An opportunity for something better.

Well, I had purchased a brush from Whipped dog some years ago. A decent quality badger that I had set an extra few mm deep at the suggestion of Larry.
I never really like the brush as it didn't really splay well at all and just felt inadequate for me. I piffed the brush to my brother who was using a POS boar that looked like it had been dragged behind a truck. He was very happy with the upgrade the different brush brought.
Fast forward a few years till the other day he tells me "the knot fell out and how do I fix this"?
Bring it over.
Looking at the inside of the existing handle it looked stepped near the bottom. The top of the hole being a full inch in diameter the bottom much smaller. Well it turns out the step was entirely epoxy. The hole being almost 7/8 deep and a full inch wide.
I ask if he's attached to the handle or not. No was the reply.
Well I had a handle left over from another venture that I had already turned and would work perfectly. I just needed to drill it a little deeper to cover where epoxy had migrated to the hair as there was a ton of it.
The new hole by the way was a 7/8 NOT 1 inch!!

He's pretty happy with the new suit for his brush. Its an exotic from Australia much like Eucalyptus that has been stabilized.

https://i.imgur.com/tPgF4U5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/p33yg5B.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LLwEVlA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lHuMzV2.jpg

I like the shape and figuring of the wood. :tu

Much better

Great looking handle you turned. Was it from Amboyna burl wood? The brush looks excellent overall.

bob

.
OOOOhhh! I do like that brush! :)
Very proportionate and the wood is very attractive.

I like it. I like the look of knots set like this, but seem to like mine a bit deeper.
In fact, both handles are very attractive and look like a great fit for the hand.

You might consider a 24mm 2-band for the black handle? Last few I did with knots from Maggard's. I like them a lot.
Enjoy!

.
.
I like the shape of that knot, is that called a "fan" shape?

Nice upgrade!

Sorry guys can't remember the exact name of the wood. Eucalyptus type though.
Not a fan shaped knot. Bulb shaped.
It has about 52-53mm loft now, only a mm or two higher than before but the sides are much better supported given the much smaller hole.
Thank you all for the kind words. It looks fantastic now. The original handle will be tossed. Far too large and too deep a hole to be of much use to me. Sure I could pack it up a bit but the 1" hole is just too big for anything I want to use.

The new handle looks great. I’d hang onto the old handle for a bit. These things have a way of making themselves useful at unexpected times.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RezDog

The new handle looks great. I’d hang onto the old handle for a bit. These things have a way of making themselves useful at unexpected times.

---

Hi Shawn,
Can't say the handle will survive. I gave it back to my brother to show him the inside and told him to toss it.
Its nothing fancy to begin with, I would have to pack it up to be of any use to anyone and its too wide a hole for anything that someone would use IMO.
I have several at 23mm and the hole required is still not as large as that handle had. I like the knots to fit well and have to be pushed in for fit, not dropped in.
Might be the joinery background but it makes the end result a little more predictable. If a wider hole is used it lets the hairs spread to the actual width with no restriction which can be too much.

I have more than enough high end brushes and can make much better with little effort

Most knot sizes are given as at the glue plug base. Above that the knot bulges out a bit. Most knot suppliers recommend the hole in the handle be 1mm-2mm larger in diameter compared to the knot size for a proper fit. How deep the hole in the handle is effects how much the knot will splay. So yea, dropping a too small knot into a too big and too deep hole does not work out well.

Bob

I guess with turning great handles already the old one is unlikely of any future value. Living in an isolated area has me never tossing anything that cannot easily be replaced.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RezDog

I guess with turning great handles already the old one is unlikely of any future value. Living in an isolated area has me never tossing anything that cannot easily be replaced.

---

I don't live in a isolated place and still save evereything! Who knows, that brush handle could make a great gear shift knob or pepper shaker. The possibilities are endless!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tintin

I don't live in a isolated place and still save evereything! Who knows, that brush handle could make a great gear shift knob or pepper shaker. The possibilities are endless!

---

I don't throw anything away either. Not because I might be able to repurpose it but just because, it drives my wife nuts.

She found my shoebox full of old keyrings the other day. I tried to explain that I might need the rings to attach to a new strop so I can hang it, her answer was you don't need another bloody strop.

I just don't think she understands.

Well done. I have several 30mm Whipped Dog silvertips and I rather like the knot. The price is right, anyway. I do like those big beastly brushes and they are dreadfully expensive from a big brand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

Sorry guys can't remember the exact name of the wood. Eucalyptus type though.
Not a fan shaped knot. Bulb shaped.
It has about 52-53mm loft now, only a mm or two higher than before but the sides are much better supported given the much smaller hole.
Thank you all for the kind words. It looks fantastic now. The original handle will be tossed. Far too large and too deep a hole to be of much use to me. Sure I could pack it up a bit but the 1" hole is just too big for anything I want to use.

---

A one inch hole is only a 24mm knot. As for the loft you could always just insert something to set it where you want it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Audels1

A one inch hole is only a 24mm knot. As for the loft you could always just insert something to set it where you want it.

---

I think too many people just suggest a 2mm bigger hole as a norm.
There is no norm.
Get the bulb in hand and drill then or have the knot prior to making the handle (best option and the one I use). I like to drill the hole then turn the handle.
As mentioned I like to have to push fit a knot, not just drop it in.
Also mentioned was the same knot was reinserted into a 7/8 hole for much better functioning brush. That's a lot of epoxy to make up for a sloppy hole.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

I think too many people just suggest a 2mm bigger hole as a norm.
There is no norm.
Get the bulb in hand and drill then or have the knot prior to making the handle (best option and the one I use). I like to drill the hole then turn the handle.
As mentioned I like to have to push fit a knot, not just drop it in.
Also mentioned was the same knot was reinserted into a 7/8 hole for much better functioning brush. That's a lot of epoxy to make up for a sloppy hole.

---

Retailers who supply the knots are the ones that are suggesting what the hole size for the handle should be for a given size of knot. I do think that they would know what the norm is.

https://maggardrazors.com/collection...adger-fan-knot

From experience going by their recommended hole size for the handle still makes it a press fit not a sloppy drop in fit. The downside of having a too tight a fit is that over time the knot could swell enough with use to cause the handle to crack/split. I had that happen on a custom brush I had ordered.

Bob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobH

Retailers who supply the knots are the ones that are suggesting what the hole size for the handle should be for a given size of knot. I do think that they would know what the norm is.

https://maggardrazors.com/collection...adger-fan-knot

From experience going by their recommended hole size for the handle still makes it a press fit not a sloppy drop in fit. The downside of having a too tight a fit is that over time the knot could swell enough with use to cause the handle to crack/split. I had that happen on a custom brush I had ordered.

Bob

---

Not sure I have the same opinion.
Whether an oversize hole is completely filled with epoxy and knot or a snug knot glued only on the bottom - the handle will subjected to the same stress, maybe more so if its mostly epoxy.
For a handle to split because of the fit it would indicate a movement of the base material (wood) mainly being the issue.
Properly stabilized is a must.
I have never had a handle fail and I have made plenty. I don't mean ordering handles and knots then just gluing them in. That is not making a handle that is assembling a handle:)
Yes, many retailers do suggest the size as they want the knot to fit with no fitting of the handle required, hence more of a drop in fit for simplicity.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

Not sure I have the same opinion.
Whether an oversize hole is completely filled with epoxy and knot or a snug knot glued only on the bottom - the handle will subjected to the same stress, maybe more so if its mostly epoxy.
For a handle to split because of the fit it would indicate a movement of the base material (wood) mainly being the issue.
Properly stabilized is a must.
I have never had a handle fail and I have made plenty. I don't mean ordering handles and knots then just gluing them in. That is not making a handle that is assembling a handle:)
Yes, many retailers do suggest the size as they want the knot to fit with no fitting of the handle required, hence more of a drop in fit for simplicity.

---

Yes, the use of stabilised wood is the best option for wooden handles. The handle I had fail was not on a brush that I ordered the handle for and a knot from another source but a "custom" hand made handle and the handle maker also supplied and and fitted the knot to the loft I wanted. I have also bought a Vintage Simpsons brush that had a crack/split in the handle and the handle was not wood. I have not, so far, had a handle split from me fitting a new knot into it as per the seller's recommendation on handle hole size. Those knots were all a bit of a snug press fit and certainly not just drop in and rattle around variety of fit. Anyway everyone has their own experience with how to set knots.

Bob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

I think too many people just suggest a 2mm bigger hole as a norm.
There is no norm.
Get the bulb in hand and drill then or have the knot prior to making the handle (best option and the one I use). I like to drill the hole then turn the handle.
As mentioned I like to have to push fit a knot, not just drop it in.
Also mentioned was the same knot was reinserted into a 7/8 hole for much better functioning brush. That's a lot of epoxy to make up for a sloppy hole.

---

I really only use 22mm,24mm and on occasion 26mm knots I also did a 30mm for a customer once.
As you do, I always drill my hole then fit the brush then get turning.
I use a 7/8inch (22.25mm) hole for a 22mm knot the rest start at 1 inch (25.4mm)then I adjust to the proper size for the knot. I don't measure this i just widen the hole until I like how the knot fits. But if I had to guess I would say .5 to 1mm larger than the knot. I never use epoxy to set the knot. I use silicone as it allows for movement.

Nevertheless, your brush is beautiful.:bow