VERY old Catalin Butterscotch - help

[fidjit]

Here's what arrived today.

Have a look at the cracks on this one. I'm guessing it's pretty old. I'm about to shoot Kent an email as I think the shield sticker denotes a Kent normally.......

This'll be an interesting cleanup !!!

Any hints or tips from anyone ????

( the knot is being knifed/corkscrewed/pliered out as we speak )

 

[Legion]

Hmmm...

Im betting the cracks are on the surface only and are directly related to the same oxidization that cause the butterscotchiness and can be sanded away.

Thats the good news.

The bad news is you will have to sand it back to the white part and it will not be a butterscotch any more.

 

[fidjit]

Hmmm...

Im betting the cracks are on the surface only and are directly related to the same oxidization that cause the butterscotchiness and can be sanded away.
Thats the good news.
The bad news is you will have to sand it back to the white part and it will not be a butterscotch any more.

Yeah, it doesn't look as bad in reality. Macro photos of brushes and razors, coupled with harsh fluoro lighting always seem to magnifiy "defects" and make them look worse than they really are.

It looks like if I do cut back the "brown" it'll still be a light yellow underneath, but the "brown" pantina just adds a nice extra vintage feel to it....

I'm gonna hit it up with some Silvo polish and see how it goes.......

Will it end up pure butterscotch or stay as chocolate covered butterscotch ???

As an aside, for those who complain they don't have a forstner, dremel, drill, here's the de-knotted handle.

All done with the tools you can see here....

Yeah it'd be easier and faster with proper power tools but where's the fun and sense of achivement in that ?!?

It's about a 21mm diameter hole and depth is about 16mm.

I've got a spare 20mm Silvertip A grade which should fit so loft is going to be 51mm.........

Bit higher than normal ( 43-45mm ) , but I really don't wanna have to drill this out.....

Has anyone tried sanding down the knot holder on the Chinese TGN knots ????

Will that majorly effect the integrity of the knot ?????


Debating another knot but ..........

More piccies to follow.....

 

[Little Joe from Mexico]

Really looking forward to how this one is going to turn out.

 

[Schwert]

Interesting old one for sure. A bit of polish may reveal some nice crackle character that would be nice to maintain.

I have not sanded down the knot plug. It seems you should be able to carefully remove a few mm before getting into too much trouble with hair integrity...but that is just a guess. It may not be worth the trouble or risk though as you cannot get this down much below 48mm probably.

Good luck...I already know you will have fun.

 

[Luc]

I have no experience in this, I might try one day but what I would do is sand it a bit to get a soft surface and I would then add some kind of sealant or varnish to close those cracks. The crack look will remain which is kinda cool IMO.

p.s. I'm sure your non-emo 16yo using emo hair gel will agree!

 

[johnmrson]

Can you get some clear epoxy filler that you could fill the cracks in without having to sand too much back?

 

[ibrewbeer]

Can you get some clear epoxy filler that you could fill the cracks in without having to sand too much back?

Yeah, maybe after sanding you could try a thin coat of something just to fill the cracks instead of sanding too thin

 

[antoine1]

Sorry Fidjit, it maybe butterscotch but that is beyond restoration for me, not worth a knot.

 

[fidjit]

So polished with three different "grades" of polish.

As I say the harsh lights make it look worse than it is. The "crackling" really isn't as pronounced as it appears ... ( I really must set up a proper light box one day )

Here's probably the best representation:

In comparison to my 1949 Kent KS7

I'll wait till the knots here and seated and then see how she looks

 

[Permit]

So polished with three different "grades" of polish.

As I say the harsh lights make it look worse than it is.... ( I really must set up a proper light box one day )

Here's probably the best representation:

In comparison to my 1949 Kent KS7

I'll wait till the knots here and seated and then decide if I want to take the chocolate coating off ( but I don't think I will be )

Very NICE! I love the almost leathery look and the distinct vintage feel. I would definitely leave it like that. If you want a newer looking butterscotch, just buy one, that one should really stay like that.

 

[fidjit]

Very NICE! I love the almost leathery look and the distinct vintage feel. I would definitely leave it like that. If you want a newer looking butterscotch, just buy one, that one should really stay like that.

It's so hard to photograph...it's not really leathery and not really that shiney. It's just like a cracked varnishy type thingy. The photo's just over enhance it.........

But I like it, and I ain't buying any more brushes after this one ( again )

 

[honed]

You did a great job!
A brush to be proud of.

 

[antoine1]

Sorry Fidjit, it maybe butterscotch but that is beyond restoration for me, not worth a knot.

I take it back...nice job.

 

[Schwert]

Really a nice look now....perfect really.

 

[Prince]

Nice - I just picked up an old brush off of ebay and need to add a new knot. I was able to pull the old one out by hand.

 

[kingfisher]

I think the appearance of the handle is closer to "crazing" than to "cracking." In my opinion it actually offers a nice, almost artistic look to the handle.

Truly a great-looking handle. Congratulations.

 

[Legion]

That actually looks quite nice.

And I think the word you are looking for is "reticulated".

 

[fidjit]

Thanks guys, I'm really happy with it.

Just gotta work out my strategy for reknotting.

I know I want to try a Silvertip Grade A, but need to work out if I go 20 with high lift or 18 with lower.........

 

[Schwert]

I have an 18 Grade A set at 42 and it could easily have been set at 45-48 and given great performance. I really like the low 42mm but it has not bloomed much at all. What would the 18 Grade A end up at (too lazy to go find your table of knots--which ought to be a sticky)?