I stumbled across this earlier and it has made for some very interesting reading: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403022/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Note to individuals traveling to 1920's Manhattan- As tempting as it may be, do not purchase shaving brushes from street vendors as their wares may not have undergone proper sterilization procedures.
Congrats. I didn't realize you made parole. Much has transpired while you were in the Big House. Just stay with synthetic brushes, and you should be OK.
NOS from the twenties or before may be questionable even in the action of re-knotting. I've been known to take extra precautions such as a filtered respirator and extra care on cleanliness. I'm not the hypochondriac type and I use vintage gear nearly exclusively, but anthrax is no joke and is the reason that ALL my pre-sterilized brushes are re-knotted.
my canadian ruuberset and fuller both have original knots and both say sterilized on the bottom. i have noticed that new brushes do not state that anymore.any idea of the era of these brushes?40s -6o?
My guess would be 50's or 60's depending on if they were bakelite or not. The one on right looks to be an older style.
I found Ever Ready, Rubberset, Erskine, Simms and Made Rite copied each other. Some others ones such as Fuller, Klenzo, Stag, Rex, and Mohawk contracted some of the major brush makers to manufacture their brushes.
Now that you know they are anthrax-free, are you going to use them, re-knot them, or....? Just curious.
the rubberset on the left has been a nice brush to use. the fuller needs to be repaired and the knot is quite stained.because the handle comes apart at the joint it would be easier to re knot it.
That Fuller restored would look great repaired, weighted, given a high polish and re-knotted with a nice badger or boar!
you bet, that is my plan. i have a new marine epoxy kit.i just purchased an omega 10005 beechwood with nice boar knot. in a recent post.being a model car builder i have very fine sandpapers, dremels and polishing kits.i plan to do this, take my time and post it.i have seen your restos and they are fantastic. any tips or pointers , i would be grateful.thank you, gary. where is the best place to source knots.?which would you recommend ,badger or boar.? i like either..is the omega a worthy knot? the black part of the brush doesn t feel brittle like bakelite..
One pointer I'd give to start (I've had to learn a few times) protect the handle with electrical tape. A dancing Dremel across its surface, is nearly impossible to sand and polish out. PM me any time you have questions or need direction. I like both badger and boar, but lean a bit more to the badger. Omega has nice knots for boar and @Jayaruh has made up a nice sizing chart. I'm looking at purchasing badger from Frank shaves or Vigshaving.