full of warm water, no matter whether it is my brush scuttle or my lather scuttle.
My shaves in winter are warm. In summer I use cold water all around (soak, lather, and shave with)
What is it with guys? We seem to always think that more of something is always better. Hotter water is better. Colder water is better for cold water shavers. (Let's add some ice cubes, for example.) More aggressive razors are better. More blade exposure is better. Dial up that adjustable razor to the max! Put your witch hazel in the freezer. Shave not BBS for 48 hours? Maybe you should add a couple dozen more ATG passes.
Then we turn around and say that the "zen" of traditional shaving is our "me time" - a time to "pamper" ourselves.
What?!
If I won't put my own hair in it, the brush doesn't go in either. My water is 125 and I always cool it down to 90 or so.
Jeremy, you could always use cold water for everything. i use cold water even to soak my brushes and have no issues whatsoever. i know it can be a bit cold in the winter months, but the benefits outweigh this tad inconvenience. Good luck.
This place is like an OCD electromagnet.
If I said that I could make a FatBoy adjust to 11, I'd have a waiting list of guys ready to throw $100 bills at me.
Soak it in the hottest water you can. If the train derails, report back.
I also don't get it. Why so hot?
According to Thäter, a brush should not be exposed to water hotter than 40 degrees C. I ruined one fine and expensive silvertip brush using too hot water. I use lukewarm water now.
It's hard to imagine how you would benefit from water much warmer than 120 degrees. A silvertip needs very little soaking and with no benefit in mind I don't know why you'd want to ask for trouble.
I have a tea kettle I use to heat my water. My brushes are still ok and not loosing hair. Then I pour the scalding hot water in my scuttle. I love the hot lather in the winter.
I have a tankless hot water heater and I set it to 118 degrees. This is comfortable for me to use straight hot water anywhere in the house (dishes/pots/pans, shower, shaving, etc).
My Asko dishwasher has a built in heater that takes the water to 190
My LG washing machine has a built in hot water heater that makes the water the temp required for hot/med temp washes.
There is no need for any water hotter than what is comfortable to stick my hands into when running is pure hot water.
Sometimes I like to use a hot towel on my beard (when I have LOTS of time for a shave). I wet a towel and put it in the microwave to get a steaming hot towel to wrap my face with.
What actually happened to your silvertip brush? Did the hair start falling out due to overheated water usage? Are silvertip brushes more apt to be damaged by overly hot water vs. best badger?
When you use water that is too hot the first sign of damage is that the tips curl and look like fish hooks. Once you see this.... well... you can imagine the difference in how the brush performs with damaged hair tips.
Pic below is NOT mine but shows some damaged tips on a silver tip badger brush
Pic below is NOT mine but shows some damaged tips on a silver tip badger brush
Actually the tips were curled and fringed just like on turtle's pic. The falling out of hairs was probably not due to overheating. Perhaps I did't wash the soap out properly or a production mistake. Since the performance was not really good with the curled tips anymore I decided to toss it. A pity but I'm still learning.
I initially soak it in cold water to get the knot soaked. After that before lathering I run it under warm water then squeeze the excess water. This way you can't damage the knot at all. I also do the same procedure for my Semogues!
That is basically what I do. Soak the brush in cold water in my Williams promotional mug while I wash my face with glycerine soap to help hydrate my beard. Then pour out the cold water and fill my sink with hot water placing the brush and scuttle in the sink to warm up. remove the brush and scuttle (keeping the hot water in the scuttle), then start making my lather.
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I feel you BlackBard...
