Thread: Don't like my knot

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Agreed but if it's from a Chinese seller I wouldn't hold my breath.

On the other hand, with mystery material, maybe it's even more important than ever to hold your breath.

I agree that normally I should try to get some money back but I have had this brush for a few months and I'm probably out of time with Amazon to do much about it.

I am going to do as Cangooner sugested and burn a bristle to see if it melts in a few minutes and report back to you.

In the meantime, I got the knot out!

I read the suggestions here for removing the knot but I have recently moved and my workshop is still a storage space for boxes so can't use a vice yet and I don't know what a forstner is, does it fit a handheld screwdiver/drill?

Anyway,I put it in a saucepan for 15 minutes and let it steam. I stood it in a dish so it wouldn't sit on the bottom of the saucepan. It took two 15 minute sessions and then I grabbed it by the hair and twisted, all of a sudden I had the base in one hand and the knot in the other. Easy peazy puddin and pie.

So now I have a nice clean hole in the base, I need to decide what size knot I need and what sort I want.

I am thinking of either boar or if I can get a good one, maybe synthetic.

Here is my base, I'm thinking maybe a 24mm or even 22mm, I would welcome any suggestions.

I burned s few hairs of the knot i removed with a lighter.

They immediatel caught fire and I blew them out straight away.

So, did I remove a badger I don't like or did I buy a badger and get synthetic?

Definitely synthetic. You mentioned that when you used it the knot went back to its original state, this is characteristic of synthetic, badger bristles will splay after first use.

Maseto Shaving (ebay) do excellent badger knots for the price, they'll loose the occasional bristle but are soft with good backbone.

Yeah, that looks awfully plastic-y to me. Natural hair tends to burn right away rather than melt back on itself as it appears yours did. If it was natural, there should have been the unmistakable aroma of burning hair.

Wow, I bought this brush from Amazon.ca back in March.

Amazon said that they couldn't refund me because I bought it too long ago so they gave me a credit for the price I paid and escalated the possible false listing. They will keep me posted.

I do hope it is synthetic, so I don't look really stupid!

A Forstner bit looks like this. I use them in my hand drill and like them especially since they leave a flat bottom and don't catch easily (at least the kind i have doesn't). You'll appreciate that since you will likely be holding the brush handle in your hand. A spade bit might work as well but i've never tried it.

The spade bit catches a lot! Not something to use holding with your hand. Forstner is the way to go.

PLUS, spade bits leave a cone shaped hole in the middle where the pilot point is. It's much more likely to spit the work piece or catch and fling either the work or the drill. I don't recommend a spade bit.
My son, bless his heart, when he was a lad was trying to install a lock and using a 1-in spade bit in the edge of the door and split the thing in half. The poor guy was just about in tears when I got there. Ever since then he won't touch a spade bit.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Definitely synthetic. You mentioned that when you used it the knot went back to its original state, this is characteristic of synthetic, badger bristles will splay after first use.

Maseto Shaving (ebay) do excellent badger knots for the price, they'll loose the occasional bristle but are soft with good backbone.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I ordered 3 of these last nght:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/MASETO-19-20...wAAOSwaTtd4Ox4