Simpson Major: Warning!

[JeffOlson]

Do not tighten it when screwing it together, whether stowing it or setting it up for use. In fact, LEAVE IT LOOSE. Do not go anywhere near the ends of the threads.

Until today, I thought my Simpson Major two-piece travel brush was a brilliant piece of gear. Today, I am not so sure.

I keep my Simpson Major in my DR Harris military roll-up travel kit, ready for travel. The last time I used it prior to today was several weeks ago on a business trip to Las Vegas. (Yes, a business trip; I left as soon as the board meeting was over for home in Portland.) The hotel was air-conditioned, of course, and it was 110 degrees F outside. I don't know what the temperature was inside the cargo bay of the airplane. The past few weeks were relatively humid at home, and the Major sat unused. This weekend, I brought my travel kit to our beach cabin on the Puget Sound, where it is cool but still a bit humid.

This morning, I found my Simpson Major welded shut! I have strong hands (I use flat-wound 12s and 13s on my guitars), but I could not open it. I tried soaking the whole unit it hot, soapy water to no avail. Ultimately, it required pliers to wrench it open. Of course, I scratched the stub end in the process. Although I had a good shave, I am not as happy as I should be at the moment...

 

[thatonesmine]

I too had a similar problem with my Simpson Major, after a couple of times doing this I tried using a drop of Glycerine oil on the threads after use "always carry a small sample bottle to add to lather" as well.

Now no problems with releasing & Glycerine is water soluble nor any harm to those super bristles. Hope this helps.

Charles U.K

 

[JeffOlson]

Thanks, Charles. That's good advice.

 

[Face&Head]

Same problem but not as severe as yours. Not sure why, but I freed it up with a soak in ice water. Along the same lines as Charles, I've used a couple of drops of mineral oil (I use it to coat my straights) on the threads and haven't had a re-occurrence.

 

[harmoni]

Similar experience here, but not as bad as yours OP. The small size of the brush and the smooth surface made gripping it firmly enough to unscrew it difficult for me (a towel on the cylinder bit helped me to get sufficent grip). These days I make sure to leave a quarter-turn loose, even though this means I have to store it bristles-up.