Thread: Wood Handles On Brushes And Water

I've always liked the beauty of brushes with wood handles. I've never gotten one because of concerns about the durability of the handles due to their repeated and prolonged exposure to water when one shaves. The brush handles get much wetter than a razor's scales. I'd like to know the experience of members who have used wood handled brushes for long periods of time.

I have a number of wooden handled brushes and have not had a problem. Most are sealed with some type of finish. Also, my brush handles don't usually get very wet at all. When they do, it is not for prolonged periods of time.

I've been thinking of this exact same issue lately. I am still a newb, so only have a Tweezerman brush (has a wooden handle) that I've gotten some slight water damage on. So I'm interested to see what others say about this. Thanks for posting this LegalRazor.

Most of the non-plastic brush handles from the factorys out there are/were wood handles...

Wood handles are probably the most common of any material, the "Finish" is what counts...

I have a couple of wooden handled Semogues and can't say I've noticed any issues so far. Soaking the brush before use should only involve the hair, and what little water water/lather does get on the handle is stopped by the varnish.

Originally Posted by Optometrist

Soaking the brush before use should only involve the hair, .

Really ???? good to know I have been doing it all wrong for the last 30+ years
I toss the whole brush in the sink before a shower in the hottest water my Water Heater can produce,, Haven't had a problem yet, with any brush including my Semogue

Sorry but in my opinion the Brush and the Razor Scales better hold up to real dunking, I think "Wet Shaving" means exactly that, everything gets wet

I've had a few customs with wood handles and they all started to darken and deteriorate after a few years. I personally stay away from wood where water is concerned, they don't go good together. yea I know the old sailing ships were wood however they were covered in pitch and tar and the old battleships had crews responsible for keeping the wood decks in tip top shape.

Yea, I've seen a lot of guys do it as you do Glen. When I first started shaving, I didn't worry about getting the whole brush, handle and all, wet. But then I started noticing some water damage to the handle. I've started being more careful about water on the handle in the past couple months. Granted, it is a twelve dollar Tweezerman. I assume it doesn't matter as much with non-wood handled brushes.

I used african black wood to make some of my brush handles. Very nice, dark and heavy.... So far so good in water.... Very dense piece of wood. I think I'll let a scrap piece soak in water just for fun and see what it does...

Originally Posted by JoeBeef

I used african black wood to make some of my brush handles. Very nice, dark and heavy.... So far so good in water.... Very dense piece of wood. I think I'll let a scrap piece soak in water just for fun and see what it does...

Thats the ticket,Hard,Dense wood that,IMO should be left unsealed,Finely polished and waxed with a wax such as Renwax that allows the wood to expand and contract,Have never had an ebony or lignum brush handle crack.