Putting this in the general thread because it's not so much about a brush, though that's the central character, as much as it is about the extraordinary people on this board. When cultural anthropologists 100 years from now look back on our civilization, hopefully they'll have the stories chronicled here to draw a picture of just how decent people can be. Here it is.
On another thread, one of our members had made a shaving brush out of an old pipe. It was very cool. What was even cooler was that it came about because of his generosity to the seniors in his area. Al finds old pipes and restores them and then gives them to veterans and seniors on fixed incomes. Stuff like that gets to me and I remembered I had a bunch of pipes in my office that have been untouched for ten years. I dropped a PM to Al and asked if he could use them and he said yes and that he'd like to thank me for them with a brush. Sure, I said, that would be great, but don't feel obligated.
Interestingly, as I was packing up the pipes, the old urge began to rise and I mentioned it to my wife and that I wondered if that old vanilla pipe tobacco tucked away in a drawer was still any good. I may also have been drooling a bit. She mastered and hid a suddenly alarmed look, got up out of her chair and snuggled up close to me (smartly pushing aside my desire for a smoke and replacing it with something else) and told me how generous I was to send these off to Al and how much she admired me and could she help me pack them up so that she could get them in the mail first thing tomorrow. This, my friends, is not a woman to be trifled with.
So off they went and a week or two later, I got this in the mail:
View attachment 258964
No, not the otter. That's Sabine. She lives here. The brush. Here's another pic:
View attachment 258967
It's a beautiful stainless brush, handmade by Al who not only restores Pipes, but appears to be a metal worker as well. I don't know if the picture does it justice, but the thing is simply breathtaking. Very clean lines and the O rings give an otherwise slick surface real grippability. Here's what it looks like in my meathook hands:
View attachment 258966
Obviously it has real weight to it, but it's slender and beautifully balanced. I think that's the key to this brush (as it is to life and to wine): balance. The way it settles in your hand makes it feel no heavier than any of my resin or acrylic brushes.
Now the question was what companions should be chosen to join the new brush for her first shave. Here are the other members of the fellowship of the brush:
View attachment 258965
The scuttle is a very old silver quadruple plated item from, I think though am not sure, the turn of the century. In the top portion is the MdC scooped out from the jar below. I committed to using it for at least two weeks without interruption. Next to the MdC is the Eau d'Emeraude (Emerald Water) that my co-worker brought back from Paris a week ago. It's made by Benedictine Nuns and has been in production since the 17th century. Finally, the razor of choice is my favorite, the Kirby Beard and Co. It was a French/American summit and the results were fantastic.
I don't know what kind of knot Al used and it seems rude to ask, but it performed wonderfully on the MdC and on my face. Though I didn't need one, I went for three passes simply to enjoy the moment and the feel of my new one of a kind brush that money couldn't have bought.
Al,
I've thanked you privately for this gift...one that will go to my kids if they have any taste at all...but also want to thank you publicly. You're a gentleman and an artist and it's beyond any skill I have to thank you sufficiently.
oake
On another thread, one of our members had made a shaving brush out of an old pipe. It was very cool. What was even cooler was that it came about because of his generosity to the seniors in his area. Al finds old pipes and restores them and then gives them to veterans and seniors on fixed incomes. Stuff like that gets to me and I remembered I had a bunch of pipes in my office that have been untouched for ten years. I dropped a PM to Al and asked if he could use them and he said yes and that he'd like to thank me for them with a brush. Sure, I said, that would be great, but don't feel obligated.
Interestingly, as I was packing up the pipes, the old urge began to rise and I mentioned it to my wife and that I wondered if that old vanilla pipe tobacco tucked away in a drawer was still any good. I may also have been drooling a bit. She mastered and hid a suddenly alarmed look, got up out of her chair and snuggled up close to me (smartly pushing aside my desire for a smoke and replacing it with something else) and told me how generous I was to send these off to Al and how much she admired me and could she help me pack them up so that she could get them in the mail first thing tomorrow. This, my friends, is not a woman to be trifled with.
So off they went and a week or two later, I got this in the mail:
View attachment 258964
No, not the otter. That's Sabine. She lives here. The brush. Here's another pic:
View attachment 258967
It's a beautiful stainless brush, handmade by Al who not only restores Pipes, but appears to be a metal worker as well. I don't know if the picture does it justice, but the thing is simply breathtaking. Very clean lines and the O rings give an otherwise slick surface real grippability. Here's what it looks like in my meathook hands:
View attachment 258966
Obviously it has real weight to it, but it's slender and beautifully balanced. I think that's the key to this brush (as it is to life and to wine): balance. The way it settles in your hand makes it feel no heavier than any of my resin or acrylic brushes.
Now the question was what companions should be chosen to join the new brush for her first shave. Here are the other members of the fellowship of the brush:
View attachment 258965
The scuttle is a very old silver quadruple plated item from, I think though am not sure, the turn of the century. In the top portion is the MdC scooped out from the jar below. I committed to using it for at least two weeks without interruption. Next to the MdC is the Eau d'Emeraude (Emerald Water) that my co-worker brought back from Paris a week ago. It's made by Benedictine Nuns and has been in production since the 17th century. Finally, the razor of choice is my favorite, the Kirby Beard and Co. It was a French/American summit and the results were fantastic.
I don't know what kind of knot Al used and it seems rude to ask, but it performed wonderfully on the MdC and on my face. Though I didn't need one, I went for three passes simply to enjoy the moment and the feel of my new one of a kind brush that money couldn't have bought.
Al,
I've thanked you privately for this gift...one that will go to my kids if they have any taste at all...but also want to thank you publicly. You're a gentleman and an artist and it's beyond any skill I have to thank you sufficiently.
oake
