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Knot buying.

I am hoping some restoration experts will weigh in here.

Is it best practice to wait until the old knot is drilled out before buying a new one to get the right size, or can I go ahead and purchase knots in advance somehow (I am impatient and want the knots on hand for when I drill out the old ones). For example, I plan to restore two Austrian wood-handled Barbershop brushes, three Simms brushes, and 1-2 others. I know I want to buy a selection of tuxedo, cashmere, omega (27mm from TGN), and 2-band finest, TGN nylon, but I don't have the experience to know if say a 24mm will fit my particular handles.

Any ideas? Or am I just going to have to drill out a bunch of knots, measure, and then wait for the order?

Thanks :)
 
Some handles you can enlarge the socket a bit.

So, a good rule of thumb is to buy a knot at least 1mm smaller than the socket. 2 or 3mm smaller tends to be a safe bet even more often.

Let's say you have a vintage brush with a 19mm knot but have enough room to enlarge the socket to 22mm. In this hypothetical situation I would buy a 20mm knot. Then adjust the loft as needed.

You can buy some knots first but cleaning up the handle and socket first might be easier on your wallet and sanity. Then you'd know for sure what to order.

Some handles have a lot of room to enlarge the socket. Some don't. Until you're in the last stages of the removal of the original knot you can't really be 100% sure what you're working with.

I prefer to prep the handle first and then order a knot. Most domestic suppliers ship quick and are only about 3 to 5 days away from your door if you live in the continental US.

Having a spare knot on hand isn't a bad idea either. So if you're on the fence between say a 24mm and a 26mm and your finances allow, order both and have them ready

Otherwise wait until you're absolutely sure about what you need and want
 
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Some handles you can enlarge the socket a bit.

So, a good rule of thumb is to buy a knot at least 1mm smaller than the socket. 2 or 3mm smaller tends to be a safe bet even more often.

Let's say you have a vintage brush with a 19mm knot but have enough room to enlarge the socket to 22mm. In this hypothetical situation I would buy a 20mm knot. Then adjust the loft as needed.

You can buy some knots first but cleaning up the handle and socket first might be easier on your wallet and sanity. Then you'd know for sure what to order.

Some handles have a lot of room to enlarge the socket. Some don't. Until you're in the last stages of the removal of the original knot you can't really be 100% sure what you're working with.

I prefer to prep the handle first and then order a knot. Most domestic suppliers ship quick and are only about 3 to 5 days away from your door if you live in the continental US.

Having a spare knot on hand isn't a bad idea either. So if you're on the fence between say a 24mm and a 26mm and your finances allow, order both and have them ready

Otherwise wait until you're absolutely sure about what you need and want

Thank you, sir! That is fantastic information. You inspired me, so I took out two knots this evening. They just pulled apart once I cut down the brush.

Thanks again,
Mark
 
I may add to be prepared to play with the hole size a bit after the knot arrives as well as trying to get as close as possible before ordering.
 
@bakerbarber @Big Jim

Thank you both for your help. I have read elsewhere that holes can be easily enlarged where possible. Are there situations where they couldn't be enlarged?

I bought a caliper and pulled the knot from a Simms I have (in the Simms thread I resurrected). The hole is 23mm and I had hoped for a 24mm knot--meaning I need a space from 24mm-27mm. Generally speaking, can a shave brush be enlarged this much?

I am not worried about the enlarging process just about how to know whether it is possible with a given brush.

Best,
Mark
 
Nearly always yes. I can think of two cases where you can't. 1st is the outer diameter of the handle doesn't have enough material, by that I mean you will end up with to thin of a wall or if you have a knot larger in diameter than the handle. Either of those should be obvious.

The 2nd would be if the handle material is too hard for your tooling. I had a white stone handle that was made for a 21 mm knot. I could not do anything to open the hole up with a drum sander. I eventuall bought a diamond studded tool and did open it up for a 24 mm knot.

Make sure you post pictures when you finish your re-knotting project.
 
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