Thread: Army brush ID?

So, I was given this brush and from what I can gather, it was an army issue from the 30's. Any info on it would be great. I know it's not a looker, but it has some history.

I'm no expert but it looks like horse hair? Ever-ready brushes seem to be readily available on ebay and the light. you could easily restore it and put a new knot in it. I doubt you could use it as-is.

Originally Posted by U2Bono269

I'm no expert but it looks like horse hair? Ever-ready brushes seem to be readily available on ebay and the light. you could easily restore it and put a new knot in it. I doubt you could use it as-is.

I'm no expert either, but that's what I was thinking. I haven't been able to confirm that though. I've only held/felt badger and boar, and it feels as stiff as bore. I've had horses, and it doesn't seem it should be that stiff. OTH, the color kinda looks more like horse.

I was going by color, mostly. If I were you, I'd drill out the old hair and put a new knot in it...preferably horsehair because my personal preference is to stay as true to the original as possible, but horsehair knots seem to be almost impossible to find. Looks like a nice little project.

IDK, the bristles can be bent double without snapping and it looks and feels pretty full still. I may just give it a try to see what happens.

This came with it:

cool finds! thanks for sharing the pics. that brush looks like some horse hair to me as well

yea, Ever ready was probably the largest maker of basic brushes back in the day. They are all over the place. My dad had a nylon one many years ago. I'm not sure what that hair is. I doubt it's horse because they stopped using it in the early 20th century because of the anthrax scares and boar replaced it. It's only been recently they have gone back to horse again. I doubt a mass producer like Ever ready would have gone back to horse pre WWll.

Of course this is just a guess.

My old Navy coffee cup is very similiar to that, but straight walled - weighs a pound. It might make a good shaving mug, but I'm too fond of it for coffee.

Very cool, but what makes it an army issue brush?