Thread: Egg shell brush handle

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.

That is some serious dedication to the save. Hope you are successful.

Originally Posted by ndw76

Because I am loath to throw anything out, I decided to see if it could be saved.

You & the previous owner! It'll certainly have character when you're done with it, Nathan. Looking forward to seeing it with plumage!

I have never been one to approve of waste. As has been stated - these are not flaws - these are marks of character (both on the part of the owner & the objects themselves).

More power to you for giving these objects new life.

Wow. That brush has had a lot of love.

Here are some photos of the progress so far. I have used epoxy putty to fill most of the inside of the handle and to fill any gaps where pieces had been lost.

I personally like the look of the cracks, but I don't like the look of the epoxy putty showing through.

When I can afford it, I'm going to put a new knot in this handle and try it out.

Here is the finished brush. It polished up nicely, except for the missing pieces. The knot is a silver tip badger hair from TGN.
This brush will soon be appearing in the classifieds if anyone is interested.

slightly off topic of your thread but when putting in the new hair is it just glued in or is some other technique used?

The new knot comes set in it's own plug of resin. This plug is glued into the handle using epoxy glue. This glue is resistant to heat and water and soap. It's great stuff.

Wow. That brush has had a lot of love.