Thread: Lathe-less Handle

I have quite a few ideas for making a brush handle with no lathe as I do not have one. As I get a chance to test these ideas i will put them up.

For those of you that started with a VanDerHagen set up when you were starting you will recognize the picture below. I figure many people probably purchased this set up to start but would eventually upgrade to a better brush if they stuck with SR shaving.

Well The Golden Nib sells brush knots for a good price and I hear they are good quality. If you don't have a lathe and would like to upgrade your brush on the cheap. One option would be to buy a nib and use the handle from your VDH brush.

There are a few reasons I think this is a good idea and wanted to suggest it...

1. Very cheap upgrade if you are willing to do a little work.

2. The VDH handles is soft enough that it should be easy to mod the handle for your style.

3. The one pictured has a 23mm hole but you could easily bore out the hole for any size/depth you wish.

4. Good trial run if you plan on restoring/making brushes in the future.

5. If you ruin it you can spend $7 to replace it with a new VDH brush and bowl.

The one below I sanded out the plastic seam running up the sides and bored out the bristles. I then polished up the handle to make it look a little nicer (the picture with the bristles is the before, I have not added the nib yet).

May not be the fanciest handle but I bet it will work nice with a quality nib in there. (I may do some sculpting and make it more "me" though)...

This handle is made with ebony and wenge without a lathe, this is just a test so it's completely unfinished. I have figured out some mistakes (first mistake would be not doing my first test with cheaper wood). So after I dial in this method I'll be putting up a full walk through on how I did it. I just need more time to work out the kinks (hopefully someone will find it useful)...

Looks great so far. I'm eager to see the how to when it's ready.

That's beautiful. I'd love to hear how you're doing this without a lathe

Thanks for the inspiration! I think I'll give it a try!

OK, after some learning a thing or two the first time around, I started over and corrected some errors, refined my process, changed the design of my lathe-less brush handle (image attached).

I have created a wiki of how I did it here...
Holesaw Brush Handle - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Please read the entire article if you are planning on attempting this method, there are some safety tips in there you should know before you start. If you can think of other precautions/warning I may not have run into while doing this, please include them as well.

If this article is deemed unsafe to repeat I expect our shop experts will take down the article (you don't need to explain why, I will not repost if the article is removed).

As always, anyone willing to correct my layout, spelling, or grammar in the article. Please do, I am terrible at creating wiki articles.

Doing this also made me realize, I can't seem to find a section of the wiki for restoring or creating brush handles or brush stands (only razors and scales). Dunno if I just missed it or it should be added, just thought I'd bring it up.

Below is a picture of the handle sanded and ready to be finished. I will post pictures after the wood is sealed and the nib is attached...

I think I will be polishing up more metal plugs (Like the one in this handle) and adding it to the back of every brush I buy/make. Then I can make one long magnetic brush stand to hold em all.

**EDIT**
sry about the double post, I had more to add.

Finally got a chance to finish up the hole saw brush handle. I had to make a basic stand as I don't have funds for a matching wood stand right now.

For now a bent rod with attached magnet will do...

Good wiki and a purdy handle! Love the minimalist stand, too.

Nice idea... and for anyone wanting to try making their own brush, the knots from thegoldennib.com are really good IMHO. Also, Tony is a great guy (just as a note of clarification, you'll be looking for "knots," Tony also sells fountain pen points or "nibs" on his site too).

Another thing to consider is just carving your own handle after drilling a knot hole. It's really fun and you can do some cool stuff.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...lathe_tutorial

Good work on your brush!
Dave