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.

Full disclosure, I know next to nothing about brushes. The o-ring/tape talk got me thinking an appropriate size zip-tie might work well and let you adjust tension on the fly. Just throwing that out there.

I've heard of others using zip ties. When I first experimented I did a thread whip, like the whip on the end of laid rope. That worked but was not very permanent. Setting the brush deeper had a different and IMO better effect.

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I've heard of others using zip ties. When I first experimented I did a thread whip, like the whip on the end of laid rope. That worked but was not very permanent. Setting the brush deeper had a different and IMO better effect.

Yup, I did use a West Country Whipping to temporarily adjust the loft on a brush. It showed I was going in the right direction and worked when I reset the loft to what I had it choked to.

Bob