Needing help! Which handle on a brush?

[JLKuehl]

I'm not sure if I should post this here, in the barbershop, or in general discussion, so if it needs to be somewhere else, I do apologize in advance.

Next weekend, I am finally going to have to some time to turn a beautiful chunk of cocobola wood into a handle for a custom shaving brush. It's going to sport TGN's silvertip 24mm knot. Here's my dilema, though: I have two brushes, and they have very similar shapes to the handles, despite having different makers. Both seem comfortable to use, but I am looking for something different. Could you guys be kind enough to post pictures of the brushes you each find most comfortable, so I could get some inspiration? I'm not looking to copy any one handle, so actual measurements aren't needed.

I'm thinking it would be neat to take some of the shape of a few different brushes, and come up with one that is different, without being a "wow, that is one radically different brush!" I think Tommy Chong said it best when he said "It's kinda the same thing, only different."

 

[Loric]

I face lather and most of my handles are Chubby/Stubby like but they are a a bit ubiquitous, so I'm biasing my choices away from such a common shape.

My #1 is the curvy PCWoodcrafts - its a great shape for multiple hand grips.

#2 Simpson Commodore/Kent

#3 Simpson Eagle type

 

[skipnord]

Here are two shapes. The ones on the rack are Cocobolo, and the single one is African Blackwood. Good luck, and please post your results.

 

[spindlecone]

Good Question,I do alot of wood turning, also ivory, Horn,Bone etc, and i like differant shapes from the boring norm along with esoteric materials (will post a pic a little later of one I am just finishing for a customer).
At any rate,I was given some wisdom a long time ago from an old Inuit ivory carver.
he said he just starts working and lets the material decide what it wants to be, your bringing the material back to a usefull life.
Just start making chips have fun.

 

[skipnord]

Good Question,I do alot of wood turning, also ivory, Horn,Bone etc, and i like differant shapes from the boring norm along with esoteric materials (will post a pic a little later of one I am just finishing for a customer).
At any rate,I was given some wisdom a long time ago from an old Inuit ivory carver.
he said he just starts working and lets the material decide what it wants to be, your bringing the material back to a usefull life.
Just start making chips have fun.

Love that! A variation on the old "Cut away everything that doesn't look like a shaving brush! Here is another form - Acrylic from TGN.

 

[spindlecone]

10K year old fossil Steller sea cow bone with ebony caps,all stabilized and sealed.

 

[Gamma]

I love the shape and color of the handle on Loric's blue brush above. I've done several brushes with similar handles - they are very acoommodating and easy to handle with wet hands.
Long handled brushes don't fall into the lather so easily - and for me they work up a lather quickly - they're sort of like a kitchen whisk.
But - when standing up, they're top heavy and I'm a klutz... so I have to keep them in a rack. One of them isn't flat on the end so I don't even have the opportunity to stand it up - oddly that brush fits my hand best. Go figure.
Traditional handle styles with bulky bottoms stay put better on the sink-top.. but they're always too short for me. Now I'm being fussy..
Anyhoo - one of my next designs will be more mushroomy.. with a wide fat bottom and enough height to allow it to grabbed easily from a large scuttle or bowl. I have big hands - and I'm clumsy - big fat handles work well for me.
Here's a few of my brushes - the two on the right in the rack are refurbs, the two on the left side are new with handles I designed.

When you get your brush finished - please post some pix!

 

[JLKuehl]

Already I see so many interesting shapes! I was considering going with a stubby handle, but now that I've seen some longer ones, I really like the look of them as well. So far, all I can see, though is that I'm going to have to go get a few more blocks of wood (different species, of course!). When I get it completed, I'll have to post pics, for sure. I'm already getting excited, since it's been a good amount of time since I was last in the woodworking portion of my garage!

 

[skipnord]

I love the shape and color of the handle on Loric's blue brush above. I've done several brushes with similar handles - they are very acoommodating and easy to handle with wet hands.
Long handled brushes don't fall into the lather so easily - and for me they work up a lather quickly - they're sort of like a kitchen whisk.
But - when standing up, they're top heavy and I'm a klutz... so I have to keep them in a rack. One of them isn't flat on the end so I don't even have the opportunity to stand it up - oddly that brush fits my hand best. Go figure.
Traditional handle styles with bulky bottoms stay put better on the sink-top.. but they're always too short for me. Now I'm being fussy..
Anyhoo - one of my next designs will be more mushroomy.. with a wide fat bottom and enough height to allow it to grabbed easily from a large scuttle or bowl. I have big hands - and I'm clumsy - big fat handles work well for me.
Here's a few of my brushes - the two on the right in the rack are refurbs, the two on the left side are new with handles I designed.

When you get your brush finished - please post some pix!

Wow! That figured maple (?) one is fabulous! I love figured wood like that. I made an autoharp with a figured maple back. What are you using for finish? I'm experimenting with Don McIvor tung oil.

 

[weenerdog3443]

My absolute favorites are beehives...expecially buterscotch beehives

 

[Gamma]

The curly maple handle is finished with a clear enamel. I use tung oil on teak a lot but it needs to be maintained every year - basically it's a pita. Because the brush is always in and out of water I hesitate to go that route. I've been considering it - but I think I would still finish the pocket for the knot with a poly-something though...
I'm working on a keyhole in that same maple right now - but it's got a skunk stripe of heartwood - I'm still deciding on whether I like it or not. This one is a one off trial/mockup, so mostly this is just to see if I like how it feels.
Here's a few ideas I have on my bench right now;

 

[JLKuehl]

I'm thinking I like Loric's PCWoodcraft a little too much! I think I may turn a handle similar to it. I had the thought of adding some brass embellishments to the handle when I finally get the time to turn it. Nothing too fancy, just a couple of brass rings on the handle before I finish it. Elegant in it's simplicity, and should look great against the darker wood. Somehow my brush handle has gone from something simple and functional to something artistic, and almost sexy....Can a shaving brush be sexy?

 

[Gamma]

..Can a shaving brush be sexy?

Absolutely...

For me - simple is usually best because I'm not really good with making stuff by hand. Occasionally I get it right - but for every success there's a good number of 'prototypes' behind it. Yeah - that's it - prototypes!
If you search this site, you can find some threads with pix of CoonCat Bob's brushes. He does brilliant work, and somewhere on this board there's a photo of a really cool long handled one that is simply amazing.

 

[JLKuehl]

Well, I got my TGN silvertip knot last night, and boy oh boy is this sucker dense! I can't wait to make it a handle and give it a try. Even if it sheds about 1/3 of it's hairs it'll still be denser than the Tweezerman brush. Once it's all said and done, I have a feeling that the only left to say will be "I've created a (lather) monster!!"

Just look how dense this is! I have a feeling it's going to be set pretty high in the handle so it won't turn into a paintbrush!

I figure to bore the handle deeper than I need it, then fill the excess with some silicone when I decide the best loft for this brush.

EDIT: I finally got to look at CoonCat Bob's website, and his work is nothing short of amazing! If mine turns out half as nice his brushes, I will be very happy.

 

[Gamma]

I have found that with some knots its easier to just shim right onto the plug that it is to fill the hole with something. But you'l figure it out as you go along. Be careful with the glue so it doesn't creep up and show itself.
That knot looks sweet -- and you're going to have fun building this brush! I can't wait to see it. I have some knots coming but they're all 22mm. I need a 24mm for the keyhole handle ... I want to see how it handles when it's loaded.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I love the shape and color of the handle on Loric's blue brush above. I've done several brushes with similar handles - they are very acoommodating and easy to handle with wet hands.
Long handled brushes don't fall into the lather so easily - and for me they work up a lather quickly - they're sort of like a kitchen whisk.
But - when standing up, they're top heavy and I'm a klutz... so I have to keep them in a rack. One of them isn't flat on the end so I don't even have the opportunity to stand it up - oddly that brush fits my hand best. Go figure.
Traditional handle styles with bulky bottoms stay put better on the sink-top.. but they're always too short for me. Now I'm being fussy..
Anyhoo - one of my next designs will be more mushroomy.. with a wide fat bottom and enough height to allow it to grabbed easily from a large scuttle or bowl. I have big hands - and I'm clumsy - big fat handles work well for me.
Here's a few of my brushes - the two on the right in the rack are refurbs, the two on the left side are new with handles I designed.

When you get your brush finished - please post some pix!

I've got two like that butterscotch Rooney there. Nice handles. For modern handles, I like the eagle, the chubbies and the 57. That sort of rounded shape with a low grip concave ring.

 

[JLKuehl]

I have found that with some knots its easier to just shim right onto the plug that it is to fill the hole with something. But you'l figure it out as you go along. Be careful with the glue so it doesn't creep up and show itself.
That knot looks sweet -- and you're going to have fun building this brush! I can't wait to see it. I have some knots coming but they're all 22mm. I need a 24mm for the keyhole handle ... I want to see how it handles when it's loaded.

Oh, my, yes, I almost wanted to give the knot a whirl without a handle when I saw it. I took most of the wax off my cocobolo block, and got a good look at the grain pattern. Simply beautiful! Now I wish I bought a bigger block, I can see this same wood as a razor box, and several other small items in my shave den.

 

[Gamma]

Oh, my, yes, I almost wanted to give the knot a whirl without a handle when I saw it. I

I know what you mean. I have a brand new 22mm 2-band sitting here and it's telling me I need to use it right now - and to forget the handle. :0).

 

[JLKuehl]

I know what you mean. I have a brand new 22mm 2-band sitting here and it's telling me I need to use it right now - and to forget the handle. :0).

Whew! I thought I was the only one to have strange thoughts like that! Saturday is the day, I gotta take the dog for a bath at the local car wash (She's getting some Ogallala Wiener Wash this time!), stop by the junkyard and pick up a rim for the truck, and then it's out the garage for an afternoon of turning! With luck, this brush will be going together Sunday afternoon!

Since cocobolo is a hard wood to finish, I think I may try using some CA glue to finish it. I've done some reading on the process, and it sounds simple enough. Still, I may chuck a piece of pine between the centers and give it a whirl finishing it this way. I'd hate to ruin my handle with a bad finish!

 

[JLKuehl]

Well, the wood told me what to do, and I have a feeling it will be a nice brush. Perhaps not quite the work of art that I envisioned, but it is a shape I can undoubtedly live with. I haven't bored it for the brush knot yet, and it isn't totally parted off yet, but here it is! The piece at the bottom is just for holding it in the lathe chuck when bore it, but the more I look at it, the more I think I may part it off, and carve a hole in the center as a custom stand so it will sit upright in my den without the need of a hanging stand. Of course I haven't applied any finish at this point either, but I did wet it with a little mineral spirits earlier in the day and it looks quite striking. If I find where I put my forstner bit kit, I'll have it ready for finish tomorrow before I head to work.