Do you have any idea how much the knot socket shrunk from green to dried? Are you going to increase the size of it to accommodate your knot, or order the knot to fit the existing hole?
The path to my very own custom bamboo shaving brush (super-mega-pic-heavy).
- Thread starter Angry__Panda
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- #22
So I measured all the holes prior to heating them. Supposedly they should have shrunk, but they didn't, or if they did it was less than a full millimeter. I will be expanding some to make something that is close to 24mm to fit that (lots more 24mm knots). Likewise I have something almost 22mm that I will be increasing to that size.
I also have one more method of "curing" the bamboo that I have to try that may work differently and shring something, I'll be trying that when I finally have some time to do it. I'll let you know if it shrinks or not.
I also have one more method of "curing" the bamboo that I have to try that may work differently and shring something, I'll be trying that when I finally have some time to do it. I'll let you know if it shrinks or not.
Try this with a piece of scrap,I do this to de-hydrate wet wood and it works very well.
Soak it in denatured alcohol (about 10 bux/gal) a 2x3 pce of ebony with a water content of 13% takes 3 days to get to 9% and no cracks when air dried for about a week,soak and dry time for your material will be alot less i would imagine.
Soak it in denatured alcohol (about 10 bux/gal) a 2x3 pce of ebony with a water content of 13% takes 3 days to get to 9% and no cracks when air dried for about a week,soak and dry time for your material will be alot less i would imagine.
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- #24
The problem with bamboo is that it isn't really that you are drying it out. With the torch you are getting rid of the sugars and such in it. A large amount of stuff leeches out as I heat it with a torch. The other method that I saw that I don't have the knowledge or tools to do is run something kind of like a borax solution through it. We are talking large bamboo sales places (the kinds that use it to build houses and what not). They basically force out all of the stuff in the bamboo. It takes several days from what I gathered and the only time I have seen it was a place doing it on giant like 20+ foot poles that were easily 4+ inches in diameter.
I will however try that on a scrap to see if it works. I'll cut a piece of bamboo off on Monday to do it. I should also have some information on finishing up by then as I got my finish in the mail and applied the first coat this morning. Unfortunately the finishing will probably be the longest as it takes 1-3 days to dry between coats.
Ok, now that you've opened that can of worms; what are you using for a finish?
Very novel idea, love it!!! I would be concerned with the porous nature of bamboo though, have you/are you thinking of applying some treatment for the wood other than oil?
Al raz.
Al raz.
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- #27
Actually the way this oil works is that it dries hard. One of the things they use it on is hardwood floors to seal them. But they also use it to finish furniture and stuff. I still have quite a few layers to put on it before I can really test to see how it does with water (hoping the water will bead up). They also use this oil for these bamboo flutes and the goal is to protect the flute from condensation (I assume from blowing in it heh). At this point, only time will tell heh. I kind of have to let it dry for 2-3 days (because of the porous nature of bamboo heh) between coats and so far I have applied one lol. I think most people finishing their flutes recommends 3-4 coats and while I was talking to dayoldstubble he was mentioning that he did that and then was going to apply another coat down the road like after those layers have set or whatever. So it probably the next two-ish weeks for the main coats, then I will check it and get it wet and if all is good then I will mount the knot in it and go from there. I also still need something attractive to fill the handles with. I am trying to find something that adds a little weight to the handle and I don't really want to use an ENTIRE tube of epoxy to fill something like a 70mm handle.
I missed it. What kind of oil are you using? I read some good finishes for bamboo on a thread where guys were making bamboo fly rods, but they were mixes of different oils, finishes and solvents. Seemed complicated.
I would go buy some stainless washers, and drop them in the bottom to add weight and fill space.
I would go buy some stainless washers, and drop them in the bottom to add weight and fill space.
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- #29
Tung oil. 100% pure, no additives no mixing it with anything.
As for the washers, the problem is I still need to find something for the bottom that is attractive cause the whole piece on one of them is hollow. I'll post some pics tomorrow once I get all my pictures edited and fixed up
.My experience with pure tung oil, is that it never really dries. Even on porous/ thirsty woods. Stays sticky forever. I think most woodworkers cut it with a solvent to get it to dry. Are you experiencing this?
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- #31
Not yet. Only on the first coat. It could be that the oil you used was old. As I hear it this stuff has an INCREDIBLY short shelf life. Chances are if you got it from your local hardware store this is the case. When I went to mine most people acted like I was crazy and then found the oil and then 2/3 of the stores showed me Tung oil with solvents mixed in (made clear because of the warning labels).
The other way I was told that you can treat the bamboo, before sanding it and such is by boiling it in Tung oil, not sure if Tung oil was made with something like bamboo in mind, but maybe it works better on it? Again, I am not sure about most of this as this is the first time I am using it...So take my explanation for what it is worth
.Hey Angry_Panda, where's the latest pics? I'm dieing to see them!
Patience is not a virtue of mine.
Patience is not a virtue of mine.
- Thread starter
- #33
Yeah, sorry, I honest have had almost zero time on my days off this week
. I got to take pictures of the cut handles and that is about it. Probably will try and get more information and pics up soon I just am really busy till about Tuesday :/ . I also need to make it a point to order the knot soon I just haven't even gotten around to that . If I get off early enough tomorrow afternoon I will grab pics and post them for you. The Tung oil takes forever to dry to my liking so the finishing process is kind of a long road heh.- Thread starter
- #34
Alright guys, sorry I haven't been able to update until now. Only been two days of my work week and already been super long lol. Finally snapped a few pictures of things though and where they are going.
As I said the finishing process is kind of a long one. I am putting on multiple coats of Tung oil. not to mention cutting, smoothing, rounding, etc.
So, the first step was to cut the brushes and round off the tops and in one case the bottom. I made a 70mm tall handle and a one that I kind of made to looking like a Simpson Chubby (it is short, fat and has the elbow ring from the bamboo in a similar place that the Chubby has it's little accent ring). The one on the far left didn't end up working out, you can kind of see in the picture how thin the wall was. This was going to be my attempt at an 18mm brush (to go with my recent acquisitions). Unfortunately all of the smaller bamboo has like a dent in the side (this is how the bamboo grew) and as such I ended up spending about an hour just with my 100 grit sandpaper to get rid of it. Unfortunately this also meant taking a large part of the exterior wall off and made it VERY brittle .
Anyways these are the cuts, the Chubby style one has got the beginnings of where I used a dremel to basically set the roundness. I then took that and made it round by hand, going back through each grit of sandpaper (for less times on the sides, more to just make the rounding look natural);
Next up, I got a little excited and only grabbed pics when the rounding was complete and the first coat of Tung oil was applied but each brush looked like this;
Unfortunately I kind of tried to get a little too close and really tried to get the shiny effect that the brushes were starting to get. I don't think I ended up capturing it as I wanted.
These next pictures are where we are at now. So after the first couple of layers I put on a third layer it a rag (terry cloth) and then let it dry. Once dry I sanded the brush handle with 1500 grit sand paper then wiped another coat on. So we are on coat number four and I will be sanding it again tomorrow and applying a fifth coat and then seeing where I am at. Here is what it looks like with a fresh coat of Tung oil;
And that is where I am at. I'll be getting this finishing process done hopefully by the end of next week. All that is left is to figure out what to seal the bottom with and then what to fill the handle with. All that is left after that is to buy and fit the knots and then the brushes are done (the first two). The first two I have are rather large (at least for me) at 26mm. I believe I cut the first handle (the bigger one) to 70mm and the smaller one to around 50mm in height. I will be putting a TGN finest extra hair, fan shape into the larger handle. Still haven't decided which TGN knot to go with in the Chubby style yet. I then have a couple more brushes that I will be starting to finish with the Tung oil this week that will probably be about ready for a knot by the time Larry over at Whipped Dog gets back from his vacation, perfect timing to try out his knot offerings .
Again, feel free to keep the questions coming, I'll try and answer them as best I can and I will try and update these ASAP .
As I said the finishing process is kind of a long one. I am putting on multiple coats of Tung oil. not to mention cutting, smoothing, rounding, etc.
So, the first step was to cut the brushes and round off the tops and in one case the bottom. I made a 70mm tall handle and a one that I kind of made to looking like a Simpson Chubby (it is short, fat and has the elbow ring from the bamboo in a similar place that the Chubby has it's little accent ring). The one on the far left didn't end up working out, you can kind of see in the picture how thin the wall was. This was going to be my attempt at an 18mm brush (to go with my recent acquisitions). Unfortunately all of the smaller bamboo has like a dent in the side (this is how the bamboo grew) and as such I ended up spending about an hour just with my 100 grit sandpaper to get rid of it. Unfortunately this also meant taking a large part of the exterior wall off and made it VERY brittle
.Anyways these are the cuts, the Chubby style one has got the beginnings of where I used a dremel to basically set the roundness. I then took that and made it round by hand, going back through each grit of sandpaper (for less times on the sides, more to just make the rounding look natural);
Next up, I got a little excited and only grabbed pics when the rounding was complete and the first coat of Tung oil was applied but each brush looked like this;
Unfortunately I kind of tried to get a little too close and really tried to get the shiny effect that the brushes were starting to get. I don't think I ended up capturing it as I wanted.
These next pictures are where we are at now. So after the first couple of layers I put on a third layer it a rag (terry cloth) and then let it dry. Once dry I sanded the brush handle with 1500 grit sand paper then wiped another coat on. So we are on coat number four and I will be sanding it again tomorrow and applying a fifth coat and then seeing where I am at. Here is what it looks like with a fresh coat of Tung oil;
And that is where I am at. I'll be getting this finishing process done hopefully by the end of next week. All that is left is to figure out what to seal the bottom with and then what to fill the handle with. All that is left after that is to buy and fit the knots and then the brushes are done (the first two). The first two I have are rather large (at least for me) at 26mm. I believe I cut the first handle (the bigger one) to 70mm and the smaller one to around 50mm in height. I will be putting a TGN finest extra hair, fan shape into the larger handle. Still haven't decided which TGN knot to go with in the Chubby style yet. I then have a couple more brushes that I will be starting to finish with the Tung oil this week that will probably be about ready for a knot by the time Larry over at Whipped Dog gets back from his vacation, perfect timing to try out his knot offerings
.Again, feel free to keep the questions coming, I'll try and answer them as best I can and I will try and update these ASAP
.Very Nice
Beautiful! That Chubby is going to be a real looker.
What a naturally beautiful material to be making handles with. You're really bringing out the bamboo's full potential. Can't wait to see some knots set in there!
Fascinating project.
Thank you for documenting it for us with those beautiful pictures.
You are going to have some unique brushes when you are done.
Thank you for documenting it for us with those beautiful pictures.
You are going to have some unique brushes when you are done.
Well done, and I am following this closely. I am curious to see what you finally use to fill the hole in the bottom.
I am really liking the blue/black streaks. Especially in the Chubby.
Keep us posted.
Keep us posted.
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