Knot Salvage

[highplainsdrifter]

Hi guys,
I'm wanting a little help trying to salvage a badger knot.

It started shedding a little and then got gradually worse until the other day when I could just continually pluck hairs and the whole knot came loose in the handle.

So tonight I managed to remove the knot. The plug around the base has cracked quite a bit.

How would I go about resting the hairs or making a new knot to stop the remaining hairs falling out?
At the moment I can quite easily pull hairs from it.

I think I will get a replacement knot as I really like this handle.
But it seems a waste to throw away some good hairs if I can salvage them.



If I can salvage the knot I could put it into this old silver/plastic cheapie boar handle that I have.



Could I just wrap them tightly in rubber bands and cut the base off and then reset them in epoxy? Or am I asking for a big pile of hair everywhere?

Cheers

mike

 

[PFP_Dad]

I think your theory is sound, but I would do it on a large pile of newspaper for easier cleanup if it doesn't work. The tightness o the rubber bands seems key. Too tigh and you'll damage hair, not tight enough and it's 520 hair pickup.

If you try it, be sure to take pictures as you go, to post here.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

Yeah got nothing to lose.

While I'm asking questions.
Where is a goods source for a new knot?
I've been looking at ebay and I know of Whipped Dog too.

For about $25 I can get a 22/65mm Silver tip

Ebay http://tinyurl.com/mlee4ja

Whipped Dog http://tinyurl.com/cnjvhpg

 

[PFP_Dad]

The golden nib. Great customer service to boot. I haven't tried whipped dog knots, but have heard good things.

 

[Big Jim]

Another source for bare knots is Aliexpress, especially for High Mountain Two Band.

My choice for Silvertip would be Whipped Dog, but be aware that he is out of stock on Silvertips at the moment. New inventory is expected any day.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

just going to bump this. Any ideas on how I should go about re gluing this knot?

 

[Mike H]

I think it would be very difficult to get the epoxy to fully adhere to all of the hairs with out first removing the existing plug. But if you want to try a repair, you will need to make sure the base of all of the hairs are fully immersed in epoxy. I would bind the hairs using a rubber band, then cut off the current plug. Use a small container to hold the epoxy (you could use a bottle cap), fill with epoxy and set your hairs in it. Once cured, use a bench grinder or dremel to remove the excess epoxy and size the plug as needed.


If it were mine, I would pitch it and just get a new Finest from The Golden Nib.

 

[dushea]

Whatever you end up doing, you should definitely keep us posted. I don't think many have attempted this, but I'm surely interested to see what happens. Good luck!!!

 

[highplainsdrifter]

Hey Mike,

Didn't think about making the base bigger and then grinding it down to size, that's a great idea.
I think I will get a new knot for the black handle but want to have a go at salvaging this one just as an experiment.

Any more ideas/tips people have will much appreciated.
cheers

 

[MaxP]

I enjoy hearing /seeing someone work through an uncommon restoration. I once tried to repair a Red Tip. It wasn't successful, but I had a good time making the effort.

Good luck with the knot. If you determine a new knot is to be purchased, I highly recommend TGN Finest knots.

Please keep us posted.

 

[Galhatz]

Was that knot exceptionally good to warrant the effort?
I have a TGN finest knot in a restored handle and it made a true excellent brush.
Time is money you know...