Thread: Need advice on repairing a Semogue 1305

Ok, had some down time yesterday due to the "ice storm" and did some work on the brush. I first tried soaking the handle in hot water for a while and was surprised that the marine epoxy I had used earlier got soft. After about an hour in and out of hot water I took a drill and bit and drilled out most of the old original glue and grounded down the bottom of the knot. Lost a few bristles in the process. Here are some pics.


Here is what it looked like before the grinding and drilling.





Bottom of the knot after grinding. You can start to see the bottom of the bristles.





Here is the handle after drilling. I had to go down 7/8" before hitting the wooden base. All the material I removed up to that point was all original glue. Made a bit of a mess with the metal ferrule though. Most of it was on the inside.







Here is the knot sitting on the handle after all the grinding and drilling. It won't go any deeper because the metal ferrule tappers in and matches the tapper on the knot. I guess the next step is to figure out how to fill up the void in the handle and what to fill it with.

Maybe wine cork? stack of pennies? washers? whole lotta Expoy...

That ferrule going down as far as it does is a sign of good craftsmanship y'know. It shows that the the brush is crack resistant .For the money these brushes cost you rarely find that in a good badger and I have had brushes crack on me from not being dried well enough. Good to know.

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

Maybe wine cork? stack of pennies? washers? whole lotta Expoy...

Hi Chris,

Thanks. I meant to measure the openings but forgot but the opening is too small for pennies and a cork would have to be trimmed down but that gave me an idea. A large diameter dowel and epoxy might work. Washers might work too. I actually might have some that size in the garage. Thanks for the ideas.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

That ferrule going down as far as it does is a sign of good craftsmanship y'know. It shows that the the brush is crack resistant .For the money these brushes cost you rarely find that in a good badger and I have had brushes crack on me from not being dried well enough. Good to know.

That's good to now. This is the first brush I've played with and didn't quite know what to expect.

Ok, had some time this weekend so I whittled down a small piece of wood I had to fit in the handle and got it glued up. I used the marine epoxy again and put a bunch of it into the bottom of the handle, pushed the plug in and some of the epoxy oussed up around the side. Added some epoxy to the to top of the plug and to the bottom of the knot and stick them together. I'll let it cure for a few days before I try using it again.

Ok, so it lasted 4 weeks this time. Absolutely no hot water this time. It looks like the failure is with the glue they used. Even with the bottom of the knot roughed up, it looks like the epoxy separates right at the knot. Time to find a better brush.

Are you talking about the brush you reglued or did you get another one ?

Originally Posted by Nightblade

Are you talking about the brush you reglued or did you get another one ?

Hi Nightblade,

It's the same brush. I thought I had it fixed but when I went to squish the water out of it the knot came off in my hand.

Well look....I'm sure you know how to use epoxy just fine and all but, Instead of blaming the brush which you re glued, May I suggest giving a new brush another try instead of fixing a faulty one. The reason I say this is that Semogues really are excellent brushes and rather than getting frustrated, just give'er another go for the money. I say that because I have had both of mine for quite a bit now with no problems at all. In the end it's up to you but, I would say you just had dumb luck the first round. I dunno, maybe your squeezing the brush too hard ?? I usually submerge mine in the sink and gently squeeze out the residue followed by a few shakes and then( hang upside down) for proper drying and drainage. I wish you luck my friend. Lemme know if I can help .