Any of you gentlemen do brush hair replacement work?

I just bought a scuttle and brush on the evil "Bay," and want to have the bristles replaced on the brush...any referals would be helpfu.

Thanks,
Mac

The 1st person to come to mind for me is Tony at Penworks. I don't know if he's up for it, but it should be worth the time to PM or email him.

SRP profile;
Straight Razor Place Forums - View Profile: Penworks

Website;
Fountain Pen - Antique Pen - Vintage Pen - Fountain Pen Ink - Penworks AZ

Hopefully you gents can work something out. I'll vouch that he's a top notch gentleman to deal with.

:gl:, and congrats on the nice set!

Have you tried lathering with those old bore bristles?
They lather surprisingly well.
Give a good rigid feeling. Its a different experience. Although alot of the lathering needs to be done on the the face. You can only get so far in a bowl with one.

+Buckler

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buckler

Have you tried lathering with those old bore bristles?
They lather surprisingly well.
Give a good rigid feeling. Its a different experience. Although alot of the lathering needs to be done on the the face. You can only get so far in a bowl with one.

+Buckler

---

I will give 'em a try, when it gets here...its in the mail. Thanks for the suggestion...i do prefer a stiffer brush. As long as they arent synthetic...i hate the fake.

Thanks.

Mac

First of all, VERY nice scuttle. I really prefer the old style soap scuttle like that one to the "modern" scuttles.


As for the brush, if you decide to replace the bristles after all, you should consider doing it yourself as it is really easy. I recently restored the brush that, interestingly enough, came with an antique scuttle I bought online.

You can get knots at thegoldennib.com

They're very inexpensive, and I love the quality of mine.

The only part that would make me nervous about that brush is the fact that it appears to be porcelain, so you'd have to go slowly when removing the old bristles.

If you want a straighter/stiffer brush, you can accomplish that by setting the knot deeper into the handle. In a lot of older brushes, the holes for the knots were really deep, and they filled them up with plaster to set the depth. Once you get the old bristles out, it's really not hard to dremel out the plaster to the depth you want.

One other tip that just occurred to me.

Depending on the glue, it may not take anything more than letting it soak in boiling water for 20 minutes to get the bristles out without damaging the handle. A lot of glues will simply dissolve in water that hot, and room temperature porcelain won't crack from boiling water unless there's already a serious flaw in it.

I know that boiling water will dissolve the glues in some brushes because I wrecked a brush that way on accident, and I know the porcelain won't crack unless it's badly flawed, because my antique porcelain scuttle, and my mother's collection of porcelain tea-pots all do just fine when filled with boiling water straight out of a kettle.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

First of all, VERY nice scuttle. I really prefer the old style soap scuttle like that one to the "modern" scuttles.


As for the brush, if you decide to replace the bristles after all, you should consider doing it yourself as it is really easy. I recently restored the brush that, interestingly enough, came with an antique scuttle I bought online.

You can get knots at thegoldennib.com

They're very inexpensive, and I love the quality of mine.

The only part that would make me nervous about that brush is the fact that it appears to be porcelain, so you'd have to go slowly when removing the old bristles.

If you want a straighter/stiffer brush, you can accomplish that by setting the knot deeper into the handle. In a lot of older brushes, the holes for the knots were really deep, and they filled them up with plaster to set the depth. Once you get the old bristles out, it's really not hard to dremel out the plaster to the depth you want.

---

Wow! Lots of help...keep it coming. So, essencially, to remove the old bristles, i should soak the brush in boiling water they should just pull out? Next i would want to determine how deep i want to place the plug and dremel as necessary. What adheres the new bristles to the handle...do i have to purchase some glue?
The link you showed, had some great badger brush knots available too. I guess im going to have to decide the kind i want and figure out how to reglue the new one into the porclein handle.

Thanks, youve given me a great place to start VeeDub. :-)
Mac.

Glad I could help.

As far as the hot water, that may or may not work. It depends on what kind of glue was used. If it's a natural glue, like they use to make from boiling up hooves and things, then yes. Drop the whole thing in boiling water for 20 minutes, and you'll be able to pull the bristles out very easily by hand.

If it doesn't work, it shouldn't do any harm.

The brush I restored was a rubber set brush, so that didn't work. instead, I grasped small clumps of bristles near the handle with needle-nose pliers, and rolled the pliers. Not twisted, but rolled. At first the bristles just broke off, but after a few tries, I started getting clumps, and the clumps got bigger and bigger until I was pulling the rest out by hand.



As far as gluing in the new knot, that's the easiest part of the whole process.

Pretty much any kind of glue will work, but ideally you want something that will set with little to no exposure to the air, and something relatively waterproof, so ideally we're talking about a 2-part epoxy.

Loc-tight makes a whole line of very inexpensive 2-part epoxies that you can get at virtually any hardware store. I like their orange epoxy. (they label and sell their epoxies with color names, and in color coded packages to make life easy if you didn't know)

I like the orange for several reasons.

1. it sets fairly quickly, but slowly enough that you have time to work and clean up.
2. it's sets clear so you don't have as much to worry about in terms of a mess.
3. If you do make a mess, it cleans up VERY easily with denatured alcohol as long as you get to it before it sets. (keep some alcohol and cotton swabs handy)

I can give you a couple other tips about the gluing process.

1. it's easier to glue the knot in if you get a knot that is just slightly smaller than the hole. The site I linked sells in metric sizes, so you may have to do some conversion unless you have a metric ruler. The sizes refer to the glue plug that the bristles come set in. Just measure the hole in the handle, and round down to the next millimeter, or deduct one millimeter.
2. Mix the epoxy on a piece of tin foil or something else you can throw away, and then spoon it into the handle. If you try to mix it in the handle, you may not get good adhesion.
3. Once the epoxy is in there, it will be tough to push the knot in, because the epoxy will be thick, and won't want to squeeze up the sides where you need it. If you twist the knot as you put it in, it will go much easier.
4. Test fit the knot about 10 times because once that epoxy goes in, you're committed. The outside of the knot, where it's glued together, can be sanded a little if you don't feel there's enough room for the epoxy.
5. The glue on the end of the knot should be sanded lightly regardless, and the inside of the handle should be cleaned with alcohol or acetone and sanded as well.
6. If too much epoxy squeezes out, don't freak. Freaking out will just make a mess. Just grab the denatured alcohol and q-tips and clean it up. You'll have 5-20 minutes to clean it which is plenty of time. Other solvents may work, and other epoxies may require different solvents, but I can tell you from experience that denatured alcohol works perfectly on loc-tight orange.

I'm sure I've gone from making this sound easy, to making it sound complicated and scary, but it's really not. I can post pictures of the brush I restored if you're interested.

That should be in the wiki. Well written and simple to follow instructions.

The best glue is Marine Epoxy. Waterproof and sets in 24 hrs.
+1 on the boil.

Nice set.

Just a small tip that works well for me.

Get an appropriately sized o-ring (I bought a small tray with an assortment of o-ring sizes at Home Depot) and pull it up over the hair of the new knot from the bottom before any of this. Protects the hair, keeps the shape intact through heavy handling, and keeps it out of the way while you test fit and finally glue it in. Also found that it helps keep excess glue/epoxy from seeping into the base of the knot.

Tony

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Glad I could help.

As far as the hot water, that may or may not work. It depends on what kind of glue was used. If it's a natural glue, like they use to make from boiling up hooves and things, then yes. Drop the whole thing in boiling water for 20 minutes, and you'll be able to pull the bristles out very easily by hand.

If it doesn't work, it shouldn't do any harm.

The brush I restored was a rubber set brush, so that didn't work. instead, I grasped small clumps of bristles near the handle with needle-nose pliers, and rolled the pliers. Not twisted, but rolled. At first the bristles just broke off, but after a few tries, I started getting clumps, and the clumps got bigger and bigger until I was pulling the rest out by hand.



As far as gluing in the new knot, that's the easiest part of the whole process.

Pretty much any kind of glue will work, but ideally you want something that will set with little to no exposure to the air, and something relatively waterproof, so ideally we're talking about a 2-part epoxy.

Loc-tight makes a whole line of very inexpensive 2-part epoxies that you can get at virtually any hardware store. I like their orange epoxy. (they label and sell their epoxies with color names, and in color coded packages to make life easy if you didn't know)

I like the orange for several reasons.

1. it sets fairly quickly, but slowly enough that you have time to work and clean up.
2. it's sets clear so you don't have as much to worry about in terms of a mess.
3. If you do make a mess, it cleans up VERY easily with denatured alcohol as long as you get to it before it sets. (keep some alcohol and cotton swabs handy)

I can give you a couple other tips about the gluing process.

1. it's easier to glue the knot in if you get a knot that is just slightly smaller than the hole. The site I linked sells in metric sizes, so you may have to do some conversion unless you have a metric ruler. The sizes refer to the glue plug that the bristles come set in. Just measure the hole in the handle, and round down to the next millimeter, or deduct one millimeter.
2. Mix the epoxy on a piece of tin foil or something else you can throw away, and then spoon it into the handle. If you try to mix it in the handle, you may not get good adhesion.
3. Once the epoxy is in there, it will be tough to push the knot in, because the epoxy will be thick, and won't want to squeeze up the sides where you need it. If you twist the knot as you put it in, it will go much easier.
4. Test fit the knot about 10 times because once that epoxy goes in, you're committed. The outside of the knot, where it's glued together, can be sanded a little if you don't feel there's enough room for the epoxy.
5. The glue on the end of the knot should be sanded lightly regardless, and the inside of the handle should be cleaned with alcohol or acetone and sanded as well.
6. If too much epoxy squeezes out, don't freak. Freaking out will just make a mess. Just grab the denatured alcohol and q-tips and clean it up. You'll have 5-20 minutes to clean it which is plenty of time. Other solvents may work, and other epoxies may require different solvents, but I can tell you from experience that denatured alcohol works perfectly on loc-tight orange.

I'm sure I've gone from making this sound easy, to making it sound complicated and scary, but it's really not. I can post pictures of the brush I restored if you're interested.

---

Well, Steve. Alls i can say is, "You the Man!" :rock: Thanks again for all your help.
I will post how things turn out, when i get the items and switch out the hair.
Thanks again,

Mac

Any time.:gl:

So, i followed VeeDub's instructions re: hair and knot removal and it worked like a champ. Thanks Steve!
The bristles were, in fact, boars hair (put a couple hairs to the flame,) and i definately dont want to keep those...felt like kissing a cactus.
Ive got online and ordered a 22mm x 65mm Silvertip badger hair knot and will place it in the holder, when it arrives.

P.S. Not sure about the porcelin quality, but the top of the handle is slightly oval, not perfectly circular...oh well, it still looks nice.

Thanks guys,

Mac

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by McWolf1969

P.S. Not sure about the porcelain quality, but the top of the handle is slightly oval, not perfectly circular...oh well, it still looks nice.

---

That's actually a lot more common than you'd think. Modern commercial pottery is more consistent, but porcelain is especially prone to warping when it's fired. It has a very high silica content, relatively low alumina content, and almost no *grog; which means that it gets very soft when it's fired.

As long as there's no cracks, you're good to go.

Just don't forget to dry fit many times over.


*in ceramics "grog" refers to bisque fired pottery that has been ground up and added to wet clay. It increases stability for firing, but can cause problems in porcelain clays.

Any progress on the brush? Let's see some pics if you're done.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Any progress on the brush? Let's see some pics if you're done.

---

Just got the Silvertip brush in the mail tonight and placed it into the handle/holder. The loc-tite work extremely well and im pretty happy with the results. I had to sand the knot a bit to get a good fit, but that turned out to be pretty simple.
Im letting it dry overnight, for good measure and will use it tomorrow to see how it holds up.
Here is a pic, as requested...along with my thanks. :bow

Mac

Very nice. I'm guessing from the overall shape that you set the knot pretty deep.

Wouldn't be great for the big floppy style, build a mountain of lather and mop it around method, but it should be really really good for an old-school soap scuttle.

The one thing I'd have done differently with mine would be to set the knot deeper.

Yeah. Ive been considering trying the whole lather building method, but i usually build the lather on my face and definately like it hot, when im applying. It seems that building the lather, in a seperate cup, would allow it to cool somewhat?
Besides, i think given that the handle is so tall, the shorter, more recessed brush would look weird.

Mac

Face lathering vs bowl lathering is purely a matter of preference.

Personally, I use a scuttle very similar to yours, which I fill with boiling water out of the kettle. That kind of scuttle really isn't intended to heat your lather directly, but to provide ready access to boiling hot water for your brush, and a way for excess water to drain off your soap quickly.

I find that face lathering works very well with this type of scuttle, and since you're using boiling hot water, your lather will always be nice and hot.

Also, since you bought your knot from the same place as me, and used the same type of epoxy to set it, I can tell you that using boiling water in your scuttle won't do a thing to hurt that brush anymore.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Face lathering vs bowl lathering is purely a matter of preference.

Personally, I use a scuttle very similar to yours, which I fill with boiling water out of the kettle. That kind of scuttle really isn't intended to heat your lather directly, but to provide ready access to boiling hot water for your brush, and a way for excess water to drain off your soap quickly.

I find that face lathering works very well with this type of scuttle, and since you're using boiling hot water, your lather will always be nice and hot.

Also, since you bought your knot from the same place as me, and used the same type of epoxy to set it, I can tell you that using boiling water in your scuttle won't do a thing to hurt that brush anymore.

---

Yeah, the epoxy was really easy to use, cleaned up well with the alcohol and set at just the right speed.
The Golden Nib, was a really good purchasing experience too. They shipped it pretty fast...definately a great recomendation from ya.

Thanks,
Mac

Hmm...i have to say, that the hairs on the brush fluffed up considerably after i finally used it...definately look better.

Mac

Hey veedubb65 do you have any suggestions on removing boars hair from vulcanized rubber? I tried boiling and using pliers but no luck, only thing left I can think of is to try cutting around the inside and crowbaring the not out with something.

Thanks in advance!

The brush I restored was a rubberset brush. Certainly, the boiling water will NOT work on a rubber set brush.

As for the pliers, even if that ends up not working, that should be your starting place. I'll try to explain it as clearly as possible, because it probably isn't as clear as it should be with just text. If I could send you a video, you'd see what I'm talking about instantly, but I don't have a practical way to do that. (I don't own any form of video camera)

Start with the brush standing up on the flat end of the handle.

Lay a pair of needle nose pliers on the table next to them. (I know that's silly, just do it anyway)

That's the position the pliers should be in. With the pliers held perpendicular to the brush, just as they would be sitting on the table next to it, grab a clump of hair about the thickness of a wooden pencil.

From there, do NOT try to "pull" the hair out. Do not try to "twist" the hair out. Instead, try to "roll" the pliers so that the bristles would wrap around them.

Keep going until you either break off all of those bristles, or pull out a plug of bristles. Don't worry if they all break.

Repeat that process until one of two things happens: either you have broken all of the bristles off, or you have pulled out enough clumps that you can pull the rest out by hand.


If you break off all of the bristles of the entire brush, it's actually very simple to clean everything out. (Just mind numbingly tedious)

Simple take an exacto knife, flatblade screwdriver, knitting needles, pocket knife, whatever you've got, and start digging at the remains of the knot.

Eventually, it will all come out. There's no magic to it, it's just not much fun.

Thanks Steve!

I figured the boiling wouldn't help in this case but I got the brush for $1 so I thought what the heck. I read your suggestion earlier on in the thread of using the rolling motion with the pliers but when more and more hair kept breaking off I kinda got worried so I thought I would ask.

you explained the process perfectly fine and I could visualize the whole process without any trouble.

guess I'll start the fun process of picking out the knot since I don't think the rolling/yanking method is gonna do anything. I assume the loc-tight will work in this situation? I have never used it, will it also work on metal handles? I have one of those as well I am considering rebrushing.

Thanks for all the help and info!! This really should be added to the wiki or at the least a sticky. It's why I posted here instead of pm ing you ,so it would bump back into the light:)

Thanks again

All that trouble for a USD 1 brush?

Actually I got a lot of 3 DD brushes for 1 usd +plus shipping so $6 (I know right shipping is more than the product crazy:p)

I have a goldedge staright razor being honed and thought having a matching brush would be cool. plus it's my first restore so I wouldn't want to try it on a nice expensive brush first, right?!