NOS Herder 49 in Desert Ironwood/G10 with Brass Wedge and Matching Brush

This gorgeous NOS Herder 49 came to me in mint condition, ready to drop into scales with just a little polishing on the jimps and tail. Obviously it deserved something really special, so I went with some really nice desert ironwood blanks I had, epoxied onto black G10 for stability. I tried for a scale profile that complemented the lines of this classic design. I have become smitten with this stunning wood, though it requires surgically sharp tools and much patience; the DI blanks under it will find their way into future projects.
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No finish other than its own essential oils buffed to a high gloss, followed by a few coats of Rennaisance Wax
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Though it has a commanding heft with that brass wedge, it still flips nimbly and quickly on my stropping test (though I still haven't even honed it yet or used the brush-waiting for a special occasion, I guess). It closes tight and centered in brass collars with NiAg pins.
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I got the idea for a brass band from turning duck calls with them, plus I had a couple of previous brushes split in that area (probably from expanding into a too-tight hole).
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A before pic; I may have posted this weeks ago in the Workshop. It took me some time to finish with this year's crazy school startup:
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The cool thing is that I have 1 more identical NOS 49. I may do that set in black horn, ebony or the like with silver hardware. Thanks for looking! SHD/A-aron

Looks good, Aaron.

Had to have a better look at thar first pic.

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Mike-Thanks for straightening me out lol!

Looks awesome! :cool:

Sweet! Gorgeous blade and beauty scales.
Looking forward to your 49 in horn.

Nice work! They came out looking very nice!

Nice Work Aaron!

Very nice Aaron.:tu

Gorgeous set my friend.

Outstanding!

Very nicely done.:bow

Hoo Boy Aaron...
That Desert Ironwood is spectacular!!

Pete <:-}

Thanks, all-I just ordered some highly-figured cocobolo. I'm now thinking of doing the other 49 blade I have in cocobolo and copper hardware. I'll have to lay out some possible combos on my bench to see what looks good.

Was creepin your Insta page and saw this. Simply stunning! That damn wood makes everything turn to gold!

Well done Aaron. :chapeau :beer1:

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Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

Was creepin your Insta page and saw this. Simply stunning! That damn wood makes everything turn to gold!

Well done Aaron. :chapeau :beer1:

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Thanks for the inspiration and feedback, Andrew-I probably have a dozen or more of your brush handle pics from here printed in my shop notebook for design ideas. In general, I'm sort of going aesthetically for a marriage of traditional (the blade) with some more contemporary lines and materials.

I just ordered a 3mm sheet of copper for a wedge, already have the copper collars-we'll see how all that looks with the other 49 blade and the coco when it comes in.

In any event, right now I'm down on the Laguna lathe with a switch issue. It started randomly switching back and forth between forward and reverse. I hear that this is pretty common due to cheap Chinese electronic components; hopefully they can get me back running again under the warranty. I've got some brush and duck call orders to turn, plus a few dozen pens to do before Christmas!

Good to see you around here again!

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Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Thanks for the inspiration and feedback, Andrew-I probably have a dozen or more of your brush handle pics from here printed in my shop notebook for design ideas. In general, I'm sort of going aesthetically for a marriage of traditional (the blade) with some more contemporary lines and materials.

I just ordered a 3mm sheet of copper for a wedge, already have the copper collars-we'll see how all that looks with the other 49 blade and the coco when it comes in.

In any event, right now I'm down on the Laguna lathe with a switch issue. It started randomly switching back and forth between forward and reverse. I hear that this is pretty common due to cheap Chinese electronic components; hopefully they can get me back running again under the warranty. I've got some brush and duck call orders to turn, plus a few dozen pens to do before Christmas!

Good to see you around here again!

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I use to just type in google, shave brush, click on images, and just scroll through pages of images trying to draw inspiration for brush handles. Either improve upon a shape I liked, or combine shapes to come up with something cool. There’s a lot of guys who can turn shaving brushes, the key to an elegant brush is proportion of height, shape, and curves all combined into one.

Nice material like Desert ironwood also helps a LOT! Lol

From the few you’ve already done, I’d say you’re on the right track!

Okay, so somebody talk me down. Plan A for the 2nd one was ebony and silver, but I got some awesome cocobolo from a supplier on Instagram for my last Herder 49 blade. Copper for the wedge and collars, with a similar design to the desert ironwood combo. Maybe a similar shaving brush with a copper band.
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In either case, it will probably be weeks before I get it done now that so much of my shop time is spent turning. Hell, for that matter I still haven't honed the other one or used the brush.

Talk you down? Hell No! I can't wait to see this one!

Aaron, I don’t like wood scales as a whole, but that is some really nice looking work, good job!

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Aaron, I don’t like wood scales as a whole, but that is some really nice looking work, good job!

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Thanks, TC-I go in spurts with different materials. I had about $150 just in materials for that set, so I took my time and tried to perfect every step. I'm actually starting to miss horn, bone and synthetics, so I may do a few in those after I see what I can do with this coco. If I can find the right size horn blank, I'm thinking about doing a razor and brush set with that.

By the way, every time I do a weekly internal disinfecting regimen with Knob Creek (for covid of course), I think of you. If I ever meet you, I'll pour us both a generous glug of single barrel.

Your on my friend