Thread: "Tying" a brush knot?

Originally Posted by S3NTYN3L

I'm wanting to make my own brush from titanium. (I work in a machine shop, so the handle won't be an issue).

I've been digging around on the net and cannot seem to find any information on how to actually "tie" the knot/stopper of the badger hair.

Is anyone willing to shed some light on this for me? (Preferably with pictures if possible).


Thanks in advance.

You can get Badger, Horse, and other hair at 'Aliexpress.com'. Here is a link --> <http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Badger-hair/813843_211818390.html>
That link may not work though - In order to browse the site, I think I had to register first. For regular Silvertip hair, it’s quite a bit per kilogram. Different prices for different grades of Badger Hair.
Here is a picture of a bundle of Silvertip Hair.



If you get the hair, you still need some sort of ‘form’ to put the hair into and form it into a knot. Then you’d have to tie it, like in the DaVinci film. I think it can be done, but you’d have to be very careful - no room for error with the price of the hair.
Good luck to you. I hope it works out. If you try it, could you share some pictures of your progress? It would be very interesting.

To the moderators;
I hope it’s OK to post a link, as I did above. If not, please delete the post and accept my apologizes. I also took out the exact dollar figure of a kilogram of Silvertip hair. Not allowed? I don’t know, but I thought I’d better play it safe. The OP can PM me for more details if he so desires.

Thanks,

bruseth

The knots aren't really tied like they used to be. Mostly set in epoxy. You still have to know what you are doing or you can easily ruin your investment.

I strongly suggest that those who may have aspirations of making your own from scratch Knots,you have no idea how difficult this is.
This is a very complex art.But carry on if you must.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I strongly suggest that those who may have aspirations of making your own from scratch Knots,you have no idea how difficult this is.
This is a very complex art.But carry on if you must.

I tend to agree. When you watch a skilled worker do something, they make it look easy. But they've probably been doing it for years and years. A regular person doesn't have years and years, nor do they want to invest the big money for the materials to practice with. I know I couldn't do it. I have enough trouble trying to decide what the correct loft should be in a brush ;-) Let alone starting on a knot from scratch? Too challenging and time-consuming for me. Especially since you can buy pretty nice knots all ready to be put into a handle. But to each his own. I would be interested in seeing the results of somebody trying though. I mean, if they're going to anyways... Just out of curiosity I guess.

Pix & Bruseth

I agree with all that, but “they” probably said the same thing when some maniac restored a straight razor, forged their own straight razor blade or turned their own brush handle.

My interest was in why Simpsons and others advertise Hand Tied knots, and what the difference is to performance or is it just an advertising gimmick. Interestingly the Simpsons website does not claim “Hand Tied” but many of their vendors do.

"In 2008 Progress Vulfix purchased the company and continues the tradition of making the world's finest brushes entirely by hand, using the same techniques which have not changed since the firm was founded."

"Simpsons only use selected Chinese Badger Hair, which is sorted, dressed and sterilised by a London firm whose origins date back to the 16th Century. Three grades of Badger Hair are used: Super, Best and Pure. Select from the categories below to view our products"

I have a couple old Simpsons, 20 plus years old but don’t have a new Simpsons to compare to, if in fact they are no longer hand tied. I would imagine even if they are hand tied they are set in epoxy which would almost be the same as far as user feel.

I was surprised to see on the Simpsons website, they sell replacement stickers, I need a couple for mine that lost theirs, years ago.

I love the Diamond Jubilee brush in the Limited Edition section, perhaps that Jubilee would give me something to compare to...

Hand tying a knot is a very specific skill. Kind of like those guys in Japan who dress the blowfish which is a delicacy but has a bladder containing deadly poison. Each year people die there because they figure what's the big deal and make a home done deal and rupture the bladder during removal without realizing it and the slightest drop will kill you.

I wouldn't go by what the vendors say. It's what the maker says and unless they address hand tying specifically a general claim of how the brush is made can mean x number of steps are still being followed while leaving out x+1.

I imagine an E-Mail to the guy who now owns the brand should answer the question though.