@GAW9576 (Greg) and I just completed a collaboration on an olivewood handle with a badger knot. The handle was turned by Greg and the knot is a Maggard 22mm SHD 2-Band Badger (Bulb).
Greg did an incredible job and actually turned two of these handles out of Bethlehem olive wood. The handles are generous in size and you can feel the density of the wood when you hold the brush. Nice balance and Greg shaped the handles such that the thumb rests comfortably about 1/3 of the way from the top of the handle. The brush has nice backbone and feels larger than its 22mm diameter because of the density of the hairs. The results have exceeded my expectations.
Because I wanted a satin finish, Greg just finished the handles with 2000 grit sandpaper and I applied 5 coats of polyurethane with an old (clean) sock, gently smoothing each coat with grade #0000 steel wool. I used a dab of silicone adhesive/sealant to attach the knot, in case I later want to add a spacer to increase the loft.
The backstory is I wanted to add a smaller badger brush to my current stable of two - a Semogue Owners Club Two Band Finest Badger (24mm) and a Zenith M5 Manchurian Badger (27.5mm), but I was unable to find a 22mm two band badger brush with a wooden handle (ideally olivewood). Having seen some of his work, I pinged Greg and the project was born.
I was surprised at the number of decisions that needed to be made. But it was a great project, working with Greg was a pleasure and I learned a ton about brushes. Thank you, Greg!
The dimensions of each handle are:
Greg did an incredible job and actually turned two of these handles out of Bethlehem olive wood. The handles are generous in size and you can feel the density of the wood when you hold the brush. Nice balance and Greg shaped the handles such that the thumb rests comfortably about 1/3 of the way from the top of the handle. The brush has nice backbone and feels larger than its 22mm diameter because of the density of the hairs. The results have exceeded my expectations.
Because I wanted a satin finish, Greg just finished the handles with 2000 grit sandpaper and I applied 5 coats of polyurethane with an old (clean) sock, gently smoothing each coat with grade #0000 steel wool. I used a dab of silicone adhesive/sealant to attach the knot, in case I later want to add a spacer to increase the loft.
The backstory is I wanted to add a smaller badger brush to my current stable of two - a Semogue Owners Club Two Band Finest Badger (24mm) and a Zenith M5 Manchurian Badger (27.5mm), but I was unable to find a 22mm two band badger brush with a wooden handle (ideally olivewood). Having seen some of his work, I pinged Greg and the project was born.
I was surprised at the number of decisions that needed to be made. But it was a great project, working with Greg was a pleasure and I learned a ton about brushes. Thank you, Greg!
The dimensions of each handle are:
- Height: 65.5mm
- Top Diameter: 32.5mm
- Bottom Diameter: 38.5mm
- Hole Diameter: 23.5mm
- Hole Depth: 14.0mm
