Looks awesome. I did kind of the same thing, only I used a cork from a wine bottle as a filler. Not too much weight but didn't have to use too much epoxy to set the knot.
Due to inexperience, it kind of surprised me at the "false bottom" in these brushes. Once I got everything cleaned out, I did not want to fill the bottom with epoxy ($$$) and wanted a firm base on which to set the knot. The dowel came to mind and turned out as I wanted. And thanks to David for the pointer on using silicone to set the knot. I am going to give this a try. I believe Jim has also used silicone to set some of his knots.
I finished restoring these two brushes. I set the knots with silicone and will let dry for a few days before the first lather. I decided to leave the mold lines, dings, etc as is. However, I did polish the handles to clean them up. The C40 (Red/White) has the Virginia Sheng Finest; the 153 (Green/Gold) has the TGN Best. Thanks to all for your advice.
Very nice. I have a couple of handles slated for my first restore. I haven't decided on knots yet. I would love to see you review both those knots.
Beautiful restore on those brushes! I agree with @mrchick and would love to see a review of the knots in your restored brushes!
Thanks to all. Once I am confident the knots are set, I plan to use the same shave soap (Krampert's Acadian Bay Rum) for a dozen or so shaves to "baseline" the knot's performance, bloom, etc. I will use on alternate days to insure the knots dry between each shave.
Brush 153 after first lather. Nice bloom..........this one is a keeper. Face lathered with Krampert's Acadian Bay Rum. (Shed 2 bristles)
Brush C40 after first lather. Nice bloom..........this one is a keeper. Face lathered with Krampert's Acadian Bay Rum. (Shed 1 bristle)
C40 lather pics and post-shave bloom. Krampert's Bay Rum. This is a very nice Virginia Sheng Finest. PS. Trusty Black Tip in background. It has not been off of the counter since acquiring from Jim.
