restore question regarding a specific knot...

[bradyarz]

I have an old ever ready handle (100t) that looks like this one:
http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/344/075/76/Pict0616.JPG


i think the hole is a little smaller than 24mm, but if it is, i'm going to bore it out a little so i can fit this knot: http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_45&products_id=163
a 24x65mm boar bristle knot.

now, i have a vdh boar that has become very very soft with use, and i'm guessing this knot from gn is higher quality. the description says it is a very tough and exfoliating knot. does this mean it will never break down, or will it eventually become soft like my vdh?

anyone?

 

[prophetic_joe]

I have an old ever ready handle (100t) that looks like this one:
http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/344/075/76/Pict0616.JPG


i think the hole is a little smaller than 24mm, but if it is, i'm going to bore it out a little so i can fit this knot: http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_45&products_id=163
a 24x65mm boar bristle knot.

now, i have a vdh boar that has become very very soft with use, and i'm guessing this knot from gn is higher quality. the description says it is a very tough and exfoliating knot. does this mean it will never break down, or will it eventually become soft like my vdh?

anyone?

Not a clue. You may want to rethink boring out that Ever-Ready though those tend to be a 20mm with basically a bowl type thing holding the knot if you bore it out you will destroy the shelf and the insides of the hole basically leaving yourself with a hollow plastic shell. You would then have to fill the inside with something (epoxy or resin) in order to give yourself something for the knot to sit on and glue to. It can be done but it's a headache. Hell screw it, it would be cool when it's done.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Sheesh, Can I rent someone my VDH for free to make it nice and soft? I had maybe 20 shaves with it, and it didn't get any softer, so I gave up trying. I'd like to have one of these soft boars.


Good luck with the brush. I don't think Boar bristle varies all that much, so I'd expect it will break down similarly to your VDH, but I'm no expert.

 

[EFaden]

Not a clue. You may want to rethink boring out that Ever-Ready though those tend to be a 20mm with basically a bowl type thing holding the knot if you bore it out you will destroy the shelf and the insides of the hole basically leaving yourself with a hollow plastic shell. You would then have to fill the inside with something (epoxy or resin) in order to give yourself something for the knot to sit on and glue to. It can be done but it's a headache. Hell screw it, it would be cool when it's done.

+1 to the above. Basically those are completely hollow inside. Personally I did exactly what he said though. I bored to 24mm and filled the inside with lead shot, cork, and epoxy... Then once it was completely full of epoxy drilled a clean new hole at 24mm.

 

[Shave Cat]

Sheesh, Can I rent someone my VDH for free to make it nice and soft? I had maybe 20 shaves with it, and it didn't get any softer, so I gave up trying. I'd like to have one of these soft boars.


Good luck with the brush. I don't think Boar bristle varies all that much, so I'd expect it will break down similarly to your VDH, but I'm no expert.

I have a broken in VDH brush too. The shafts of the hairs remain somewhat stiff, but the tips of the hairs split and soften. The softness is especially noticable whan the brush is soaked.

-Clarke

 

[prophetic_joe]

+1 to the above. Basically those are completely hollow inside. Personally I did exactly what he said though. I bored to 24mm and filled the inside with lead shot, cork, and epoxy... Then once it was completely full of epoxy drilled a clean new hole at 24mm.

Speaking of filling brushes I questioned the idea of resin but I heard that it gets hot.
Anyone have experience with this and would it melt the plastic?

 

[EFaden]

Speaking of filling brushes I questioned the idea of resin but I heard that it gets hot.
Anyone have experience with this and would it melt the plastic?

I did it. Didn't do anything to the plastic. I used the System Three epoxy. Worked well.

 

[tob1303]

I mix my epoxy in a plastic solo cup - it gets warm - but not hot enough to do any damage to the plastic cup...so I think the handle is safe.

 

[bradyarz]

...those tend to be a 20mm with basically a bowl type thing holding the knot ...

i think it was originally close to a 20mm knot, but there was a plastic ring that reduced the size of the hole in the handle down to 20mm. i just took that out because i have no intentions of reusing it, and the resulting hole is just a hair under 24mm. i have an ever ready 200t (blue and white handle) that is closer to the 20mm mark without the plastic ring inside, so i'll have to get a smaller knot when i do that one later on.

good ideas with the lead shot and resin. i do like a heavier brush.


thanks, guys!

 

[Monkeydad]

I have used a VDH boar brush almost daily for nearly a year. It lathers up soap great, much better than my Simpsons badger in fact. The stiffness of the boar bristles helps you lather soap better. I use my softer badger brush when using shave creams or shaving my wife's legs.

I still get the random loose hair though after all of this time. I am considering re-knotting my navy blue VDH handle with a higher quality knot. The main reason for keeping it is because I built a great-looking razor stand that holds the VDH brush perfectly because that's the only brush I had when I designed it. My badger brush's handle is too small to hang. Plus, my bathroom is mainly navy blue, so it matches despite being a lowly VDH plastic handle.

Does anyone know the knot size for a VDH or the technique for measuring? Is the knot size determined by the diameter or circumference of the knot or the hole in the handle? Thanks.