How to fix a shedding brush

[dfoulk]

Ok, so I have a knot that's shedding a few hairs every shave for a couple months now. It's a TGN HMW knot that I have in a Rubbberset 400 brush handle. It's broken in quite nicely now and I'm really enjoying it despite the shedding problem.

So the recommendation I'd give anyone else here would be to contact the place they bought it from and work with them to get it resolved. I did that and the vendor TGN was excellent to deal with. After making sure the knot wasn't going to stop shedding they did send me a replacement at no cost to me. Excellent customer service and I will be purchasing knots from them again for upcoming brush projects.

Now everything I've read here about a shedding knot leads me to believe that the only solution is to replace it. I was wondering if there's maybe another way to fix it if for example I purchased it second hand without a warranty.

So here's my idea. Have you ever used an old paintbrush that wasn't cleaned well enough and at the base of it the hairs were basically glued together with old paint. What if I did something like that intentionally. Not with paint though and not to the same extent as the old brush. You get the concept though.

The experiment would be to insert some type of glue, epoxy, superglue gel way down into the hairs that aren't extending out further than the brush handle.

I thought it might be nice to experiment with this knot before I drill it out and replace it. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky and this theory will actually work.

Do you guys have any thoughts about what kind of glue I'd use, if you think it would work, if it's been tried before, am I just wasting my time, should I even bother, or any other thoughts you'd like to share. I'm hoping that this may work and be a viable solution to fix a shedding knot. Who knows maybe it'll help someone out who isn't able to get their knot replaced.

Thank you,
David

 

[chamm]

I'd be curious, too. I've recently given it some thought, too, but don't have a suitable brush to experiment on. I was thinking maybe if there was a way to thin out some clear epoxy to make it flow, then, with the bottom level, inject it straight down into the knot. You'd need some sort of long, thin applicator, but I don't see how it wouldn't work. The epoxy would have to be thin enough to flow, but not so thin that it's drawn up by capillary action.

 

[dfoulk]

I'd be curious, too. I've recently given it some thought, too, but don't have a suitable brush to experiment on. I was thinking maybe if there was a way to thin out some clear epoxy to make it flow, then, with the bottom level, inject it straight down into the knot. You'd need some sort of long, thin applicator, but I don't see how it wouldn't work. The epoxy would have to be thin enough to flow, but not so thin that it's drawn up by capillary action.

Exactly what I was thinking thought I hadn't thought about thinning the epoxy.

 

[Rem700]

No idea about the brush.
Have used rubbing alcohol to thin out epoxy for fuel proofing firewalls on R/C airplanes.

 

[Maplobats]

I think I'm going to give this a try next week. I have a brush with a fairly nice handle, and quite a lovely silvertip knot that I want to try to salvage. It is new, but I bought it in China (where I currently live...) and returning it is just not an option.
Apart from the shedding, it is my favourite brush, but the shedding is fairly bad.

 

[Maplobats]

Well I did try, and it has helped but not totally eliminated the shedding. I only went in in one location (epoxy in syringe/needle combo), so perhaps applying in several locations at the base would give better results.
It was shedding badly...maybe 30 hairs/shave, and now it is down to about 5, but still not worth saving imo. I have several more better quality brushes on the way...

 

[ColdMeatJelly]

Interesting idea. I would think it would have to be rather thick to avoid wicking up the knot. Please let us know how it works out if you experiment on that old knot you got a replacement for.

Oops, aalready done. Maybe another formula would work better or are the hairs breaking off at the epoxy from deterioration?

 

[wurglehound]

Take it out behind the barn and shoot it.

Sorry. This reminded me of a certain shedding brush (now in a drawer; I'll never use it again) that made me angry every time I used it. Colossal waste of money.

Good luck, David! Let us know if it works for you. Maybe I'll get that badger out of the drawer. . .

 

[dfoulk]

Yeah, I was set to go forward with it and looking at what epoxy to use but I went home and looked at the brush. The bristles are so dense at the base I would definitely need to use a syringe to get the epoxy down there. It sounds as though someone else tried it and had some success. I'd call 30 hairs lost per shave to 5 hairs lost per shave a success. I'm dropping about 4 hairs a shave with this brush now so I think this could potentially solve the issue if I did it right and got enough in there.

I got sidetracked refinishing some straight razors and learning to hone but I do want to get back to this.

My hold up now is that I don't have a syringe and I'm not sure where to get one. I'm not sure if I can just pick one up at the local drug store or if I need to shake down a crackhead to get a source for them.

If anyone knows where I can get one please let me know.

 

[chamm]

Probably the best place to get what you need would be to order online. You need to make sure you have a _heavy_ gauge needle. In fact, you probably aren't looking for a medical syringe. Those are all pretty thin. More like a turkey basting needle.

 

[chamm]

Something like this. Or maybe just this. And if you take your time and clean it really well you can even use it for Thanksgiving dinner!

Bayou Classic 5011 2-Ounce Stainless-Steel Seasoning Injector with Marinade Needles
http://amzn.com/B000KDZ1VA

 

[dfoulk]

Something like this. Or maybe just this. And if you take your time and clean it really well you can even use it for Thanksgiving dinner!

Bayou Classic 5011 2-Ounce Stainless-Steel Seasoning Injector with Marinade Needles
http://amzn.com/B000KDZ1VA

I see where you're going and I like it but I'm thinking something disposable as I don't want to ruin that with epoxy and throw $16 away trying to fix something that's broken.

 

[Musikmann]

...My hold up now is that I don't have a syringe and I'm not sure where to get one. I'm not sure if I can just pick one up at the local drug store or if I need to shake down a crackhead to get a source for them. If anyone knows where I can get one please let me know...

We used to be able to buy insulin syringes from pharmacies but the laws changed, at least here, and now we need to produce a prescription. But those needles have too small a gauge for your purpose anyway. I haven't tried but see no reason why you couldn't buy a plain syringe without a needle somewhere. I think you could get enough glue to the base of the knot using just the barrel and the plunger. If you're trying to inject the adhesive to the interior the knot that is a different story.

If you know anyone who sells medical supplies, I mean disposables, they should have some samples. I know I did when I was in that business.

 

[Maplobats]

I used a 20 guage needle, and it flowed ok through it given enough pressure. The trick seems to be to heat the epoxy rather than thinning it with solvent, it flows easier, but won't wick up the strands of hair easily....also you need to work quickly, because the heat also hardens the epoxy a lot faster.

I have more brushes now, but I might give it one more shot on that one I already tried with, as I won't be using it anyways (unless I fix it) so no loss if it doesn't work.

 

[Drkxman]

Good Stuff

 

[Musikmann]

I used a 20 guage needle, and it flowed ok through it given enough pressure. The trick seems to be to heat the epoxy rather than thinning it with solvent, it flows easier, but won't wick up the strands of hair easily....also you need to work quickly, because the heat also hardens the epoxy a lot faster...

I would have thought 20 gauge would be too small too so good to know this trick. FYI: The medical industry make needles even larger than 20 and the insulin ones I mentioned earlier are likely the smallest gauge out there, 28 or 29. The last I knew the largest "hypodermic" needles were 16 or possibly 14. But then there are spinal needles that get larger and longer than hypodermics. Also, bear in mind that the needles attach to the syringe body in at least 2 fashions: Luer-Slip (just like it sounds) and Luer-Lok which are much more stable as they screw together with threads.

 

[GreenaGiant]

Hi all
Has anyone tried this with cyano (superglue) rather than epoxy? Interested in whether that is better/worse/same.
I use thin cyano which I keep in the fridge for other stuff, gets it to a decent thickness (better than just using medium or thick!)
Cheers

 

[REV579]

I purchased a short and fat, high-end brush from a well known, and very traditional brush making company that has been shedding to the tune of 8-15 hairs per shave. I purchased it used and was described as a “shedder”. I had no idea th extend of the shedding.
I’ve used dawn, brushed it out with a comb. When I sent an inquiry to them about improving the performance of the brush, they sent this response:

We recommend a good shampoo & thorough drying before combing through with a tight hair comb. This process should be repeated several times.

Is it being suggested here, in this thread, that the hairs might simply need a new layer of adhesive to bind them to the knot? If this is the case, would this also mean that the knot is deteriorating?
I’ve wondered about taking an air compressor to blow the knot out to see if I could possibly get in front of the hair loss, hoping that the loose ones would drop early, leaving only those that are still firmly attached. However, if the knot is in fact deteriorating, I might just be spitting into the wind.

 

[bakerbarber]

What's your time worth to you? Would you rather be doing something different?

If you had to assign yourself an hourly rate for your free time, how many hours are you willing to invest in a brush? Into other endeavors?

How many hours before you could have bought a new one?

Is it driving you mad with frustration? Is it fun to try to fix it?

No right or wrong answers. Just thinking about it.

A nice rainy day.

 

[REV579]

@bakerbarber, that is a great question and one I apply often, but not as often as I should. Brush rehabbing is really more cathartic than "work" for me. And in the case of this particular brush, it is a puzzle that I'd like to solve-fixable or not. I doubt I'll want to re-glue the knot.
I will say that a very old knot I was working with most recently, when I pulled it, the bristles were still tightly packed. Had the brush been cared for, I might have been able to use it. But this handle and ferrule is destined for greatness.