Thread: Boar Hair Brush Repair - Help!

I recently acquired a vintage Boar hair brush that seemed to be in decent shape. Upon getting it home I cleaned it up in the sink with shampoo and conditioner. As I did so I noticed some of the hair coming out - and soon it turned into a significant amount of hair coming out. So, I quit, let it sit and dry.

So, now I'm wondering how can I fix this? Here is what I came up with:

I thought I'd mix up some epoxy resin and inject it or some other bonding agent into the knot with a syringe. Has anyone tried this or does anyone have an alternative idea to preserve a brush which is losing hair?

More information: The only writing on the brush is Soie Pure Bristle West Germany. No other name or insignia. It may have worn off. The base is a black plastic octagon with a brass ring at the base of the bristles. It almost looks like an Omega or Plisson?

As I'm typing I realize that the bristles and knot actually turn in the base. I don't think this is normal and may be part of the problem.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Well the knot needs to exopied back in if you drilled the hole deeper you could use more epoxie thus covering the top of knot. that might stop it shedding more hair but you will end up with shorter loft.

Or you could order new one from golden nib.

Originally Posted by pedro083

Well the knot needs to exopied back in if you drilled the hole deeper you could use more epoxie thus covering the top of knot. that might stop it shedding more hair but you will end up with shorter loft.

Or you could order new one from golden nib.

Ya, might be worth ordering a new one since they are cheap enough.

I agree. If the hair is vacating it's not worth the effort to try repairing a specific knot. You can buy a new Boar knot for a few bucks and replace the whole thing.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I agree. If the hair is vacating it's not worth the effort to try repairing a specific knot. You can buy a new Boar knot for a few bucks and replace the whole thing.

Ya will do. In fact I think I'll switch it over to Badger while I'm at it. Thanks guys.

REPLACE THE KNOT!! It is easy to do, and if you don't want to bother with it, you can send it to Rudy Vey, who will do an excellent job for you for very little money. You just cannot "repair" a knot that is losing hair without making the situation much, much worse and probably killing the brush handle while you're at it. Good luck!

You can repair a brush that is shedding, I have done it on several shaving brushes, and have used the process numerous times on varnish brushes for the shop.

1) hang the brush in shellac, so that the handle is right above the liquid

2) let the shellac wick up into the knot for a few days or more

3)let brush dry for a week with the shellac still in it

4)clean the brush in alcohol (the alcohol will re melt the shellac), you can get the shellac off of the bristles but you will not be able to clean all of the shellac out that has soaked into the knot. Then clean in soap and water (a little borax or TSP helps with the soap and water)

There well still be a little shellac in the bristles it takes a little use until it all falls off, but after that you will have a shed free brush.

Buying a new knot is a lot easier, but if you are a nut like me this method works fine.

Originally Posted by spazola

You can repair a brush that is shedding, I have done it on several shaving brushes, and have used the process numerous times on varnish brushes for the shop.

1) hang the brush in shellac, so that the handle is right above the liquid

2) let the shellac wick up into the knot for a few days or more

3)let brush dry for a week with the shellac still in it

4)clean the brush in alcohol (the alcohol will re melt the shellac), you can get the shellac off of the bristles but you will not be able to clean all of the shellac out that has soaked into the knot. Then clean in soap and water (a little borax or TSP helps with the soap and water)

There well still be a little shellac in the bristles it takes a little use until it all falls off, but after that you will have a shed free brush.

Buying a new knot is a lot easier, but if you are a nut like me this method works fine.

Why shellac? Why not epoxy? Isn't shellac what they used years ago and that's why most of the older brushes loose all their hair. Over time shellac cracks and deteriorates.

I stand corrected! I never heard of using shellac in this way, and I didn't even know that people have been using shellac as an adhesive for shaving brushes. Very interesting.

Anyway, I would imagine that the technique does not work with epoxy because epoxy does not "melt" off of the hairs with alcohol.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Why shellac? Why not epoxy? Isn't shellac what they used years ago and that's why most of the older brushes loose all their hair. Over time shellac cracks and deteriorates.

Why shellac, in this case because it works. I have done this process on several shaving brushes and numerous varnish brushes. Shellac has a low enough viscosity to wick up into the knot. It is also soluble in alcohol so that you can clean it off of the bristles. Most epoxies are too thick to wick up into the knot and they are a thermosetting resin that can not be remelted. Shellac was used to glue bristles in a lot of early brushes. That is all the more reason to use it, new shellac will melt and adhere to the old shellac. Shellac is a pretty stable resin.



Charlie