Thread: How would you do it?

let's say it was the 1700s and you had to make your brush from scratch, handle and all and you knew nothing about hair or critters how would you go about doing this?

First, deciding what kind of hair to use and then all the rest.No shortcuts here we want detail from A-Z.

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

Cut the main off of a horse,poke a hole in a pce of wood,you have a shaving brush,simple

Yeah, no glue to hold it in, unless you melted a hoof or something. In absence of string or leather strips, I am thinking braiding some of the hair and tightly wrapping it around the brush hairs tightly many times and tying it off, Cut bottom hairs pretty flush and trim the loft to spec? Maybe tail hair would be better, I don't know?

Make that the very late 1700's being in Australia after being found in 1770 & before the domestic pigs & horses arrived.

We are limited to just how many critters actually have long enough hair for a brush longer than about 1/2" long

I think I would try the following options.
Bristle options:
1 - Wallaby, Wallaroo or Quokka these are all similar depending where you lived from colder regions would be longer softer fur with stiffer hair also for a good mix maybe (very common)
2 - Brush tailed possum tail as it is also longer but softer maybe (fairly common)
3 - Koala as it has 1” or so fur that is soft & stiff might work well (but not very abundant)
4 - Eastern Quarl maybe (it is like a mini angry badger) with a nice thick fluffy winter coat (but not very abundant)
5 - Tasmanian Devils are stiff furred like a boar bristle maybe slightly softer (also limited numbers)
6 - Wombat would make a devil or boar brush look soft (better as a broom or a soft hair brush I think)

Handle options:
we have an abundant option of excellent hard woods & burls to choose from depending on what state we are in
I would probably use a Jarrah burl from my home area near Perth or any gum tree wood or burl (nearly unlimited stock)
all coated with native bees wax to seal the wood

& then a gum or conifer tree or similar resin to hold the bristle in place might work

Could the binder be a pitch or tar?

I would use a tree branch and whittle a handle. Horse hair would probably be pretty easy to get, so I'm going to say that I'll use that. Pretty sure it was used for a lot of thing's at one point and time so I might be familiar with it. Adhesive, hmmm might use Pine tar resin.
In my 1700's life though I would have been very rich and had a 7 day set and silver plated scuttle with a matching brush that someone else made for me .........oh and a full head of hair

well we are a little short of animals here for use around that time. It would have to be bear bristles, no under wool and fish glue to bind it. There was also wide spread use of cedar fiber that was used for everything from rope to fabric so I guess it is potential too.

What about human hair? That would have to been possible.

I uses that would depend on the persons hair. Mine is fine enough that it wouldn't make a very good brush, not even my beard is coarse enough

find something with stiff hair, cut off said hair. Use a wet leather thong to bind it tightly together in a knot. The leather will dry, contracting even further and leaving you with a functional brush