What's new

Maggard SHD 2-Band Badger Knot?

I currently own a Zenith M5 brush with a 27.5mm 2-band Manchurian knot and a SOC with a 24mm 2-band finest badger knot. I also own an Edwin Jagger 1EJ876 with a floppy 21mm best badger knot. Based on all that I can tell, I like dense 2-band knots with soft tips and lots of backbone. With the understanding that different manufacturers use different names for different grades, I have a preference for high density 2-band Manchurian knots. Who wouldn't? And I prefer bulb shape over fan.

That said, I am hell bent on returning to the DIY days of my youth and want to make a pair of smaller 22mm brushes:

1. 22mm with high density boar
2. 22mm with high density Manchurian

For #1, I am thinking of repurposing the 22mm boar knot from my Badger & Blade 10th Anniversary Shaving Brush whose handle I cracked.

For #2, can anyone say anything positive or negative about this super high density 2-band knot from Maggard - on paper, seems to fit the bill very nicely: Maggard Razors 22mm SHD (Super High Density) 2-Band Badger, Bulb Knot | Maggard Razors Traditional Wet Shaving Products - https://www.maggardrazors.com/product/maggard-razors-22mm-shd-super-high-density-2-band-badger-bulb-knot/.
 
For what it's worth. I have a Maggard 26 mm standard density and a 28mm SHD I love both. I don't have much else to compare them to but the SHD is noticeably denser.
 
I have made a few brushes with the regular density Maggard 26 mm Two Band knot and find it so superior that I can't imagine a denser one. They are among my favorite 26 mm brushes. I still have two of them in my rotation.
 
I have made a few brushes with the regular density Maggard 26 mm Two Band knot and find it so superior that I can't imagine a denser one. They are among my favorite 26 mm brushes. I still have two of them in my rotation.

I thought the same thing when I got the standard 26mm from Graydog. That brush is amazing. Then a friend bought 2 of the 28mm SHDs and had me make us both a brush. Shazam they are unreal. If the price isn't an issue you should definitely try the SHD. You can always move it along if you aren't impressed.
 
I have a 28mm Maggard SHD knot. The knot blooms so much that it covers my entire cheek. I wish I had gotten something a little smaller in the 24-26 mm range, but 22 would be OK as well if you like smaller knots. The brush will make and hold a lot of lather. I normally bowl lather since I get brush burn easily. The gel tips of the SHD knot are so soft that I could use it for face lathering. IMHO, the Maggard SHD knot is one of the best values in badger brushes.
 
I just ordered the 22mm SHD knot from Maggard. Now I have to find a handle. Pardon my ignorance about terminology, but I am thinking of taking an old ash baseball bat or possibly a log from a 100 year old pin oak that came down at my house during Super Storm Sandy and using a hand plane to make a rough dowel from which I could cut a handle. I like the idea of rough, one-of-a-kind, slightly tapered handle. Then I would have to figure out how to drill the hole. I do have an electric drill, but I don't have a drill press.
 
I just ordered the 22mm SHD knot from Maggard. Now I have to find a handle. Pardon my ignorance about terminology, but I am thinking of taking an old ash baseball bat or possibly a log from a 100 year old pin oak that came down at my house during Super Storm Sandy and using a hand plane to make a rough dowel from which I could cut a handle. I like the idea of rough, one-of-a-kind, slightly tapered handle. Then I would have to figure out how to drill the hole. I do have an electric drill, but I don't have a drill press.

It would certainly be easier with a drill press. Perhaps you can find someone in your area that has a drill press they will let you use.

For a 22mm knot (be sure to measure the exact size of the knot you get as there can be some variance from knot to knot), you will need a slightly larger hole (23-24mm) to allow room for the adhesive. For best results use a Forstner drill bit rather than a inexpensive spade bit. However Forstner bits are expensive and they are difficult to use in a hand drill. If you cannot find metric sizes, a 15/16" bit is 23.8 mm which should be suitable unless your knot is undersized.

You also have to decide how deep to drill the hole. The deeper you drill, the lower the loft and the less the spread of the bristles. If you drill too deeply, you can always place a coin in the bottom of the hole as a spacer.

Good luck with your project and be sure to post photos of your creation when you are done.
 
I've thought of making a freeform handle but never followed through with it. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
 
I received the knot from Maggard, and I am very happy with the quality and the value of the new knot. Here is the new 22mm knot next to a SOC with a 24mm 2-band finest and a Zenith M5 with a 27.5mm Manchurian. Based on brushing the dry knots against my hand, I would describe the new knot as having very soft tips with backbone approaching the Zenith - keeping in mind that the new knot is 5.5mm smaller in diameter than the Zenith. So far, buying this knot was a very good decision.

20200229_191442185_iOS.jpg


That said, if you look closely at the new knot you will see that the top of the band transitions from dark to light brown to white. None of the badger brushes in my small brush collection do this. I would be curious if this is natural or if the band was touched up. Regardless, the knot feels great to me!

20200229_192944033_iOS.jpg


Now to the handle. I am a wood man - no more chipped plastic handles for me. One idea is to just buy a wooden handle. Here is a nice handle from Shave Forge - I would need to ask if the 20mm handle can accommodate a 22mm knot:

shave-forge-sandalwood-brush-handle.jpg


Another idea would be to buy a blank and use a (manual) hand tool to carve a rough handle. TGN sells these blanks:

tgn-cocobolo-turning-blank.jpg


And now for the craziest idea of all - buy a spokeshaver and shave down a blank or a log from the 100-year old oak tree that came down at my house. This spokeshave gets good ratings:

robert-larson-kunz-spokeshave.jpg


So I took an inventory of the oak logs I have under my porch. Many of them have visible cracks:

20200229_170248140_iOS.jpg


But this one, which is about 10" long, looks crack free:

20200229_170637012_iOS.jpg


Does anyone have any experience with carving or shaving wood. Is the carving/shaving idea crazy? Should I give up on the idea and just buy a pre-made handle?

If I choose to go down the carving/shaving path, I may first build a prototype using a piece of this:

home-depot-poplar-alexandria-moulding.jpg


Any advice about buying versus making a handle would be greatly appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • shave-forge-sandalwood-brush-handle.JPG
    shave-forge-sandalwood-brush-handle.JPG
    95.6 KB · Views: 2
  • tgn-cocobolo-turning-blank.JPG
    tgn-cocobolo-turning-blank.JPG
    73.9 KB · Views: 3

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
View attachment 1068648

Does anyone have any experience with carving or shaving wood. Is the carving/shaving idea crazy? Should I give up on the idea and just buy a pre-made handle?

I'm interested in this knot as I have a very nice handle in need of one. I'll be interested in how you place it, how deep and in what.

As you already know oak tends to split and is easily split when that's the intention.

At one time I was quite good at making oak shakes using a froe. Took advantage of the natural tendencies of the wood.

Obviously all sorts of items including floor boards and furniture can be made of oak. Oak floor boards in my house have been there over a hundred years.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
@Frank Shaves hand carving a handle is only crazy if you think it's crazy. I fixed a razor people thought I was crazy to fix. Now it's an excellent shaver. Although there are woods that would probably be much better to use oak could be used. It all depends on how much time you are willing to spend. As far as a pre-made handle you would need one made to except a knot the size you have unless you plan on modifying it which could be problematic given there usually isn't that much material thickness around the knot hole. Not saying it cant be done but if your buying a new handle for the knot it's probably best to buy the right size to start with. Hope this helps.
 
First of all about the knot coloration. It has been said that all badger knots are three band but Finest badger has a wider dark band, wide enough that sometimes the bottom lighter color is hidden inside the handle or the hair was long enough to end up with only two bands.

Next, getting wood to dry without cracking requires sealing the ends immediately after cutting. I don't know the name of the product but I can ask my friend who does a lot of wood turning. If you can find a large enough chunk of the oak that is dry and hasn't cracked you will probably be OK. Using a spoke shave instead of turning it might make it less likely to fail while shaping since it is a different kind of stress and it is not against the grain.

Buying a turning blank that has already been stabilized is an excellent option.

Buying a ready made handle is always a reasonable option. If you really want to develop or show off your own craftsmanship would be a reason not too. Also, if you make it yourself you have greater options on size and shape.

Most important of all, whatever you do, enjoy the journey.
 
Glad I found this thread. I just bought a handle on Etsy and found the Maggard knots online. Doing my first brush build. I was wondering between the SHD and the regular density. I think I'll go with the SHD after reading this.
 
Maggard two band badgers are the best buy for the money! You can get a nicer knot, but you’ll pay a LOT more.

There was a guy here a couple years ago that carved some handles and they turned out very nice so it’s worth a try. As for the cracked wood, you only need a piece 1.5” square x 3” to have plenty for a brush handle. I’m sure you could find some blanks that size in there! I have 3 oak logs myself and the splitting is unreal, unlike like any other wood I have. They’ll only be used for small turnings. As @Big Jim said, you need to seal the ends, preferably as soon as it’s cut. He’s probably thinking of Anchorseal but wood glue works just fine. In a pinch covering the ends with a thick coat or two of paint will help a lot.
 
Top Bottom