Two New Restorations

[Snargle]

I found a couple of nice brushes recently at a local flea market and decided to bring them back into usable condition. Here are the results:

The first was a nice clear and black Ever-Ready 300E. It was a fairly simple knot cleanout by just digging out most of it with a pocket knife and finishing with a Dremel tool with a sanding drum. A good hand buffing with Novus #2 and #1 polishes, and it was ready to go. I filled the extra space in the handle with epoxy putty and inserted a coin in the bottom (a Canadian 25-cent piece) for a little visual surprise. The new knot is a 24mm Maggard Razor synthetic and was glued into place with clear two-part epoxy. The loft is about 55mm. Because of the epoxy putty and coin in the handle, the brush weighs in at a hefty 77 grams. It feels great in my hand and should be a nice addition to the stable.

The second brush is a very clean Rubberset 200-4 in black and ivory. I'm really a fan of these long-handled barber-style brushes. The cleanout on this one was a bit more difficult. Most of the hair was dug out with a hefty pocket knife and then a Dremel tool with a sanding drum. What I didn't know was that there was a metal (brass?) liner inside the head. It took quite a bit of grinding with the Dremel to cut through the metal, but once I had a gap, it pulled out easily. I then was able to enlarge the hole to the size I wanted and needed. This hollow handle was also filled with epoxy putty, and I used a coin to create a shelf for the knot. The knot was set with two-part clear epoxy. This is a 28mm Black and White Maggard synthetic knot. It's set to a 55mm loft. It's also a heavyweight, coming in at 98 grams.

I'm looking forward to trying both of these out this week.

 

[Bglayer]

Very nice indeed enjoy.

 

[GAW9576]

Both brushes look great. I love the coin being visible through the bottom.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHome]

Great work

Love the coin!!

 

[DEPenguin]

Sweet job on both! And again, the coin . . . cool touch.

 

[Snargle]

Sweet job on both! And again, the coin . . . cool touch.

I first saw someone here use a coin in the clear handles. I don't remember who...it's been a long while and I'm old! I've added one to every clear brush handle I've restored. It gives me a chance to use up some of the weird, foreign, mostly worthless coins I've picked up over the years.

 

[Snargle]

I shaved with the Ever-Ready 300E this morning. The 24mm Maggard synthetic knot did a fine job face-lathering from a tin of RazoRock "What the Puck?" Blue Barbershop shaving soap. I'm gonna keep this one!

 

[BigJ]

Lovely! (I especially appreciate the restored EverReady!!)

 

[Ice-Man]

A fantastic job on both love the 200 and the coin adds a touch of class to the Ever-Ready

 

[shavefan]

Outstanding job!

 

[Snargle]

A follow-up and a question. I've used both brushes once and was quite pleased with the performance. However, the black and white 28mm Maggard synthetic knot was losing a LOT of the black dye, so much so that the lather was turning gray. Is this normal? I'll probably try it again this morning and see if the initial lathering was enough to clear out the dye. I'll give it a good soaking first, of course. Has anyone else had problems with dyed bristles losing color?

 

[Snargle]

A follow-up and a question. I've used both brushes once and was quite pleased with the performance. However, the black and white 28mm Maggard synthetic knot was losing a LOT of the black dye, so much so that the lather was turning gray. Is this normal? I'll probably try it again this morning and see if the initial lathering was enough to clear out the dye. I'll give it a good soaking first, of course. Has anyone else had problems with dyed bristles losing color?

UPDATE: Second use of black and white synthetic knot was fine. No dye loss/staining of the lather. I guess I just need to make sure that any new synthetic brush gets a good shampooing and rinsing before first use.