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I know that the traditional method of drying a brush invovles hanging upside down (the brush, not oneself, rather :rolleyes:). However, I have seen at least one reference to trusting the science behind capillary action and simply sitting a brush upright on its base to dry. Is there anything wrong with this method? Anyone have experience doing this and found that it is more prone to mold or anything?
Thanks!
I've heard people say that leaving it sitting up can cause the water to collect and rot the know. I've always used a brush stand myself (because I'm a chrome freak mostly) but I know people go both ways on this topic. Some guys say they've never used a stand and have never had a problem.
Stands are cheap enough, so I've always used one on natural bristle brushes. With synthetics, it doesn't matter -- even if you mess it up, it's cheap enough.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason brush handles are flat on the bottom is so that they may be placed bristles up for drying: latherers choice - bristles up or bristles down. Most important I think is to rinse it well and shake out as much water as possible before racking it or setting it on its bottom.
I am betting our forefathers never had one of those nifty razor stands!
some smart business man created a demand for his products and his reasoning was plausible enough in the minds of a few that it caught on and now everyone believes their brush is going to get ruined if they don't hang it upside down!
Mistreatment and poor care by not rinsing thoroughly and shaking out the brush thoroughly, in my opinion, are the causes of ruining a good brush!
We did have this discussion few months ago and in some great detail at the time, but it's probably lost. The scientific answer is:Quote:
Originally Posted by skiblur
- If you shake off the excess water it doesn't matter whether it points up or down.
- The gravity force is negligible compared to the capillary force (when water is shaken off).
- The mechanism of drying is evaporation, not capillary or gravity force.
- The capillary forces are actually keeping the water in the knot for good hydrophilic bristles. You probably don't want to even consider a brush with hydrophobic bristles when the capillary forces will be keeping the water away from the knot.
Bottom line is shake off the excess water and it doesn't matter how you let it dry, if you do not shake off the water, then the stand will help prolong the life of the brush, but it will be dramatically shorter compared to the first case.
just dont let it dry in a bowl did that with an old brush and now it permanently points to the right! couse this helps when lathering your upper lip> :)
Doc,
I find that I am able to stuff my nostrils regardless of the orientation of the bristles.:roflmao If I lather with complete abandon, I can also plug both ears.:tu For some reason, a good sneeze will clear the nostrils but not the ears. Apparently I have some eardrum remaining although my hearing would belie that:shrug:
Once, while in what only could be described as a lather trance, I did manage to get a dollop in one eyebrow.
It might depend on the brush but I've been doing it for a few decades with the bristles up. How long did you want the brush to last?
I usually keep mine in a holder however my son keeps his bristles up and a couple of years now and the brush is just fine.
Man sounds like you get pretty serious when you lather up. I have been trying to avoid plugging the nostrils, but it seems like it is inevitable. A quick exhale through my nose gets the bulk out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce
When you buy a new Simpson, the instructions say that you should stand the brush on it's base to dry. Of course....maybe they just want to sell more brushes:shrug: . Seriously, I've had no problems and I dry my brushes base up and base down. I don't notice any difference.
Cool... thanks everyone :) For now the brush shall stand, flaunting its bristles peacock-fashion.
One year, same brush, bristles up, nary a problem...
Hi;
I use some short shoestrings looped around the brush handle and hung from some small stickon cuphooks I put on the wall. Main reason is to keep them off the counter and out of the way. Don't know that it makes a lot of difference in drying, but they are easy to see and get to, and I can hang four or five in unused space on the wall between the main mirror and towel rack.
Smithee
The first brush I ever bought, was a less expensive Badger. I placed it 'bristles up' every time I finished shaving and it only lasted a little over twenty five years.:nj I now have a Pretty fair Super Badger brush that is around four years old. I dry it the same way and I have seen no changes in it. If I can get another twenty years out of it, that'll be about the limit of my need for a Shaving Brush.:w
BUT, I always rinse my brush thoroughly and shake as much water out of it as I possibly can. After that, it's on it's own.:D
I hang mine upside down. However I have one that was my fathers, it's about 35-40 years old and he always let it dry standing up. Go figure.
I'm glad this was asked, because I was concerned about my badger brush. I don't use a stand mostly because of the limited space on my boat, and because I just couldn't see the need for it. I'm glad to know that there are others that don't use stands and have not seen any problems with their brushes.
I shake mine out real good, then hang it. I'm not sure if it matters, but it makes me feel better.:shrug: I let the boars hair dry bristles up, and it seems fine as well.
If gravity plus violent shaking of a brush can't remove any more water, then gravity alone won't do a darn thing to help get the remaining water out of a knot of hair. Only capillary action + air movement around the brush will remove the remaining moisture. To aid the air movement, I place my brush bristles up so that it can breath freely. Hanging down from a stand that blocks air movement from one or more sides would seem to be less ideal, but in practice, there seems to be no negative effect from using a stand.
Regards
Kaptain "You pays your money and you takes your choice" Zero
Just to be different...
I had three boar brushes go bad by losing all of the hair in the center of the knot when I dried them bristle up. Each lasted from two to four years. After getting stands for my next brushes, they have lasted at least 7 years with no hair loss and one of them is stored in a locker.
I will continue to use my cheap brush stands.
I think the stand isn't so much an aid in drying the brush as a means of preventing water from pooling at the bottom of the bristles.
I think that is exactly correct. Perhaps the badger bristles wick the water away faster but my boar bristles apparently did not draw the water faster enough. The bristles are held in place at the knot in the handle and if that stays wet, eventually the hairs fall out.Quote:
Originally Posted by trewornan