Question on EverReady Restore

[KCPhotog]

Restoring my first vintage brush. Was rather surprised it was hollow based. I have it all sanded and ready to put a knot it but not sure the best way. Should I fill the base? I left a ledge about 12mm down I could set a knot onto. I could feasibly epoxy a nickel down to the ledge and the set the knot on the nickel. What do you all do with them?

 

[bakerbarber]

Toss a couple bbs into it and seal it up.

It'll drive you crazy every single time you use it.

 

[Spang]

Your plan is a good one, assuming that the shelf + nickel gives you the loft you want with your knot of choice. If you want a little more heft, you can add some weight (shot or BBs) into the base void and seal them in place with some epoxy. Then glue in your shelf and you're ready to go. You should wait until you've selected a knot and can calculate the loft before you make the final decision about the placement and thickness of your shelf.

That's a nice handle; good luck, and be sure to post some finished pics!

 

[azwetshaver]

I used an epoxy putty and it turned out very well. Available at hardware store in the glue isle. It looks like soft clay usually black it dark color. Used to seal plumbing cracks etc. It is soft until you knead it like dough. Once you knead it a bit, you have about 5 min to use it before it starts to harden. Once hard you can sand if you need to. This added some nice weight to the handle. It now feels solid.

 

[ShaveYourSoul]

Nice resto! I like to fill mine with hot glue. Cheap and easy

 

[Pepin]

That is a beautifully restored handle. What did you sand it with?

Restoring my first vintage brush. Was rather surprised it was hollow based. I have it all sanded and ready to put a knot it but not sure the best way. Should I fill the base? I left a ledge about 12mm down I could set a knot onto. I could feasibly epoxy a nickel down to the ledge and the set the knot on the nickel. What do you all do with them?

 

[KCPhotog]

That is a beautifully restored handle. What did you sand it with?

Thanks! I used Micromesh up to 12,000 grit. I still plan to do a final polish on it as well with some plastic polish. I took a small cylander shaped grinding bit, wrapped electrical tape around it until I could just barely squeeze it into the handle and then put it in my drill. Allowed for a nice easy sanding process.

 

[DukeNDuke]

Nice job on your first restore...she's a beauty. Regarding your original post, filling the handle is all a matter of personal preference. I've filled my restores with epoxy or other material because I like a bit of heft to my handles. Since this is your first restoration, I'd highly recommend setting the knot temporarily with hot glue. That way you can use it and test out the loft before permanently setting it with epoxy. Just a thought...

 

[labrax]

I have used shot from some old shotgun shells lying around - from #8 to BB and epoxy to add weight. For building up to the proper height - I used wine cork and cut it to length in a dry fit, cut is a smidge more for the extra epoxy that will be used - put the base together let it get firm and then put the knot in. Last few have had the knot fixed in their with silicone adhesive - have not been able to pull one out by hand - and I have put some good force into it.

 

[KCPhotog]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I happened to have some old 20g shotgun shells laying around. Took 5 of em and emptied them into the base, gives it a perfect amount of heft!

 

[BSAGuy]

Looks nice. Can't wait to see the knot.