Earlier this week I received two handles commissioned from Bob at Elite Razor: Desert Ironwood pre bloom Post bloom Buckeye burl/Blue resin composite handle My poor cell phone photos above don't fully convey the beauty of seeing these pieces in real life. Bob is a true artisan, as the craftsmanship of these handles is impeccable. He managed to draw out the dynamic grain inherent in the Desert Ironwood, creating a level of depth and color that really brings the wood to life. The 2-band silvertip knot seems to be just what I was looking for: soft tips with plenty of backbone. The overall brush is perfectly weighted and feels great in my hand. The Buckeye Burl/Blue resin handle is also stunning. It'll be difficult to find a knot worthy of the handle, but when I do I know that the finished brush will be a showpiece. The contrast of the lighter Buckeye Burl with the dark resin is amazing. I am extremely happy with the results of Bob's fine work. I cannot recommend his work enough. I had Bob create the Desert Ironwood handle because I happen to have a large Ironwood tree growing in my backyard. It has been the bane of my existence since I moved into my house 16 years ago, as the tiny leaves it produces find their way into my pool on a daily basis, and its needle-sharp thorns never fail to leave my arms a bloody mess come trimming time. Having a brush of the same wood will give me just a bit of satisfaction to know that in some small way that I'd have finally conquered the mighty Ironwood!
Sweet!! I have been looking forward to seeing yours. I will look forward to more soon...................
Thanks to all of the above gentlemen for your earlier kind words. Now that I've settled on a knot for the blue resin/Buckeye burl handle and completed the brush, I wanted to provide an update to this thread. After researching various knots, I decided to go with a 24mm shavemac, 2-band Silvertip bulb, largely due to reputation it has earned across the shaving boards for exceptional quality and performance. I felt that I had a responsibility to compliment Bob Quinn's beautiful handle with an equally fine knot. I received the knot from Germany last week, mounted it to a 50mm loft this weekend, and gave it an initial lather today. shavemac 24/50, 2-band Silvertip knot shavemac knot and Elite Razor composite handle Pre-bloom from Buckeye burl side First lather, post-bloom Comparison: WSP 2-band Silvertip (left), and shavemac 2-band Silvertip (right)