Thread: Can brush hairs be replaced?

Good day all,

Did a search on this but didn't find anything. My wife mentioned that her monther still had her grandfather's shaving brush. Now it is a 26 hour drive a way but I am guessing that after not being used for 40+ years the hairs are probably not going to be any good?

If so can the hairs be replaced? It would be a shame to just keep lettting an heirloom collect dust if it could be put back into service.

Thanks for your time,
Jim

Originally Posted by Drac

Good day all,

Did a search on this but didn't find anything. My wife mentioned that her monther still had her grandfather's shaving brush. Now it is a 26 hour drive a way but I am guessing that after not being used for 40+ years the hairs are probably not going to be any good?

If so can the hairs be replaced? It would be a shame to just keep lettting an heirloom collect dust if it could be put back into service.

Thanks for your time,
Jim

Yes you can find replacements knots. Basically you want to trim the old hair and then remove the whole knot; I've only restored two brushes and one of them I boiled to soften the old glue (which was quite messy!) and the other I drilled out.

Then you find a replacement knot. The diameter of the hole you have in the brush should be what you look for. Get the new knot and set it with epoxy (preferably marine) and wait the appropriate curing time before using.

The more shallow you set the knot, the more the bristles will fan out. If you set it deeper then the bristles will remain more firm.

EDIT: Here was my first restore -- sorry but no before pics:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...back-life.html

And I got my knots from The Golden Nib with great service.

+1 for the advice above. Drill out the old knot and pop in a really nice, new knot from Golden Nib. You will love the restored brush more than any of the new brushes that you can buy today, especially since your brush will be one of a kind AND have a connection to your family and history. I'd practice on a few inexpensive handles first before you tackle one that is a family heirloom, because you will get more skills as you go along and it is easy to break some of the older, more brittle handles while restoring. Enjoy!

First you need to see the brush. Depending on the condition the handle is in it might only be fit for display use. If it can be rehabilitated for use then there are plenty of knots out there you could buy.

Thanks. I'm glad.

From what I've been told, I will get a chance to see it in 3 weeks, the handle is silver.

Jim

A good friend suggested the use of forstner drill bits for drilling out brush knots. I haven't tried it yet, but these bits might be something to consider.

Amazon.com: Forstner Drill Bits

Good day all,

Been on Navy Reserve duty for the last 3 weeks and am now on vacation at my in-laws so just a quick post.

Here is the brush and (bonus) cup. Both seem to be silver -





Now comes the restoration.

Jim

I would like to resurrect this conversation about the various methods to remove hair knots, and specifically the advisability of using the forstner bit. Since the last few threads above some weeks back, I have done quite a bit of experimenting and have a little more personal experience.

I find that I am using a variety of tools and approaches, and in fact am using everything mentioned above. And, then more. I use the forstner bit. I use a regular bit at times. I use diamond-tipped Dremel bits. I use routing-like Dremel bits.

I now believe you have to use a wide range of tools and approaches. Some knots have glue so hard that it is almost like concrete. Some knots come out by pulling on them with a pliers. You need a wide range of tools.

The bits I use are in the picture.

A few comments...

The advantage of the forstner is that it removes a lot of brush quickly and uniformly. The disadvantage of the forstner is that if not careful it can damage the edges of the brush into which the knot is seated. I tend to use a bit slightly smaller than the knot diameter and remove the rest of the knot on the edges with the Dremel router.

At times a regular old drill bit works very well.

After removing most of the hair knot with the forstner and/or regular drill bit, there is often a ring of hair and glue around the edge that is maybe 1/8-1/16 inch thick. The Dremel "router" bit does a very good job removing that ring of hair. Fine toothed bits gum up with heated, melted glue. I like bits with wider tooth gaps.

Finally, at times I use the Dremel diamond-tipped needle bit. When sinking the anchor hole in the center of the knot, the hole that will guide the forstner bit, a regular drill bit can skip around on the surface making it hard to create the hole in the exact center of the knot. This needle bit almost melts into the knot wherever it is placed. Nice! Another scenario... Sometimes hair and glue is so hard that it is difficult for any bit to chew thru it. At times, I have used the needle bit to honeycomb the glue/hair mass to soften it up. Doing this somehow makes drilling with something like the Dremel router more effective.

That's it...

Forstner bit is a term totally unknown to me so i had to check it from Google.
Yes it works well. I've removed hair from a brush with a forstner in a drill press. Using clamps to secure brush in it's place will eliminate the risk of drill bit moving sideways.
I've planned testing regular router next time i'm about to remove a brush knot. With router it is easy to limit drill depth and using clamps or self made jig eliminates brush or router from moving sideways. Will tell you more as soon as i've tested it.

You have better equipment than me, Sailor. I am a little envious.

I also use a vise. But, having learned the hard way, it is very easy to crack some brush handles. Be careful!