Shave Forge 20mm synthetic knot

[pdieten]

Hi all

I have never used a synthetic brush before, nor any natural hair brush softer than a best badger.

That said, I bought the subject knot (edit: it's the synthetic silvertip knot, 20mmx63mm) to install in an Ever-Ready C40 handle and filled the handle with epoxy such that the knot would have 50mm loft. I didn't glue it in yet. This morning I tried shaving with it and found it a bit uncomfortable, as the bristles had effectively no splay. It was like rubbing a cloth-wrapped golf ball on my face. I wasn't too pleased with my lather.

Is this just normal behavior for a knot like this, or would setting it at a different height make it behave differently?

Thank you

 

[GAW9576]

Raising it should effect the performance. You could stack washers or coins under it to hold it at the desired test loft. A lot of people use a little silicone to hold it in place while testing because it's easy to remove and clean up when you're ready for a final set height.

 

[pdieten]

Raising it should effect the performance. You could stack washers or coins under it to hold it at the desired test loft. A lot of people use a little silicone to hold it in place while testing because it's easy to remove and clean up when you're ready for a final set height.

Thanks much. I raised it to 54mm with a couple of pennies and now it seems willing enough to splay that I was able to get a good lather with it. I thought a synth would be too floppy for my taste if I had set the loft too high but apparently I had the opposite problem.

 

[GAW9576]

Synthetics vary a bit from my understanding. I only have one, I prefer natural.

 

[Big Jim]

Not knowing anything about the knot it's hard to tell. Not all synthetics are the same. However, in general, it sounds like you don't have near enough loft. It should be at least 55mm. Personally, I would probably prefer it close to 60.

Experiment with different lofts by setting the knot with silicon so it can be easily removed and reset. Once you find the ideal loft, set it with epoxy.