I bought these two shaving brushes in a lot from ebay. I really only wanted the black one because the other was damaged beyond repair. Someone had used plaster of Paris (the same stuff doctors use to set broken bones) to fill the handle and set the knot. The black one had the same treatment but was in much better shape.
Anyway, the egg shell coloured one looked like an egg that had been boiled for too long. The handle was cracked in many places and was only held together by plaster of Paris.
Because I am loath to throw anything out, I decided to see if it could be saved. I gently rubbed away the plaster of Paris and removed all the pieces, then glued it all together like a jigsaw puzzle. Right now it is still extremely brittle so I'm planning on using some epoxy putty to fill the handle and give it more strength.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out, if it will work at all.