Taking the plunge...

[Snargle]

Well, I finally did it. I just received my first "vintage" shaving brush and I'm ready to embark on a journey of restoration! I probably won't start on it until this weekend, but if all looks good once I clean out the old boar bristles, I'll probably be ordering a TGN Finest Badger Knot...maybe 20mm(?), clean and polish the handle (which is in excellent condition...just a little dirty) and hopefully end up with a nice little brush for my rotation.

Here's a photo from the dealer's page (purchased on etsy.com):

I'll try to document the process with photos and post them as I progress. Any hints or help along the way will be gratefully appreciated!

 

[Hex]

That's gonna be a beauty Larry and yes, we all want to watch it as it blooms.

 

[Jethro1984]

Cool....a true Lath-r-ade!

 

[Snargle]

Just curious...does anyone know anything about Lath-R-ade brushes? Who was the manufacturer? When were the brushes made? A search here and on Google doesn't turn up anything useful.

 

[Piff]

Nothing official that I've read, but I've seen the "N <E> Y" with the E-diamond in the middle (on the reverse side) on other brushes. I wonder if it's a branded brush made by a company in New York or something.

Sorry if I got your hopes up.

 

[Snargle]

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I cut off the old knot, cleaned off all the grunge, and will finish cleaning out the old hair and glue this weekend. Now it's time to think about ordering a knot for this baby. The old cavity is 20mm, so I'm thinking about replacing it with the same size knot, but in badger rather than boar.

TGN has a few options:
20mm Finest Badger, Fan-shaped
20mm Finest, with Extra Hair
20mm Silvertip
20mm Silvertip, Grade A

I'm not normally a face latherer, but I'm thinking this small brush might be a good candidate for giving it a try. Of the four options above, which would you recommend as a good choice for face lathering, but still capable of whipping up an occasional bowl? What would be a good loft height to shoot for?

 

[Snargle]

Well, I ordered the TGN 20mm Finest Badger, Fan-shaped knot a few minutes ago. I've got most of the old glue and hair out...that stuff was really petrified! Thank goodness for my old Dremel tool and cutting bits. I've got it ground down to about 10mm deep and probably won't go any deeper until I get the knot and see what it looks like sitting in the hole. I'll probably shoot for a 46-48mm loft, so if the knot is 60mm total, that means I'll need to take it down another 2-4mm. That shouldn't be a big deal now...the handle material is much softer than that rock-hard glue/rubber/whatever and should grind out pretty easily. I'll probably work on polishing up the handle while I wait for the knot to be delivered. I think this is going to be a sweet little brush when I'm done with it!

 

[Snargle]

As promised, here's some photos of what's happened so far. I ordered a 20 mm Finest Badger fan-shaped knot from TGN yesterday and am anxiously awaiting delivery!


Original Condition:

Cleaned, old knot removed, initial polishing:

I'd like to repaint the lettering, and also possibly add white paint to the two engraved rings near the top. When I had polishing compound in there, it looked really sharp! Is the general recommendation to use something like Testor's enamel and wipe off the excess with thinner before it can set?

 

[Snargle]

I received the TGN 20mm Finest Badger, Fan-shaped knot from Tony yesterday, did a little more deepening of the hole, gave the handle a final polishing, and, taking a deep breath, mixed up a batch of clear 5-minute epoxy and dropped in the knot. Final loft was set right around 48mm. I decided not to try restoring the white lettering at this point, but may later as my confidence improves.

Here's the final result...

I'm pretty damned proud of this one. I'll start de-stinkifying the hair this afternoon (dishwashing liquid soak, a couple of test lathers, and let the final lather dry in the hair overnight) and give it a trial tomorrow morning.

Post-bloom photos to follow.

 

[Hex]

Nice going and by damn but that turned out beautiful.

It's fun and quite a sense of accomplishment, isn't it ?

He's gonna be a soap killer.

 

[Mack]

That is a beautiful brush. Great work! I hope you get many enjoyable shaves from it.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Very Nice Work! Congrats!

 

[Snargle]

Just finished my first shave with the refurbished Lath-r-Ade brush. I think I'm in love!

Pulled out a Mama Bear's Lavender & Peppermint shave stick, loaded up my face and neck, and took a few easy strokes with the wet brush...lather exploded all over! It was so easy and felt sooooo good! That little brush generated enough lather for three full passes, some touch-ups, and there was probably enough left for another pass. The TGN finest badger knot is amazing...so soft on the tips, but plenty of body for face lathering. I got an excellent BBS shave from my 1966 Gillette Aristocrat Adjustable with an IP Red blade. A truly great Sunday morning shave experience!

Once it dries out, I'll snap another photo of the little darling in full bloom!

 

[Snargle]

This one turned out so nice, I can't wait until I get started on the next one!

 

[Hex]

I have one pretty similar, 20mm best set to 49mm, and it might be the perfect face latherer for me.

For such a small surface area it generates gobs of great lather.

 

[Snargle]

I have one pretty similar, 20mm best set to 49mm, and it might be the perfect face latherer for me.

For such a small surface area it generates gobs of great lather.

I face-lathered with Tabac soap this morning and had enough lather for three full passes plus touchups. There was enough lather left in that brush for at least another full pass. This little darling has become my current favorite and may end up turning me into a full-time face latherer!

 

[Hex]

I face-lathered with Tabac soap this morning and had enough lather for three full passes plus touchups. There was enough lather left in that brush for at least another full pass. This little darling has become my current favorite and may end up turning me into a full-time face latherer!

That's exactly what happened to me. I was a sworn bowl latherer, in fact I grated up my Speick stick. Then after restoring this brush and trying face lathering, I threw away my bowls.

Welcome to the club.