Okay... I have no choice. A brush must be restored. Advice, please?

[_MementoMori_]

Gents,

I got a vintage Old Spice brush in the mail today. It's in lovely condition, but it lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 - 60 hairs on its first washing. I simply have to run my fingers through it to cause it to shed more. There's actually a big void in the center of the knot where it's apparently been shedding for years.

I have every intention of using this brush, so I must restore it. I've never done this before, but I am fairly handy. I want to stick a boar knot in it for authenticity (although black badger is tempting). I'm thinking... 18 or 20mm? Here's a pic of the brush, and thanks in advance:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55253028/old-spice-cup-and-shaving-brush-1985-by?image_id=170885765

 

[Blue58]

Gents,

I got a vintage Old Spice brush in the mail today. It's in lovely condition, but it lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 - 60 hairs on its first washing. I simply have to run my fingers through it to cause it to shed more. There's actually a big void in the center of the knot where it's apparently been shedding for years.

I have every intention of using this brush, so I must restore it. I've never done this before, but I am fairly handy. I want to stick a boar knot in it for authenticity (although black badger is tempting). I'm thinking... 18 or 20mm? Here's a pic of the brush, and thanks in advance:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55253028/old-spice-cup-and-shaving-brush-1985-by?image_id=170885765

ok your first step will be to pull out all the remaining hair in the brush.... a good pair of needle nose pliers works well for this it should be a little easier as you said the center hairs are already gone.

There are several good links on the forum about brush restoration but I am not sure where they are.... but I am sure someone with lots of experience in this area will be along very soon to help you and give you more info on it.

Good luck with the restoration.

 

[Topgumby]

Nice set.

In essence, I believe that the accepted practices is to drill out the old epoxy, purchase a knot of choice from an outfit like The Golden Nib and then set it in the handle with some new marine grade epoxy.

As to the type, I'd say go for the black badger if you want...it'd make it one sweet set!

 

[_MementoMori_]

Nice set.

Why thank you, sir! A good friend of mine tipped me off on the etsy listing or I wouldn't be showing it off here now.

Black badger would look sweet, wouldn't it? TGN only has it in a 22mm... what do you brush restorers think? Is that too big for this little handle? I will defer to your expertise.

 

[Brownbear]

Oooh, nice brush, never seen one before like that.

Drill or pick out the old knot. Polish up the handle and ferrule with the polish of your choice and glue the new one in with epoxy.

Don't worry about marine epoxy unless you are planning to cover the handle with a sheet of fiberglass fabric and get it up on step. Any two part hardware store epoxy will be better than the stuff it was originally put in with. I use 6 minute epoxy gel most of the time because it stays where I put it and I like to try em out fast, being impatient. For your first time you might want one with a longer curing time to feel less pressured.

Remember if you get epoxy someplace you don't want it, including on the hair, white vinegar on a paper towel or toothbrush will remove uncured epoxy with no damage to you or the brush.

Have fun, it feels good to use one you have brought back from the dead.

Edited to add: I used boar brushes for 20 plus years, cheap ones at that, but I love that TGN black badger. It is a perfect marriage of the best traits of boar and badger to me. But it is a bit scritchy so be advised. If you need advice on loft for the black, I can give you pictures of it set at two different lofts.

 

[Blue58]

Why thank you, sir! A good friend of mine tipped me off on the etsy listing or I wouldn't be showing it off here now.

Black badger would look sweet, wouldn't it? TGN only has it in a 22mm... what do you brush restorers think? Is that too big for this little handle? I will defer to your expertise.

I believe the Gentleman that owns TGN is one of the vendors here in B&B and from what I understand he is great to work with... you might try contacting him and see if he can get you a black badger brush in the size you want...

I would wait to order the knot until you get the old brush out of the handle and the hole cleaned up then measure to be sure of the size. The size of the hole will determine the size of the knot you need to get.

 

[_MementoMori_]

All this restoration talk got me excited, guys. I started in tonight. I've pulled all of the hair out with pliers, and now I'm working at the white core substance with a drill. This... stuff... is... HARD! I feel like my drill is going to die before I get whatever this substance is out. Is there an easier way?

 

[fidjit]

Them that has all the good tools will recommend a dremel

I've always just used a drill, slow but doable and more satisfying ( or so I tell myself ).

Once it's all out post the diameter and depth of the knot hole and hopefully from there we can assist with a replacement knot

 

[midniterambler]

All this restoration talk got me excited, guys. I started in tonight. I've pulled all of the hair out with pliers, and now I'm working at the white core substance with a drill. This... stuff... is... HARD! I feel like my drill is going to die before I get whatever this substance is out. Is there an easier way?

what type of bit are you using?

 

[_MementoMori_]

UPDATE:

I've gotten a lot more of the brush cleaned out. The clear diameter of the opening is just a hair under 7/8". I can't speak for the depth yet because there's still a bunch of gunk in the bottom that I can't seem to get out without damaging the inside edge of the knot hole.

Sorry Rambler, I didn't see your question until after I posted. I'm just using a regular philips bit. A spade bit would be better, I know, but I don't own any.

 

[Brownbear]

I've had good luck cleaning the bottom of knot holes and truing up the sides with a rotary file bought in the welding section of the local hardware. They are only 4 or 5 bucks and come in different sizes. The one with parallel sides and flat bottom is just right for cleaning up holes in non-hollow handles. You'd need to chuck it in your drill and carefully work the handle around and up and down. They cut slowly and in control and need a bit of pressure to cut in a handle.

Leaves a flat bottomed hole with clean sides. Or borrow a dremel with a sanding drum, but they don't do the bottom as nicely.

You can open up a hole quite a bit to increase the size of the knot it will take.

 

[malocchio]

Nice set.

In essence, I believe that the accepted practices is to drill out the old epoxy, purchase a knot of choice from an outfit like The Golden Nib and then set it in the handle with some new marine grade epoxy.

As to the type, I'd say go for the black badger if you want...it'd make it one sweet set!

yes ! the golden nib will furnish you with a great knot...after installation,directions are on the forum,give that handle a few coats of waterproof high gloss enamel or varnish...that is a real gem you found

 

[Blue58]

that looks like about 22 mm for the knot. Your in luck that is the size the black badger knot comes in

 

[_MementoMori_]

Thanks for the kind words, malocchio. I love it too, and I feel very fortunate to have acquired it for such a reasonable price.

And I guess it sounds like I need to make a trip to the hardware store? I was hoping to do this as much on the cheap as possible. I've been digging at the bottom of the hole with wood carving tools of all things. What do you guys think about the 7/8" diameter opening? Does that info alone bring an appropriate knot to mind, or do I need to post the depth as well?

You gents rock, by the way. I couldn't do this restore without your collective knowledge.

 

[_MementoMori_]

that looks like about 22 mm for the knot. Your in luck that is the size the black badger knot comes in

Oh, sorry. I didn't see this before I posted.

I'm going to order the black badger knot!!!

 

[fidjit]

What do you guys think about the 7/8" diameter opening? Does that info alone bring an appropriate knot to mind, or do I need to post the depth as well?

Only thing you'll have to take into account with depth is the loft of the new knot.

So, the 22mm black badger is 65mm .

If your knot hole is only like 8-10mm deep then you'll only get the knot holder into it leaving you with a loft of around 55mm.

If you've got a deeper hole say 20mm, then you'll end up with a 45mm knot.

If you need to deepen means more work, if you need to raise just need to make a cork plug to raise to your desired loft.

Knot sure how firm or well stuffed the black badger knot is, or how quickly the knot starts to "grow".

Alternatively if you want to go for the best bang for buck in terms of softness or firmness go the Finest 22mm. This is only 62mm in height so in the example above you'll end up with 52mm or 42mm loft.

And if it is a deep hole, you might want to look at a 20mm knot instead of a 22mm.......( just to confuse you further )

Just something to keep in the back of your mind

 

[Blue58]

MomentoMori is getting his knot from TGN so he is getting the best money can buy. TGN knots are very tight and of outstanding quality.

 

[Brownbear]

Following up on Ian's post and thinking a bit more about this I measured my three black badger brushes. A complication for you is that if you set the black in below the glue plug the flare above the plug will be inside the handle. That portion is about 24-25 mm, which might be above the diameter you can get out of your handle. Wouldn't assume that without looking, you can auger it out to a larger diameter, but that might be pushing it. If this exceeds your max, then the finest is a superb knot but not boar-like the way the black is. So the TGN boar is still an option. I have so many badger knots now that I am going to try a couple of the TGN boar knots for fun.

For reference for the loft here are two brushes side by side, the one on the left set at about 48 mm loft and the one on the right about 55. This knot has enough spine to take the 55 mm height and lather anything you throw at it. I like mine a bit tighter and have one set at 50, which is just about perfect. But the 55mm loft is lovely and it just might be doable without setting the knot too much deeper than the glue plug depth, I don't remember and in any event there is variation among knots that makes these numbers ballpark estimates.

View attachment 122733

And, to muddy the water even more, you can cut off the bottom of the glue plug to set the knot deeper. These knots are set in a polyester resin that is quite hard and large. I've cut half the bottom off and still had plenty of plug to hold the hair in. In this way I've been able to set a knot deeper in a solid handle that I didn't want to drill any deeper (eg. a lucite handle where the knot shows). If you could cut 5mm off the plug and get 5mm or so into the hole you would end up with somewhere around 55mm, which I think would be a brush that would please you. You can cut the bottom off with a hack saw, someone you know must have one you can borrow.

 

[luvmysuper]

Love the mug, it and the brush is very nice looking.
These brushes do look really great with a good badger knot - here's one I did recently with a 22 finest TGN knot so you have some idea of the end product your working for;

How is yours coming along?

 

[_MementoMori_]

Phil, that post is immensely helpful. I'm looking for a sure thing here, so I'm probably just going to go the same route you did to be safe.