I am looking to fix up an old brush handle with a far-gone mixed badger-boar knot measuring at ~22mm where the knot meets the handle. From this, I am thinking that I should be looking for a replacement knot advertised at ~20mm at its base, to give it room to bloom from where it is actually set. Does this seem right? And can anyone recommend a seller of boar-badger knots in this range? I think Maggard has some boar-badger knots; but these are more of the gargantuan knots that are the current rage.
Mixed Boar-Badger Replacement Knots
- Thread starter Alum of Potash
- Start date
That seems right Alan, TGN offers some knots in 20mm.
They suggest a 2mm bigger handle as well.
Just curious - why a mixed brush? Wouldn't a stiffer badger work just as well?
They suggest a 2mm bigger handle as well.
Just curious - why a mixed brush? Wouldn't a stiffer badger work just as well?
- Thread starter
- #3
The original knot is presumed to be a boar-badger mix. I haven't received it yet, so I can't confirm this. But I am somewhat partial towards mixed knots, these being a motley breed that are often overlooked. A certain Vie-Long horse-badger has long been one of my faves in this regard. Not sure what TGN is, Paul. The Golden Nib? I'll try to check this out. Thanks.
I have really enjoyed my Maggard blended knot. It did take some time to break in, but once it did, it performed and performs amazingly. I’d do it again without hesitation.
One option to consider is the depth you set the knot at, if you don’t want a wide bloom.
One option to consider is the depth you set the knot at, if you don’t want a wide bloom.
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- #5
Thanks. If you can provide me with a link to a 20mm blended knot, rather than 24mm+, I'd appreciate it. The bloom here has to do with the inherent difference between the knot as sunk into the handle and where it meets the surface of the handle, rather than the bloom beyond the handle. With a boar-badger blend, I'm not expecting a wide bloom beyond the handle.
My thought is that the knot where it comes directly out of the handle is it's true size ,the glue bump plays a big part i determining the size. say you purchase 2 20mm knots from two different vendors
they might be off a little because of the glue bump ,Horse Hair not being moved to another Handle
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- #7
Interesting cross-sectional view, but I'm not sure what the "glue bump" is. Is it the slug-like section holding the bristles, or is it the glue underneath the section itself? Also, I'm not sure what you mean by the "Horse Hair not being moved to another handle."
I removed The Horse Hair knot of this handle in the picture and set it in another Handle.
The glue bump is made up of glue being drawn up into the bristle
hairs when they are set in some sort of epoxy creating the knot.
The glue bump is made up of glue being drawn up into the bristle
hairs when they are set in some sort of epoxy creating the knot.
- Thread starter
- #9
Thanks for the further explanation. If I understand correctly, the glue bump would be represented by that clear line on the horse hair bristles in your photo, just above the white base section (or whatever that is technically called). If that is the case, then, yes, I can see how you would think that the knot is determined there, or roughly where it comes out of the handle.
Sorry Alan, yes, the Golden nib.
The bulge right about the "plug" is what you need to make room for, it is slightly larger.
The Knot shown in the cut away should not have a bulge from the glue or epoxy. If the epoxy gets onto the hair itself I believe that's what causes hairs to be lost. You do not need that much epoxy. It is very rigid and will cause hairs to break.
The bulge right about the "plug" is what you need to make room for, it is slightly larger.
The Knot shown in the cut away should not have a bulge from the glue or epoxy. If the epoxy gets onto the hair itself I believe that's what causes hairs to be lost. You do not need that much epoxy. It is very rigid and will cause hairs to break.
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks Paul. I think I know what to do. I wrote to Brad at Maggard Razors and he suggested their 20mm two-band, which is on order there and should arrive soon. Once I receive the brush in question, I can verify the measurements and proceed from there. Personally, I would like a boar-badger knot but this seems to be difficult to find.
That's an excellent compromise in light of the lack of available mixed knots in the size you need.
It fits, I think you'll really enjoy it. I've used the 20mm Maggard's two band badger in a few restores and really like it. It's very dense and can be set fairly high regarding the loft. Makes for better flow through and face feel too.
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- #13
Thanks for your comments. The vintage handle arrived; and in drilling out the old knot, the diameter of the hole is 22.5mm as measured with a caliper, with the original knot having measured a loose-fitting ~21mm where it met with the handle. Right now, the hole is ~12mm deep and Brad at Maggard counseled me to drill a little deeper to arrive at around a 48-49mm loft, especially as the knot hole diameter is >2mm than the knot. I'm going to wait until the knot arrives to see its actual dimensions and how it fits into the handle as is before drilling deeper. Perhaps if I were to use a tighter-fitting 22mm knot, I might want to set it higher as you suggest?
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- Thread starter
- #14
As a follow-up, the knot arrived yesterday and I drilled it to around a 48mm loft, glued it, and left it to set for 24 hrs. Washed it with water and a light amount of dish-washing detergent this evening, then lathered up and shaved. Really a nice performer, with backbone and soft tips. Here's a shot of it afterwards, left out to dry. Not much bloom there, perhaps being due to the loft being sunk deeper or to the inherent properties of the 2-band. Lost exactly one hair while shaving, maybe another one creeping up there, but that seems pretty good in starting out.
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A real beautiful restoration!
Nice butterscotch.
Nice butterscotch.
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- #16
Thanks. It was, ahem, my first. Still have to figure out the right rpm for drilling through antique resin(?) though. Turns out that there was more torque than I'd like at the slow speeds and the high speeds risk to melt or burn things. Think I ended up with something between 540 and 850 rpm as a midway setting.
I know this is an older thread but it's close to the situation I'm looking at: I've just ordered a 24mm 70/30 badger/boar knot from Maggard, should have it in a few days. I'm going to send it to Milton at Turn N Shave to mount in a custom handle but I'm not sure what loft/seating depth to ask for.
I like a good bit of scrub in my brushes and scritch doesn't bother me: I prefer my Pure and Finest badgers (Shavemac) over the one cheap Silvertip I bought, it's just too soft. I have the SOC boar and the Omega 10098, they're nice but could be scrubbier, my Vie-Long 12705 (65/35 mane/tail) is really good but a little small for my hand. I have another Vie-Long inbound, a 50/50 blend, white knot with a custom short loft for scrub and face lathering.
Any suggestions on a good loft height for the new brush to get the performance I like?
Thanks guys.
I like a good bit of scrub in my brushes and scritch doesn't bother me: I prefer my Pure and Finest badgers (Shavemac) over the one cheap Silvertip I bought, it's just too soft. I have the SOC boar and the Omega 10098, they're nice but could be scrubbier, my Vie-Long 12705 (65/35 mane/tail) is really good but a little small for my hand. I have another Vie-Long inbound, a 50/50 blend, white knot with a custom short loft for scrub and face lathering.
Any suggestions on a good loft height for the new brush to get the performance I like?
Thanks guys.
You might email or call Brad Maggard and ask his advice. Nice fellow.
My 26mm is set at a 55mm loft, which is a nice place for me. If you set the knot yourself, with silicone, you can make adjustments until you find what works best for you, then, if you must, set it with epoxy.
Thanks, I'll do that later today.
Thanks, I did think about just ordering the handle from Turn N Shave so I could play around with the loft height, that might be the best way to go. I seem to prefer knots that would send others screaming into the streets. FWIW, I'm thinking ~50-52mm would be a good height to start with, considering the 24mm size.
I also ordered a 24mm Timberwolf knot to replace the shedding boar in my Stirling brush (the $10 white handle). I've got entirely too many shave related projects on hand, I should really finish up a few before starting on new ones.
