Thread: How would you do it?

Originally Posted by Sandycrack

I would use hair from the tail of a whitetail deer. It was used for many applications by Native Americans and settlers alike. I would wrap it all tightly in sinew, which sticks well when wet. I would coat that in pitched pine for water proofing. The handle part could literally be almost anything, but I'm thinking a thick piece of bamboo or cane would be easy - no drilling. Or, if available, I might also try a piece of sumac (not the poison variety) because it is pithy in the middle and easy hollowed. Of course there is bone, but that stinks.

Great idea!! If it doesn't work it can be used for big game fishing(;-)... And...
Save the Gillette! They make excellent sinkers.

Originally Posted by WW243

Hey what good is a shaving brush without shaving soap?

Hold the phone: A rudimentary form of shaving cream was documented in Sumer around 3000 BC. This substance combined wood alkali and animal fat and was applied to a beard as a shaving preparation. Wikipedia again

I bet that 3000 BC soap still smelled better then Mitchell's Wool Fat

I managed to get a copy of the label from the Sumerian Shave Soap and it says preferred 3 to 1 over Mitchell's Wool Fat

Originally Posted by Tarkus

I bet that 3000 BC soap still smelled better then Mitchell's Wool Fat

Well I would start with an animal that I would have access to in my area back then. Neing that I'm in canada I wanna say deer or moose but preferably deer since it would be softer. Then i would tie those hairs with sinew and with a thread (if thread was available) and melt done some pine resin (again pine trees are very accessible in my area) to get it down to the black gooey pitch I would then dip the tied end of hair into that to seal it up rather nice. Then i would cut out a centre portion of a stags antler and poke out the morrow which would give me a tapered whole. This way i can push the not into the the larger end and pull it throughout until it secures itself in very nicely ( the pitch would also help keep it there). Then I would carve a small piece of wood that could fit nicely into the large ends of the taper up agains the knot and be flush with the bottom of the antler. Then coat the piece in pitch and secure it into the bottom. then you could always seal the bottom with a mix of pine tar in turpentine to seal it off

I'd shoot me a badger and have the squaw make a knot while I carve a hole in some Hickory. After it's set with pitch I'd polish it up with bee's wax. Now why did I think badger. The little bugger was getting to my traps before me and he had to go. 2 weeks later I lost the dang brush while checking the trap line. Went back to using my hands.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

There is a reason for this strange thread and I will explain it in about a week or so.

Bump! Almost been a month...............

I thought about this the other day, it has been a while. He's probably making us all brushes out of the materials we suggested.....hehe lol

Hes busy making a shave brush out of Andy Rooney's eyebrow

Im with a lot of guys. Take a hand full of horse tail. Wrap it in the middle with bale wire and pull it down through a piece of wood or a bone, trim off the top as you like and Voila

I decline any brush made from the back end of uncle Festus's goat :<0)