Brushes. . .old to new. . . .

[GigOne]

OK. . . .somewhat new.

Caught the brush restoration virus and thought I'd share my first four restorations.



Fuller, black over butterscotch (very similar to a Rubberset 153)


Before. . . .

I removed the mold lines on the upper portion of the handle. A thorough sanding and polish. . .followed by a TGN 20mm Finest (fan).


After. . . . .

Ever-Ready 150, black over ivory.


Before. . . .

The “GUARANTEE” branding wasn’t in very good shape, so elected to sand it off. Hit it with sandpaper, a bit of paint, a visit to the buffer, and dropped a TGN 20mm Finest (bulb) into the hole.


After. . . . .

Ever-Ready 200, black over marbleized green (or lime)


Before. . . .

The upper portion of the handle required a considerable amount of sanding. Added a little paint to tie in the “green” motif, and elected a TGN 20mm Finest (bulb).


After. . . . .

I call this one my “Bulbous-Style Stubby.”


Before. . . .

As depicted in the above pictures, the brush has German origins and the branding was in the form of a sticker. Unfortunately, the first contact with water and the sticker pretty much vaporized. The handle was in great condition when I received it, so only a little sanding was needed. Polishing this particular handle was a breeze. Removing the knot was quite the process. I don’t know what they used to set the knot, but it was like drilling into a diamond. In fact, this is the second German made brush that took extensive work to get the old knot out. I thought long and hard about the knot to crown this handle (pun intended) and selected a TGN 22mm Silvertip Grade A (bulb).


After. . . . .

 

[markksr]

Good stuff, my friend! I really dig the Green Handled Ever-Ready. :thumbup:

 

[unky_gumbi]

Really nice work:thumbup: I am like the last the best, too bad you couldn't have saved the gold ring for it, but I am guessing that it was either damaged or just wouldn't fir the new knot. Have any of them been used in the after pictures?

 

[Gollnick]

Wow. That is nice work!

Where are you getting the brush hairs? And how do you get the old out?

 

[GigOne]

Good stuff, my friend! I really dig the Green Handled Ever-Ready. :thumbup:

The marbleized handles are always a favorite. I have two more marbleized handles in the work.

Really nice work:thumbup: I am like the last the best, too bad you couldn't have saved the gold ring for it, but I am guessing that it was either damaged or just wouldn't fir the new knot. Have any of them been used in the after pictures?

Thanks. The last brush is awesome. Feels great in the hand. I wanted to save the ring, but the knot was a real pain to remove. The material they set the knot with was also the same stuff to glue the ring in. The ring was actually a ring and sleeve.

I used the Fuller yesterday. A soap killer and great on the face. The last picture on all are post-blooms (after a Dawn soaping, hand lather with some RazoRock Classic, and 24 hr dry). The Fuller has bloomed a little more after using it yesterday and I'm guessing it will continue to bloom (hopefully not too much) over the next five to ten uses. I purposely set it at this loft to keep the fan from turning into a mushroom cloud, but yet not so low as to be a scrub brush.

I'll use two more this weekend. I definitely want to lather the German handle brush with the Silvertip knot.

Wow. That is nice work!

Where are you getting the brush hairs? And how do you get the old out?

Thanks.

These four knots came from The Golden Nib (TGN) - company in AZ.

As for removal of the old knot. . . .I use a pair of scissors and cut the old knot down. Then I tape the handle, around the existing knot, and use a box cutter to get the knot as close to the handle as possible. Then it's off to the drill press, when I use a Forstner bit to remove the majority of the old knot. To finish, I use a Dremel with a sanding drum to clean the knot hole up.

Several pics of the process (I'll have to dig into some files for the drill press and Dremel action).

 

[nozyk]

That's brilliant!

I never new they could be restored. Great work and thanks for helping me learn something new today.

Now I have to go and dig up my grandfathers and fathers old brushes and ship them off to you

 

[GigOne]

Dig them out. Always curious to see what people have.

 

[jkarp_53]

Excellent work! I love oldie restores, just picked this Fuller/Silvertip Badger from B&B a couple of weeks ago, 22 X 51 and it delivers the shaving cream much better than the original. If the OP needs another customer please keep me in mind!

Here's a pic of mine as a comparison and addition:

 

[GigOne]

Nice brush! The bloom is is exceptional. Those clear Fuller's are cool.

I have one, but it's ivory. I've already pulled the knot, sanded, and polished it. Not quite sure when I'll finish the restoration, as I have several others I want to restore first.

With a loft of 51mm, is it floppy? What kind of backbone does it have?

 

[daisy cutter]

awsome work!

 

[db]

This is so cool. Great work. What do you use to glue the brush into the handles?

 

[GigOne]

I used Loctite Marine epoxy. It sets up in 40 - 50 minutes and fully cured in 24 hours.

 

[TriviaMonster]

Very cool stuff. I have been wanting a custom brush with a TGN knot for awhile now. I have been wanting to try the Super Silvertip, but may end up going with a 22mm or so Finest. Care to elaborate on the Finest vs. Grade A Silvertip?

Also, Gollnick, The Golden Nib has a ton of brush knots, everything from synthetic to boar to many, many grades of Badger and even some unique stuff like UK Silvertip badger and supposedly some nice Black Badger knots as well. TGN is very well respected, and their knots are known for being very good quality.

 

[GigOne]

The finest has more backbone than the Grade A. The tips of the Finest are very soft, whereas, the tips of the Grade A are super soft. The Grade A is an awesome knot. It’s dense, soft, and with good backbone (more backbone than the other Silvertips offered by TGN). To get the same amount of backbone in the Grade A, that the Finest has, you have to set the knot deeper into the handle. It will not be super short to get the amount of backbone you’re looking for. The Finest has a tad bit of skritch, but I don’t notice it much.

Also keep in mind. . . .the backbone is dependent on the loft you set the knot at. As you decrease the loft, you increase backbone and reduce bloom size.

 

[Jack Black]

Great work and a really interesting thread

 

[jkarp_53]

Thanks for asking. The brush stands up really well but delivers a butter smooth delivery. Of high quality it's only lost a few strands and dries clean and lofty. To gain a little control around the ears and nose, I just give it a pinch mid-section and it tracks like a paintbrush would.

Nice brush! The bloom is is exceptional. Those clear Fuller's are cool.

I have one, but it's ivory. I've already pulled the knot, sanded, and polished it. Not quite sure when I'll finish the restoration, as I have several others I want to restore first.

With a loft of 51mm, is it floppy? What kind of backbone does it have?