Thread: Antique HESS brush brought back to life.

Went to a nearby antique mall a few weekends ago looking for some old razors. Found a gorgeous Torrey that I'm working on currently and also spotted some old brushes for a few bucks. One of them was a Hess Barber's Favorite 2 and it caught my eye. The handle was a bit longer than my current brush so I figured it would help keep my knuckles out of the lather. I recognized the Hess name both from the toy trucks and some well-respected razors on here, although I have no idea if this brush is affiliated with either. The handle is bakelite with a vulcanized rubber housing for the knot.

Took it home and looked up the SRP articles about replacing brush knots. The old knot was already loose and the bristles came out in chunks with some pliers. Then I made the mistake of boiling the brush to try and loosen up the old glue. I dipped it in our cheap electric boiler and as soon as the glue was softened it went all over the place. Dripped out of the handle and onto the rubber and also along the side of my boiler. Fortunately i was able to sand off all the glue and the rubber actually looks better now, but the lettering could be restored (project for another day).

Ordered a 22mm silver tip knot from The Golden Nib and used some marine epoxy to set it into the handle. Once the epoxy set I conditioned and rinsed the brush a few times to open it up. Wow, am I thrilled with it! Not sure if it'll become a disorder but it's darn rewarding to make your own. I think the total cost was about $35, and that's including the purchase of the epoxy.

Here are some pics:

Nice work. Ive come to prefer the longer handled brushes myself. I think you'll like it.

Thanks,

Mac

Very very nice. Congrats on a job well done!

Very nice!

Beautiful brush. Do you know what the handle materials are? The lower part looks like it might be boxwood, but it's really hard to tell. What's the overall handle length?

Great job.I've done a few of these.It's a great way to get an inexpensive badger brush and still keep the vintage style alive.

I love that brush. Great work.

I really want to restore a brush one of these days. You've inspired me to give it another look.

Nice job!!!

It looks very professional

wow Tony, that's a really nice brush. Hold on to it I would say!

Good catch my friend.

Originally Posted by Klopstick

Beautiful brush. Do you know what the handle materials are? The lower part looks like it might be boxwood, but it's really hard to tell. What's the overall handle length?

The antique store I purchased it from had it marked as bakelite. I have nothing to compare it to so I cannot say if this is true or not. The white part is vulcanized rubber. I know this one because it's stamped on the side opposite the logo.

I'll have to measure the handle length when I get home and report back.

Edit for multiple reponses:

bpave777: I had no original intent to do a brush. I was in an antique mall looking for razors and the handle caught my eye. SRP articles made it sound pretty easy to glue in a knot, so I paid a few bucks and gave it a shot. Definitely worth it and just as easy as the how-to articles make it sound.

Max: Thanks, and I use it exclusively out of my two brushes now. I'm gonna try to take a SOTD shot w/ my Morley along with this brush. Can't wait for that!