Silicone vs. Epoxy

[Steve_in_CT]

I've re-knotted several brushes, and I have always epoxied the knots in place without any issues. Recently I put a 20 mm Maggard 2 band knot into an old Made Rite handle. Because I wasn't sure of the loft I wanted, I decided to "temporarily" glue it into place. I put a dab of bathroom silicone caulk under the nickel I was using as a shim and another dab under the knot. I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to adjust the knot I could pull it out, but I'm very happy with it as it is. So, do I just leave it alone? Is it likely to hold up? I've used it about half a dozen times, and I treat it as I would any other brush. There are no signs of the knot coming loose. Part of me wants to pull it out to feel as if everything is done "just right", but another part of me says it's silly to change it just for the sake of changing it if it's working fine.

Based upon your experience, should I expect the "temporary" solution to hold up?

 

[GolFisHunt]

This is a common procedure for me. I've gotten around 2 years of service from the silicone on a few brushes before the knot loosens.

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[davent]

Wouldn't epoxying seal the hole so water can't get in and collect under the knot where simply tacking it in with silicone wouldn't prevent this. Could the water be or not be an issue depending on the handle material?
dave

 

[Jim99]

I’ve used silicone in the past and never had an issue with the knot. Depending on the amount of silicone used, there should be no issue with it sealing and staying in place.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Wouldn't epoxying seal the hole so water can't get in and collect under the knot where simply tacking it in with silicone wouldn't prevent this. Could the water be or not be an issue depending on the handle material?
dave

Good point. I used only a dab of silicone, so I now think I'll probably go ahead an epoxy it since I certainly didn't seal it with the silicone.

 

[Graydog]

I have used it for a few days and then the knot came out right in the middle of a shave.
So I don't do it. But that's me.other people have no problem with it. But I like the idea of having it permanent. And water tight.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I’ve used silicone in the past and never had an issue with the knot. Depending on the amount of silicone used, there should be no issue with it sealing and staying in place.

Since I intentionally only used very little silicone, I probably did not create a waterproof seal. Based upon how well it's holding, had I used more silicone, I think it would probably work fine as a permanent solution.

 

[Borderboss]

I only use epoxy because the one silicone-glued brush I had (bought from a custom maker) had the knot come out after about a month. It's easy enough to test the loft without any adhesive by feel. Put me in the epoxy camp.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I did use silicone to fix one knot in place and it lasted maybe 20 shaves before failing. It would probably have lasted longer had I used a bit more silicone, but the whole point of the exercise was to find out if the loft was right before sealing the deal with epoxy, which is what I did. I now pretty much know what loft suits me best and so I don't bother with silicone any more. I like the reliability of epoxy.

 

[GolFisHunt]

Epoxy is certainly a better permanent choice for both ceiling the handle and a fixing the knot.

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[SliceOfLife]

I use a silicon based epoxy.

 

[jmturley]

I used epoxy on the first few handles I re-knotted. Went ok and only one broke loose (didn't have a good fit). The last two handles I re-knotted I used silicone. One broke loose the next day, but that was because of my error. Re-did it and it's been solid since. I like the idea of silicone because it isn't as permanent as epoxy and I can change my mind later down the road if I want to change the knot.

 

[GAW9576]

As others have said silicone for testing epoxy for permanent set. Or possibly epoxy if it's for someone else and if I'm keeping it I might do silicone in case I want to steal the knot later for another handle.

 

[REV579]

I use more than a dab of silicone, an on some knot/ferrule combinations, have sealed the opening from below, while most from above.