Wow a week later after adjusting the finish and soaking in teak oil; I then epoxied the knots and lathered to get rid of the badger smell. The Never Shed with a 21mm Best badger .... and the Dr Warren's Holdtite with an 18mm Finest badger Surprisingly that 18mm Holdtite build an AMAZING amount of lather! That said, neither are a slouch. And as always ... More to come.
some mighty fine work...when I finally find some free time again I want to get back into making brushes, you have inspired me.
Thank you. I do all my work from my apartment and much of my success is due to a mighty patient wife that put up with my silly hobbies.
Thank you, the Dr Warren's Holdtite is definitely pre 20's, so it could be in excess of a hundred years old.
I received in a group brushes a stenciling brush in very poor condition; I also needed some parts to repair a Hardright brush. So when I saw a Hardright in very unrepairable shape I knew it would provide me the parts to salvage and build three brushes (a fair trade). The donor ... The non-shaving brush ... The surgery is on ... Disassembled .... temp re-assembled Completed .... Sanded, epoxied, finished with teak oil, re-lettered and knotted with a 21mm Best badger. It was lathered and and makes me want keep it ... yes, it's that beautiful! And as always ... More to come.
Why do you think it was a stenciling brush? "it would provide me the parts to salvage and build three brushes" Three? Nice brush! Looks larger than 21mm in the pic.
Usually shaving brushes don't have part #'s imprinted on the back, paint left in the bristles, and the bristles cut nearly level. I salvaged the knot receiver for this one, the base cover for another (tiny) Hardright (waiting for 18mm badger knot), and the wooden core is being used to make another (waiting for the knot). I dropped in a knot that was just a hair under sized (could have used a full 22mm) so I set the 21mm ~3mm deeper. It has an GREAT feel in my hand and the look is the way Hardright should have kept making them like in the early thirties. Just my opinion.
I know lately it's been a little fast and furious on the restores and builds, but here's another ... This is how I picked up ... It is quite delicate in features ... walls of the socket were very thin and had a large wood plug in the center. I'm thinking it was a small duster brush. I removed the knot and ground out the center plug with a Dremel. I found the walls so thin, I decided to re-enforce it and was able to slide in a piece of 3/4 copper pipe. I epoxied it in to place and sanded it to 400 grit. I decided to try something different and India inked it. I followed up and removed most of it and then dyed it and removed most of that. This was with a coat of India ink and removed ..... I forgot to take a picture after dying it, but here it is oiled, 18mm Finest badger knot installed, lathered / rinsed out and Feed waxed. It a very nice brush with a vintage finish that lathers very well. I don't know why, but I founds 18mm knots are very under rated! And as always .... More to come.
Well, here's my two cents; This was gorgeous! Just needed teak or tung oil saturation. And... I would be concerned about the bristles of the knot turning green with copper going all the way to the top, plastic would have been a safer choice. And... With things that are made of wood, I like to see and appreciate the wood, not cover it up or blot it out. Not saying you don't do good work, just throwing my opinion out there.