Well, it has been a long time coming. I finally got my hands on an original Rubberset 400. Here it is, all polished up, and the original knot lightened up.
One day I will find one of the Rubberset 400 handles for a decent price... Around here even just the handles are crazy
I didn't think I would find one, but this one was had for $30, and it came with a Swedish CVH straight razor. You just need to check the "Make Offer" and "Buy it Now" sections Of eBay, often.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Bleach. Here is what I did. Quite dangerously. First, hydrogen peroxide soak. That had little effect. I got annoyed, then rinsed most off, and soaked in bleach. I let the chemical reaction happen between the two chemicals. It heated up, as I swished it around, and it started foaming. I quickly rinsed and soaped it, to remove all chemicals. Viola, it worked, I didn't die, and the bristles didn't melt.
Ok, here is my opinion, of the original Rubberset 400 brush knot: "It is sub par". Maybe their quality control, or where they sourced their Boar Hair from, but it cannot come close to the Omega knots. The original boar knot is too stiff, and doesn't lather well. While almost every modern made boar knot does a fantastic job of lathering, compared to the vintage Rubberset. Perhaps 80+ year old knots don't age well. Any opinions on this??
Late to the party. Love my Rubberset 400/3, but the OG knot was awful. I guess that makes me a member of the club. (A REAL member, @Paul Turner )
It's like if there was a Gibbs Adjustable Club and you had a Yaqi "The Final Cut" Adjustable and wanted to join. It ain't the REAL thing
Look at Jim's Rubberset 400/3 in post #1214 Many brush makers have emulated and quite frankly, copied the Rubberset design.
Thanks Joseph. Not enough time to get here often but I'm also a REAL member here (with a No #, a #3 and a #4) and still get email alerts when there's a post here