Simpson Major - squeaky/stuck thread

[Judge Dredd]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone with a Simpsons Major has ever experienced a very tight thread which appeared stuck but under some committed persuasion, it finally has freed itself. It squeaked very loudly, suggesting the threads were far too tight, in both configurations (brush in storage, and brush ready).

There is no evidence that the thread has stripped.

And before you ask, no I did not overtighten it.

I've searched but found nothing about it, so am curious whether this is an inherent "design feature" or a faulty thread.

 

[john parker]

Really think someone posted a problem like this with a Major only a month or so ago. Think in that instance it seemed stuck "period" and the OP was asking for advice to free it (which he eventually did, I believe). Don't remember enough to provide help for terms to search on, unfortunately.

 

[JeffOlson]

That was me. Mine was welded shut from flying from a hot, dry climate (Las Vegas, 107 degrees) to a warm, humid climate (Portland), then driving to a cooler, still humid climate (Olympia). It required a pair of pliers and a lot of grunting to open it...

 

[Face&Head]

After a couple of problems I now keep a thin coating of mineral oil on the threads.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I always like a small brush with a protective (or even a prescription) tube - simple and it works fine. I have made my own brush and used the Crabtree and Evelyn travel tube until I dropped it and it shattered. Now, I use a Simpson travel tube.

 

[Judge Dredd]

After a couple of problems I now keep a thin coating of mineral oil on the threads.

Exactly what I'm thinking of doing...hey I finally found a use for all that PSO that does nothing...

@JeffOlson: I didn't use pliers to get her open, I used a latex glove. No plier marks.

 

[xraygun]

I think a little wax might do the trick?

 

[7bears]

When I first got my Major I experienced the seized threads problem and wondered if it had only happened to me. At that time I could not find any other posts regarding this problem.

I used to separate the brush end and soak most of that whole part in a small glass of hot water while I showered. That is both the strands and part of the surrounding plastic. Later in the day long after I had finished shaving and the brush end had dried and stabilized to room temperature, the threads would still not screw all the way in and would seize up if I tried to force it. After I started to soak the brush strands only and not allow any part of the surrounding plastic touch the hot water, the problem eventually went away. I could then screw the brush end all the way stop to stop mobed and demobed as it was designed to do.

Later I found that I don’t have to soak my brush in order to get a good lather so I no longer bother with soaking it at all.

 

[JeffOlson]

I opened up my Major last night in preparation for this morning's shave. It squeaked something awful! And this was after stowing it loose. I'm going to try putting a bit of hard soap or oil on the threads.

Yes, the pliers were unfortunate but necessary. They scratched the stub end, but no amount of unaided twisting would get my Major to even turn the tiniest bit. It was literally frozen shut, and my hands, however strong, were no match for it. Leverage and brute force were needed.

 

[dfoster]

I run ordinary bar soap over the threads of my Major every so often to build up a cushioning, lubricating layer that glides upon unscrewing
and retightening. I think it avoids chemical absorbtion that may appear later on the brush from using oils, and if you think about it, soap's no foreign ingredient to a brush anyway. Finally, I always retighten loosely.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Right, so it's not just me/my bathroom/ambient humidity. In this case, my mileage does NOT vary.

Perhaps Simpson can include a thread lube or an unsticking tool in future, alternatively enclose some sort of disclaimer as to the stubbornness of the threads.

 

[dfoster]

I bet our friends at Vulfix (Simpsons) would love your suggestion--Achtung! Warning! Don't screw the Major too tight....

 

[Judge Dredd]

If I want to screw my Major, well then that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Oh wait, we only screw the Major on Tuesdays...

 

[Cap'n CutThroat]

With the problems experienced on the threads of the Major, would you still recommend this brush as a good traveller???

 

[Judge Dredd]

I don't travel enough at the moment to be able to report on its usefulness as a traveller. Nor do I have sufficient alternative travelling brushes to compare.

I went for it on the recommendation of one of our esteemed vendors, and brushwise, it is every bit as good as the vendor described it, but the thread is a problem. Having said that, I do appreciate that the threads are (apparently) hand turned so there may be variances and tolerances that don't quite meet the exacting specifications of, say, the threads on a Pils or an iKon.

The alternative travel option was the case (or in the case of Simpson, The Case). I have a vintage Victoria brush which came to me in a metal tube with a plastic threaded liner and plastic screw cap. This worked fine...until humidity or moisture in the (wooden) handle caused the handle to swell and jam itself good and proper within the tube. I tried like buggery to remove that thing, I nearly wrenched the knot out of the handle but (and this is a testament to the Victoria knot) - all I did was bend the base ring!!! I even poured PSO into the tube in the hope some of it would lubricate the handle out of the tube (no such luck), but eventually the handle shrank back to size and slipped out very easily. Naturally, a slightly larger case would have been preferable.

If I was looking for another turnback-style traveller, I'd probably recommend one of metal as the thread would be superior, but IIRC there aren't a great many options in metal turnbacks with a Super or Silvertip loft. I think I saw one or two when I was researching, so no doubt someone will post here about a dozen options that I didn't get to see...

 

[Judge Dredd]

Fellow travellers, I was away this week and had the opportunity to screw around with the Major.

Amazingly, the threads are no longer seizing at all. Perhaps it's weather-related?

I used my Major with an Irisch Moos stick. I'd forgotten how good the IM stick was. If you haven't tried the stick, get hold of it while you still can. It's not the end of the world if you can't, but it's a really good performer especially if you like the IM scent (as I do).

Anyway, as a bowl latherer, I had to make do with face lathering this time round, and the Major certainly holds its own. It easily held a 3-pass lather cargo, and made a beautiful lather with the IM which provided a very close and quick DFS with my Slant.

 

[thatonesmine]

I too had this problem.

Now I carry a small tube of vegetable clycerin oil "which is water soluble" no harm to badger hairs.


Charles U.K