New Old Brush

[RookieGuy]

So while rummaging through a drawer I found a brush I had acquired. This brush!



It came from an antique shop in a shaving mug I wanted. It's a simple plastic handle with no name stamped anywhere. My question is would this be ok to use, or do I have a new keyboard duster? And is there anything I should do before using it? Thanks everyone!

 

[Multum in parvo]

Do a test lather to clean it and see if the glue holds up then your are good to go.

 

[RookieGuy]

Do a test lather to clean it and see if the glue holds up then your are good to go.

Cool. Thank you. So there's no like sterilization process or anything I need to worry about? Awesome! This is good news!

 

[Multum in parvo]

People will advise many cleaning solutions but it looks in good shape and lay dormant (months/years?) in one of your drawers. You will use it with soap (already good against most nasties) and only on your skin so I don’t see the benefit of any harsh treatment.

It’s a boar colored as 3Band?

 

[BigJ]

Do a test lather to clean it and see if the glue holds up then your are good to go.

+1! This^

Nothing to lose and everything to gain!!

 

[RookieGuy]

People will advise many cleaning solutions but it looks in good shape and lay dormant (months/years?) in one of your drawers. You will use it with soap (already good against most nasties) and only on your skin so I don’t see the benefit of any harsh treatment.

It’s a boar colored as 3Band?

That's a good point, one I didn't even think about. It's going to be used to transfer soap to the outside of my face. It'll be cleaned as it goes. Thank you.

It feels like boar, according to the one boar brush I have (an Omega Proraso). That scritchy full of backbone feeling from the boar bristles. My guess is from sometime in the 80s based on the handle.

 

[Multum in parvo]

That's a good point, one I didn't even think about. It's going to be used to transfer soap to the outside of my face. It'll be cleaned as it goes. Thank you.

It feels like boar, according to the one boar brush I have (an Omega Proraso). That scritchy full of backbone feeling from the boar bristles. My guess is from sometime in the 80s based on the handle.

If you don’t see many split ends then it was hardly (if ever) used so another concern less in regards to sanitizing.

 

[Multum in parvo]

One more tidbit that relates to the „sterilized“ part you see on many vintage brushes. This was done during production from the 30s onwards - and promoted - and might confuse people today into thinking they have to do this by themselves.

How Shaving Brushes Gave World War I Soldiers Anthrax

A new paper looks back on an old epidemic—and raises fresh questions about antique shaving brushes

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[jaro 101969]

BTW.. It looks similar to some of the "kit" brushes. IE. VDH or Burts Bees brushes that they put out often with a mug and soap....They were usually Boar but sometimes lower end badger.... Looks fairly unused if at all. I would say Just wash and go...If you are concerned then give it a couple of washes....

 

[RookieGuy]

This is good news. It was sitting hiding in the back of the den (the shelf my shaving gear lives on) for close to a year. I just pulled it out this morning looking for something else. I figured if anyone knew what to do with this, it would be you guys. Thank you everyone. I have now doubled my boar brushes! Now I'm set for Decemboar! When I get home from work I'll lather up a couple times with it just to be sure. If there's anything nasty Arko should drive it away .

 

[ajkel64]

It looks good. As mentioned by other members, I would give it a spa and then try it. You might be surprised and have another great brush enter your rotation.

 

[RookieGuy]

It looks good. As mentioned by other members, I would give it a spa and then try it. You might be surprised and have another great brush enter your rotation.

Which is exactly what I did last night. Whipped up some gorgeous lather with it. It took a bit to get started, but once the brush remembered its job that thing made the most beautiful lather. And then a few hours later it did it again. I'm looking forward to trying it out on my face soon! Actually, I'm not. Those bristles are stiff as anything. It'll take some good breaking in I think. But that's what Decemboar is for, right?

Thank you for your help, everyone! Without your guidance and good common sense advice and sharing your experiences an otherwise perfectly serviceable boar brush would have been destined for the trash or cleaning keyboards or stubborn sink stains. Thanks to you find gentlemen, I've increased my brushes by 33%, from three to four, and doubled my boar brush count, from one to two. Plus opened up a new world at the antique stores. Thank you everyone who responded!

 

[Big Jim]

It looks like a Van Der Hagen. They had an option for a while with white handles. If it is, the knot is a boar knot. Surrey used the same shape handle for years. I think Van Der Hagen bought out Surrey. I have worn out a few of them over the years. If memory serves me correctly the earliest ones had painted wood handles, usually beige. The last Surrey I had had a blue plastic handle. I currently have a green plastic handled one.

 

[dmshaver]

Great find, congratulations! Hope you get many great lathers with it.

 

[CANES]

It looks like a Van Der Hagen. They had an option for a while with white handles. If it is, the knot is a boar knot. Surrey used the same shape handle for years. I think Van Der Hagen bought out Surrey. I have worn out a few of them over the years. If memory serves me correctly the earliest ones had painted wood handles, usually beige. The last Surrey I had had a blue plastic handle. I currently have a green plastic handled one.

This is absolutely correct! It's a VDH brush and was the "luxury" version compared to the green handle if I remember correctly. I have one that survived the last 20 years. Its got a hairline crack in the handle but the brush itself is still going strong. The green handled ones I've owned never made it. Even this one shed like crazy for the first year (!) but finally settled down. It's now one of the softest brushes I have- comparable to a synthetic in face feel.

Funny how some things works out...

 

[Big Jim]

This is absolutely correct! It's a VDH brush and was the "luxury" version compared to the green handle if I remember correctly. I have one that survived the last 20 years. Its got a hairline crack in the handle but the brush itself is still going strong. The green handled ones I've owned never made it. Even this one shed like crazy for the first year (!) but finally settled down. It's now one of the softest brushes I have- comparable to a synthetic in face feel.

Funny how some things works out...

Funny thing about my green handled one. It was an eBay purchase and was displayed and described as a white handled luxury one. What I got was a green handled one. It doesn't much matter as I use it very little. I have it for nostalgia. The one I wore you both lost bristles and wore down.

 

[RookieGuy]

A Van Der Hagan? That's good to know. Thank you. Yeah, it's shed a few hairs but nothing unmanageable. I tried it out tonight, face lathered some Arko. Nope! Not ready for that yet. It'll get there though. The handle was pretty comfortable. That plastic handle is cheap feeling, but grippy. I think with a month or so of hard triple milled soap will have that into a top notch lather making machine.