Thread: Taking a stab at brush making

Ok well. im cheap and also enjoy the pleasure from crafting things of my own so ive been looking into making my own brush. in my opinion a 20$ 26mm brush that i make myself beats any 150$ one any day. but ive got a few questions. What kind of glue/epoxy would i use to secure the knot to the handle after ive lathed it? also what would you use to seal the wood so as to not incur water damage? any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know the answer to your glue question, but for the finish I checked my awesome reference book for you (Amazon.com: UNDERSTANDING WOOD FINISHING by BOB FLEXNER: Home Improvement).

The only finish categories that score greater than the author (Bob Flexner)'s rating of "good" for water resistance are varnishes (alkyd, phenolic, polyurethane), water-based finishes and conversion finishes (used by furniture makers, probably too hard to find for you).

If you do any other woodworking at all (which I'm betting if you have a lathe that you do), do yourself a favor and buy that book. It will help you put a great finish on your handle. It took the quality of my work to a whole other level.

I think polyurethane is your best bet, due to the way it cures making it the best for water resistance. But, if you're worried about destroying the earth or you live in a really strict area then a water based finish will do just as well. You aren't going to leave it floating in your sink I suppose.

Really when guys say brushmaking they really don't mean that they mean handle making because they buy a ready made knot and then just glue it in. All the work goes into the handle. If you bought the hair in bulk and hand sorted it and made your own knot then you'd be a brushmaker.

I guess any water proof epoxy will do. Just make sure you size the hole well mated to the knot so everything is snug. You could use gorilla glue. I've used that but you have to be careful and use it sparingly otherwise it grows as it dries and can get all over your knot.

As far as the wood goes I would start with a hardwood that is less affected by moisture. teak, mahogany,beech are some I can think of. In the end water will always eat it sooner or later. If you keep it well sealed and waxed you can minimize the damage and it can last a long time or you can use an oiled finish and just keep oiling it over time.

Show us some pictures when your finished.

As for epoxy, i've used this with success on several re-knots:

Slow Setting Epoxy by Power Poxy - More Epoxies and glues at doitbest.com

Originally Posted by mcjacob71990

Ok well. im cheap and also enjoy the pleasure from crafting things of my own so ive been looking into making my own brush. in my opinion a 20$ 26mm brush that i make myself beats any 150$ one any day. but ive got a few questions. What kind of glue/epoxy would i use to secure the knot to the handle after ive lathed it? also what would you use to seal the wood so as to not incur water damage? any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

Any 2-part epoxy should work just fine. A very small tube will be enough for quite a few brushes. I'd let it set up for a day or at least over night.

I've never understood the term "water proof epoxy." I have never heard of a water soluble epoxy. Anyway have you thought of epoxy as a finish? I have used it, it does work it is waterproof, but remember there is not such thing as a perfect finish.

wow guys thanks for the great ideas. Ive found a guy who can lathe the handle for me (ill choose old men with years of experience over trying my hand any day). but i do have one question. after i get it lathed how do i get the 26mm hole in the top to insert the knot? boring bit?

Any good turner can help with the hole. Usually they incorporate it into the process.

The handle can be placed vertical in a vise and then the brush knot hole can be drilled with a Forstner bit.

Check out this thread by Jockeys....

http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...-many-pix.html

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

but remember there is not such thing as a perfect finish.

Yes, there is but it takes years to master.