Thread: Adjusting loft

I want to reduce the loft of a synthetic knot and have some questions. sharptonn,on another thread, has alluded to trying different lofts and then when you are satisfied use goop to set the knot.

First, how do you try the different loft heights? One person glues the knot in with a small amount of silicone so that the glue bond can be broken. I don't really have any other ideas on how to temporarily set the loft.

Second, it seems like if the loft is significantly reduced, that there would be an area above the glue holding the knot together, but below the lip of the handle that would be a place for water to pool if the brush is set to dry bristles up.

You could use elastic bands/ O rings around the base of the knot to simulate different lofts. That may give you an idea of what loft you would want. Then remove the knot and reset it at the preferred loft.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/brushes...ification.html

Bob

It's a subjective thing. A handle which will hold a 24mm will hold a 22.
At same loft will be different brushes.Type of knot matters a lot, of course. Denseness, etc.
I try to get them to fit as tightly as possible to see. Move it up and down.
I prefer to soak my new badger knots in oxyclean, rinse good, and shampoo.
That way it will have 'bloomed' somewhat as you are fitting.
By comparing to a similar one I like, it always seems to work.
Simply rubbing them dry on my face, I can tell, because I know what I like.

Unless I find I like something better?

I always hang mine bristles-down. At least until they have dried for a few days

Originally Posted by BobH

You could use elastic bands/ O rings around the base of the knot to simulate different lofts. That may give you an idea of what loft you would want. Then remove the knot and reset it at the preferred loft.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/brushes...ification.html

Bob

I've already done that on a similar brush which is what confirmed that I like reduced lofts. It seems to be a little different that actually sinking the brush into the handle though.

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I've already done that on a similar brush which is what confirmed that I like reduced lofts. It seems to be a little different that actually sinking the brush into the handle though.

Yup, might be a little different but if you grip the knot near the O ring/elastic band it is pretty close I would guess. Otherwise you are stuck with deepening the hole and using silicone in the testing stage.

I'd also consider what Tom has said about knot density etc.. If you have a dense knot and lower the loft a significant amount the knot will bloom less, be denser in that the number of hairs in the knot become more concentrated into a smaller area because of the reduced bloom and may also become a lather hog.

Bob

I have a few which are vintage reknots. They came with Boar knots and are sometimes set higher than what I want my 2-bander at. If you don't have room to go deeper, an o-ring works. I have a few like that. Then, you get to tuning the ID of the o-ring and it's tension into the mix.
The amount an o-ring squeezes the hairs (or not) does not only add height, but has much effect like the mouth of the handle in comparison.
A tapered or even rounded inner rim will change things a lot at different lofts.

Sort of like finding the right blade for the right scales. Always the right match.
A tight fit and even stacking some coins or washers in under the plug to see....

Hmmmm. The dab of silicone to try it out is sounding better all of the time.

If the hole is deep enough and the knot fit somewhat snug, ive sed quarters in the bottom of the hole to shim the knot up for testing. This allowed me to test and when i found the right higth i dumped the glue ontop and around the quarters. An extra buck or buck and a hLf is the price i paid to get the right loft. It also adds a bit of weight.

I am interested to see how this thread works out.

One of my first brushes was a Parker Silvertip. I love the soft tips of the brush, but it splays too easily and has less backbone than I prefer. It is a wonderful brush for lathering creams and croaps, but is not so good for loading harder soaps. I might try the O-ring trick, but Ultimately, I would like to reset the knot in the faux horn handle.

The only knot I ever reset was an inexpensive VDH pure badger. The brush fell off the counter and the knot popped out when the brush hit the floor. The handle had a metal insert, so I could not change the loft. I used Gorilla Glue (original) as the adhesive. It seemed to work well.

Originally Posted by Gasman

If the hole is deep enough and the knot fit somewhat snug, ive sed quarters in the bottom of the hole to shim the knot up for testing. This allowed me to test and when i found the right higth i dumped the glue ontop and around the quarters. An extra buck or buck and a hLf is the price i paid to get the right loft. It also adds a bit of weight.

This is what I'm hoping I can do. I guess since I'm making the handle I can make the fit as snug as I like. Maybe I will do a quick and dirty out of a large dowel to verify the taper of the hole. I'm thinking that as deep as I think I want to go I will want to taper the hole so that the brush can bloom a bit. Yeah the dowel sounds like the ticket.

Originally Posted by RayClem

Ultimately, I would like to reset the knot in the faux horn handle.

Great minds think alike! I picked up a faux horn blank at Woodcraft yesterday.