Thread: Rooney heritage mystery

After recently purchasing a Rooney heritage (a long-handled "Victorian"), and finding it to be the most amazing badger brush I've ever experienced, I got bitten by the badger obsession bug. I promptly bought two other heritage models -- the "Emillion" and the "Urn" -- but was surprised to find the quality of the heritage hair dramatically different in each one. All of which has made me confused -- and intensely curious about whether anyone else has had a similar experience, or can at least offer some satisfying explanations. Here is what I observed.

In terms of face-feel, the Victorian is in a league of its own: very stiff, but with the most butter-soft tips of any brush I have ever used. (Please note, this assessment comes from comparing the brush to some very good ones of my own, and the best of those belonging to Michael Ham (a.k.a. 'Leisureguy'), whose collection numbers some 60 or 70 different brushes.) From what I can tell, the ultra-softness in this brush comes primarily from this brush's unusual, curly tips (some call them "hooked"). My guess is that one reason they curl is that, at the very tips, they are so tiny and fine.

But there also seems to be some other quality in these hairs that gives the brush two unique characteristics as it dries. First, just before it's fully dry, the very tips of the brush have a very noticeable sticky feeling -- so much so, in fact, that the first time I noticed it I feared I had not properly washed the soap out of the brush. Yet after I washed it again with even greater care, that same sensation returned as it was drying, almost as though the brush had been dipped in glue. Once the brush is fully dry, that stickiness does go away but the entire brush becomes quite crusty -- again, as if soap, or something even worse, had been left in it. Of course, as soon as you rub your fingers or hand over the brush a few times, the crustiness disappears and it returns to feeling like a normal brush. Curiously, there is no sign of the ultra-softness that occurs once the brush is again wet and in use; instead, when dry it feels, deceptively, like any other scritchy 2-band.

The Urn, by comparison, possessed some of these qualities, while the Emilion possessed none of them. In fact, when all three brushes are fully wet and freshly shaken out, you would never think, just by looking at them, that they are all from the same grade of 2-band badger hair. (If I could figure out how to include an iPhone photo in this post, I could show you a visual of these differences. Advice about that is welcome.) For now, verbal description will have to suffice:

On both the Victorian and the Urn, the hairs gather into noticeable clumps; not so, on the Emilion. Furthermore, with the Victorian, the clumps form very white balls at the tips. My guess is that this has something to do with its strange, sticky quality when damp. Not surprisingly, the Urn performs nicely -- not quite like the Victorian -- but certainly superior to most other two-band silver tips (good backbone, very soft tips). The performance of the Emilion, however, is only slightly better than average.

I know badger hair is very varied -- depending on the animal, the elevation of its habitat, the season, etc. But I've always thought that this variety is what creates the different grades -- and thus, when a line as sold as being, say, "best" or "super" or "heritage," that was a sign that each variation was properly identified, ranked, and consolidated within that line.

Mystified be the great varieties here, I spent a week examining these brushes even more closely. At first, I was concerned that the maker of the Emilion might be clipping the very tips of brush to achieve a uniform dome. But that would seem unlikely from a firm with Rooney's reputation. To check, I examined the tips of each brush with a magnifying glass. Not surprisingly, I found the tips of the Emlion to be generally courser (and, thus, with no curl); the tips of the Urn to be slightly finer (and with a slight curl); and the tips of the Victorian to be the finest and curliest of all. My guess, or hope, is that this reflects variety in the hair rather than clipping.

But what would explain the differences in how they dry? Might these be different grades of silver tip after all? Or maybe, when brushes get to the peak of quality, perhaps what makes for the excellence is actually quite rare, and often gone by the next shipment. (In fairness, I should note that the Emillion came from a more recent shipment than the other two brushes.)

I have sent inquiries in Rooney's direction but have received no response as yet. In the meantime, do you have any thoughts? Similar experiences with Rooneys or other top-quality badgers? Anyone know what accounts for those curly tips? Or how rare they are?

You could always contact Jim at vintagebladesllc.com . Jim is a vendor for Rooney and can probably explain the difference. Most likey it has to do with the different batches of badger hair or even the grades.

The white balls are concretions of Anthrax Spores but don't worry they get mashed into your skin and disappear.

Just kidding of course.

I would imagine the source for the hair they are using is what is giving the hair those characteristics. Rooney by the way is notorious for not answering customers inquiries. Ask your retailer he will probably be able to better answer your questions.

Thanks for the ideas, gents. Actually, I have been talking to Jim Ayars, who sold me these brushes. He has been very kind, but is as mystified and curious as I am. That's why I'm polling the forums.

By the way, I want to apologize for the excessive length of my original post. I am working up a review of these brushes for Sharpologist, so I may have offered more detail than was needed. Thanks for your forbearance.

Originally Posted by Oppie

Anyone know what accounts for those curly tips? Or how rare they are?

According to this post, (albeit from Thater), using water hotter than 40 degrees celsius/104 degrees fahrenheit will make the tips curl. Perhaps this could be the explanation?

That victorian brush sure is a lovely looking one.

Originally Posted by str8fencer

According to this post, (albeit from Thater), using water hotter than 40 degrees celsius/104 degrees fahrenheit will make the tips curl. Perhaps this could be the explanation?

That victorian brush sure is a lovely looking one.

Not the case here: the brush was curly from the start. But keep those opinions coming...

My brush collection includes top end brushes from all the major brands. When dry some feel a little scritchy while others feel very soft. Yet when wet, these differences disappear. As an example, my High Mountain White Plisson feels scritchy when dry yet is as soft as any when wet. I have no explanation for these varying characteristics.