The Van der Hagen Project

[Raissermesser]

No, that's not a joke. I have a VDH badger brush that was scratchy, and the knot ended up falling out of the handle. Kept it because the handle looks good, and figured it would be a cheap and easy way to make a quality badger brush out of it. The knot is set in a metal ring, which I'd thought about steaming to remove. Then I was measuring the knot this week, and the ring came off, so all I have to do is remove the epoxy from the edges of the handle. The handle itself is hollow.

My plan is to obtain a silver tip knot, glue it to the ring, then glue the ring to the handle. That's how it was constructed. Since a VDH boar brush constructed in the same manner is holding up, am thinking about risking it. This means that there's essentially no way to set the loft. An alternative would be to fill the handle, glue on the ring, slip the knot through the ring, and glue it to the filling.

Will note there are comments on B&B about not gluing the sides of the base of the knot, and this has me hesitant. It it wasn't that the boar brush has held up, would question the strength of gluing to the ring, then the ring to the handle. Am thinking about wrapping the knot above the base with wax paper before gluing, to prevent it from getting into the bristles.

What do you all think of this? It seems workable, but is it? Since I'm in the October Restraint, it'll be sixteen days before I can so much as order the knot.

 

[EL Alamein]

No idea, but good luck. Let us know how it works out.

Chris

 

[CigarSmoka]

If you put epoxy on the side of the base, it will push up to the bristles when you put it in the ring. However, if you put epoxy on the inside of the ring, the base of the knot will push the excess down and away from the bristles. You can wipe any squeeze out off the bottom a lot easier than you can the bristles so....

 

[Big Jim]

Forget the ring. That will allow you to use a bigger knot. Use a wine cork from Hobby Lobby to stuff the hole and build a shelf.

 

[pdieten]

Forget the ring. That will allow you to use a bigger knot. Use a wine cork from Hobby Lobby to stuff the hole and build a shelf.

I agree with this. I wasn’t happy with how high the knot was set in my VDH badger, so I steamed it out, ground out a few mm of epoxy, and reset the knot. I tossed the ring. Didn’t make any difference in how the knot fit. It’s just decorative. If you’re going to use it, set it back in the handle first and then set the knot. Otherwise you might not be happy with the backbone you end up with if you set the knot wrong. Or better yet, use silicone adhesive instead of epoxy and then you can pull it apart again if you don’t like how it turns out.

I suppose I could have bought a different knot but I have nicer handles I’d rather use and the VDH is pretty much just for my wife’s shaving needs. I prefer smaller brushes with less prickle.

 

[Raissermesser]

So much for this project.

Tonight I was measuring the handle and knot and ring again for the final time. I have a primitive slide caliper with markings in 1/32" increments, and was converting that to millimeters when I gave the brush a final going over. Part of that was to see if it was as scratchy as I remembered. I rubbed it against my face and yes, it was. Put it back together and on the shelf, and was deliberating whether to slightly undersize the knot to allow for the epoxy when my eyes started itching. Within half an hour, it was severe enough that I had to take an antihistamine. By the time I took an early bath, my eyes were burning.

Whether it was washing whatever set me off from my face or the antihistamine kicking in or both, I'm feeling better now. When I last had this brush in rotation, I wondered if I was allergic to badger hair. Keep in mind this brush has been shampooed and washed before I started using it with shaving soap, and each lather and rinse was essentially another wash. I had it stored where it wouldn't get dusty, so that's not likely the cause. I can't say with 100% certainty that I'm allergic to the badger hair itself, but the possibility means it's not a good idea to buy an expensive badger knot only to find I can't use it.

If I was terribly fond of the handle, I'd put a synthetic or boar knot in it and rock on. Since I'm so-so on it, I may just leave it put away.

One thing I found about the brush is that the ring itself is tapered on the inside, with slits cut at the quarter points to allow the ring to spread out. I think it's to handle slight inconsistancies in knot diameters, making sure to hold it securely until the epoxy sets.