New silvertip brush etiquitte

[johnnyscience]

So I will be receiving this new custom silvertip brush very soon:

http://www.handicraft-vn.com/shop/a...4-28-mm-badger-hair-p-1264.html?cPath=168_183

It was an expensive brush (for me) so I really want to take care of it so I get 20+ years out of it. (is it possible to get even more out of a good brush? What can I expect?)

Should I expect this brush to shed at all? Or do high quality brushes not shed? or do all brushes shed? If it does is it just in the beginning or will it continue to shed throughout it's life?

I've read there are some smells to brushes when you first get them, I've read that it's a good idea to really rub in & let soak into the brush over night your best smelling cream - which in my case is TOBS Grapefruit.

Are there any other things I should do when I first get this brush to break it in? I've also read about soaking it in vinegar but not sure if that's a good idea with the natural horn & abalone materials it's made out of?

And when actually using the brush to make lather, do I want to/can I press the brush down & fan out the bristles or is this a bad thing to do to the brush? I've been doing this with my cheapo $5 brush from sally's & not really caring, but I want to make sure I do the right things with this next brush to maintain it.

Or do I just want to go around in circles & lightly pressing down the tips, not allowing them to fan out?

 

[mblakele]

Do not worry much about any initial shedding. Mostly early shedding is a question of how diligent the maker was about combing out any loose hairs. Chronic shedding is the thing to watch out for. That can happen to any brushmaker now and again, but it is a defect. Shedding after some months can be a different problem, sometimes because of soap residue building up in the knot. Regular cleaning is the way to prevent that.

With care the handle should last a long time. Can you expect 20 years from a knot? Quite possibly. Used daily the whole brush may end up something like the axe attributed to George Washington: parts have been replaced, but still the same axe. With a brush like this much of the value is in the handle, anyway.

For that first cleaning I would use dishsoap or shampoo: more neutral and will leave less residue. You might be cautious about leaving it to soak in anything overnight. Some brushmakers recommend against it, fearing that the knot could swell and crack the handle. With solid resin or plastic handles I ignore that advice, but with horn I might feel a bit more cautious. For horn I think folks also recommend occasional oiling?

It is possible to wear a hole in the center of the knot by using too much force. You can always reknot, but you might want to avoid the occasion. Try to lather with the tips, not the handle. If the knot has good backbone, that should be easy.

 

[Useless shaver]

What mblakele says. Excellent advice IMHO.

 

[takeshi]

Should I expect this brush to shed at all? Or do high quality brushes not shed? or do all brushes shed? If it does is it just in the beginning or will it continue to shed throughout it's life?

No idea on that particular brush. As for shedding, it all depends on the brush in question. Some do, some do not. Price doesn't guarantee anything.

Are there any other things I should do when I first get this brush to break it in?

I've never done anything. My badgers haven't needed break-in like boars.

And when actually using the brush to make lather, do I want to/can I press the brush down & fan out the bristles or is this a bad thing to do to the brush?

You can press down a bit but, depending on the brush and the soap, it may not be necessary. I only use the tips to load but my brush has a dense knot and my soap is softer (though even with hard soaps I only loaded with the tips). Don't sweat all the small details and enjoy it!

tl;dr - Silvertips aren't all the same and you'll learn what works for you, your brush and your soap.

 

[johnnyscience]

Do not worry much about any initial shedding. Mostly early shedding is a question of how diligent the maker was about combing out any loose hairs. Chronic shedding is the thing to watch out for. That can happen to any brushmaker now and again, but it is a defect. Shedding after some months can be a different problem, sometimes because of soap residue building up in the knot. Regular cleaning is the way to prevent that.

With care the handle should last a long time. Can you expect 20 years from a knot? Quite possibly. Used daily the whole brush may end up something like the axe attributed to George Washington: parts have been replaced, but still the same axe. With a brush like this much of the value is in the handle, anyway.

For that first cleaning I would use dishsoap or shampoo: more neutral and will leave less residue. You might be cautious about leaving it to soak in anything overnight. Some brushmakers recommend against it, fearing that the knot could swell and crack the handle. With solid resin or plastic handles I ignore that advice, but with horn I might feel a bit more cautious. For horn I think folks also recommend occasional oiling?

It is possible to wear a hole in the center of the knot by using too much force. You can always reknot, but you might want to avoid the occasion. Try to lather with the tips, not the handle. If the knot has good backbone, that should be easy.

You can press down a bit but, depending on the brush and the soap, it may not be necessary. I only use the tips to load but my brush has a dense knot and my soap is softer (though even with hard soaps I only loaded with the tips). Don't sweat all the small details and enjoy it!

Ok good to hear from both of you guys on the initial shedding, I will stay aware or not if it continues for too long.

I do have some good natural shampoo, that is a good idea to use for an initial cleaning. I won't leave any cream/lather in it over night then since it's a very nice & natural handle.

Any idea how often of what kind of oil I would need?

I guess it is hard to say how hard I will need to press down based on the backbone until I get it in my hands. The cheapo one I have now completely fans out when I push down to make a lather. And it generally works well & I like the technique, I just don't want to get into a bad habit & start doing that with the new brush & wear out the knot or the hairs themselves from pushing down & fanning it out to make lather.

Now what about pairing it up with a bowl - how do I determine what size bowl I want/need? I don't want the bowl to be too small to where I'm clanging the brush handle against the sides as I'm lathering in circles correct? This would be considered a bad practice right?

Right now I'm using a $2 cermaic bowl from walmart (that I really like & works fine/great) that fits into the palm of my hand very well & is 4.25" at it's widest point (slightly flares inwards to the base and allows a nice "cupping" by the hand) and is about 2 1/4" high.

But I want something a little nicer. I think I would prefer a pedestal style so I can grip/cup something to hold on to.

But I also really want to get a natural bowl like this Col. Conk fossil bowl: http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Col-Conk-Large-Covered-Onyx-Bowl-Fossil-182_p_406.html

Someone mentioned in the Customer reviews of the black onyx one that it has an internal diameter of 85.95mm & 45.34mm high w/o the lid. That comes out to be right around 3.38" wide inside & 1.78" high.

It's a bit smaller than the bowl I have, but not as high so I don't think I will have any troubles with the handle clinking on the sides, but I'm wondering if it's going to be deep enough to create enough lather. I really like this bowl though.

Is there anything like the Col. Conk fossil & onyx bowls made but in a slightly larger version?

 

[Icebear]

Always some good advice here :
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Interactive_Guide_to_the_Shaving_Brushes

Most important for long brush life is
1. no mechanical damage by too much force during use and
2. no damage due to soap residue start to rot inside the knot.

Do not force the soap deep into the knot and after use carefully rinse with running water, shake the water out and rise again. Do it 3 times. Carefully wipe it dry on a towel. Let brush dry out in the open, well ventilated is more important than knot up or down.

 

[jpakstis]

I think just about everything has been answered, but one thing I wanted to say - I never "clean" or "de-funk" my brush when I first get it. I just use it and after a few days it goes away. With some brushes (specifically Omega and Vie Long) the scent was pretty nasty for 3-4 days but it went away.

 

[Big Jim]

A horn handle requires a bit of care. The instructions that came with mine says to oil it from time to time (no interval mentioned, but I would think a couple of times a year). Oil it gently with just what oil you pick up with your finger. I have been using whatever cooking oil my wife has in the cupboard, but Rudy Vey says you should use neetsfoot oil.

 

[Nayskin]

do not worry much about any initial shedding. Mostly early shedding is a question of how diligent the maker was about combing out any loose hairs. Chronic shedding is the thing to watch out for. That can happen to any brushmaker now and again, but it is a defect. Shedding after some months can be a different problem, sometimes because of soap residue building up in the knot. Regular cleaning is the way to prevent that.

With care the handle should last a long time. Can you expect 20 years from a knot? Quite possibly. Used daily the whole brush may end up something like the axe attributed to george washington: Parts have been replaced, but still the same axe. With a brush like this much of the value is in the handle, anyway.

For that first cleaning i would use dishsoap or shampoo: More neutral and will leave less residue. You might be cautious about leaving it to soak in anything overnight. Some brushmakers recommend against it, fearing that the knot could swell and crack the handle. With solid resin or plastic handles i ignore that advice, but with horn i might feel a bit more cautious. For horn i think folks also recommend occasional oiling?

It is possible to wear a hole in the center of the knot by using too much force. You can always reknot, but you might want to avoid the occasion. Try to lather with the tips, not the handle. If the knot has good backbone, that should be easy.

+1 :d