Hi Everyone, When my sister heard about me breaking my shaving bowl, she said that she still had my Dad's old brushes and mug, and gave them to me. I know these are old, but I don't know how old, or anything about them, except that one is apparently from Austria and is a boar/badger mix. Any resident historians or restorers able to offer any advice? Is it safe to use these after cleaning? Could I get them restored if not? Ballpark cost of restoring if I choose synthetic knots? Thanks for any help!
Nice "SCORE"!! They look in pretty good shape...Depending on how badly the hair falls out I don't see why you couldn't use them for a while at least after a good cleaning..They can be reburbished/reknotted...There are several members here that can help you out better than I with info on that...
That's awesome! Family shaving heirlooms are the best. I'm far from an expert but IMHO they look like restore material. And if I were you, I'd do 1 badger, 1 boar, 1 synthetic. (Actually my personal preference I'd probably skip on the synthetic and get 2 different grades of badger and a boar, but that's just me). Restores are rather easy to do with an dremel, and a bit of epoxy. I buy all of my knots from thegoldennib.com But there are other places for quality knots too. When I wanted to do an elaborate re-knot for an expensive brush handle that I didn't want to mess up, I trusted it to our member GDCarrington. He does some of the best work around and was extremely professional. But you'd have to work that out with him.
Like 178-bplatoon stated, if the hair is not falling out just clean them and give them a try. That read/white handled one looks to be in great shape. I bet it will work just fine.
The red and white one should be a Ever-ready C40 or very similar. I have one that was reknoted and had a little weight added to it and I love it! The handle is perfect for me. I think it was knotted with a TGN Best Badger. Love the heirlooms though. Nice score!
The Barbershop brush was made by Franklin Toiletry in the 80's and usually came in a set including a mug and soap. The badger/boar mix is a little unusual, they're usually just boar. I'm in the process of re-knotting one of mine with a TGN finest badger. Here's a couple of mine: The red and white one is probably a Burma Shave brush, unless it's marked otherwise on the bottom. They were made with the same mold as the Ever-Ready models, but the Burma Shave brushes usually have the black band and no writing on the bottom. The white one is either a Surrey or Van Der Hagen, you might see if there is a sticker on the bottom. VDH bought out Surrey years ago, and are still producing that brush today, it's available at CVS, Walgreens etc.
Thanks for all the responses so far! None of the brushes have any stickers or writing on the bottom. I also like the painter style one the best. I'll wash them out well, then see if I want to do anything with it.
I have four vintage brushes with original knots currently in my rotation. I used anti-bacterial hand soap to kill any germs, then shampoo with Pert Plus - it has conditioner in it. Then just use as normal. No issues.
Very cool score. Well done. For me, I would not even restore them until they wear much more! I also tend to think that if they are your dad's (and haven't been used by others in the interim) then one shampoo and a good hot rinse with water is all you would need ??? I believe that I increasingly like the idea of family heirlooms.
Great to see these heirlooms! I totally agree on cleaning & using them. Two of my brushes are vintage. One 1980's De Vergulde Hand (boar) and one late 1940's Travel King (boar). Both perform great!
Use them and if they work well then that is a bonus for you and if you need them re-knotted then that is a bonus for you also!
I'm in the process of de-stinking these brushes with daily lathering on a VDH puck. The barbershop brush is losing hairs rapidly, so I will likely refurbish that one at some point.
All handsome brushes! When you re-knot the Barbershop, it looks like the finish on the wood handle needs some restoring too. BTW, some places to order new knots include www.thegoldennib.com and www.whippeddog.com.
