A Newbies Quest.

Hi all, thought I'd just share my first attempt at making a brush handle.
After a bit of research I settled on the Rubberset 400 brush design. With the 400 being out of my price range, what's a man to do?
Mk2 is in the works.

 

That's beautiful work. You really did a nice job
What material did you use?
I think you can sell those if you are interested!

 

That is fantastic. You would certainly be able to sell the handles if you wanted.

 

great job, they are right. those look very nice.

 

Nicely done!

 

You did a very nice job, I really like the design, did you carve by hand or turn it on a lathe?

 

I agree. My three creations can be seen in my avatar. It's fun. I would love to have a lathe.

 

Very well done. Where do you get your knots? What kind of wood is the handle?

 

Douglas, I notice you are new to the Den. Please drop by the Newbie forum and introduce yourself for a proper welcome.

 

Nice job!

 

Thank you all for the kind comments.
The next piece of the puzzle is knot size. Does anyone have a suggestion for a particular knot size (diameter) and why would you use that particular size?
Any comments appreciated
The material is a rare local from the deep south west called Lace Sheoak.
Can be hard to find but the grain is wonderful.

 

That is one fine looking handle, nice job. Enjoy.

 

Do you use a lathe or some other method? I would love to see the work in progress. The knots in my brushes are 22mm x 65mm. The short one is 20mm x 60mm.

 

I use 30 mm silver tip badger knots, they work very nice I cam pm you where I order them

 

Hi Jayaruh, I use a small bench mounted metal lathe, not the best option for this sort of work, but does give me the flexibility to turn wood and metal.
I'm still trying to get my head around knot diameters. Is it personal preference or soap loading benefit etc????
Can you pass on any wisdom my way?
Thanks.

 

My biggest knot is about 25mm. That is about an inch. It is one of my favorites. The bigger the knot, the more the soap. It is a matter of preference and sometimes economy. When you order a particular size, you will probably still have to tweak your handle to fit. Sometimes you may want to set the knot deeper to give it a little more stiffness. I am not an expert here. I'm sure others have more valuable information to impart.

 

If you don't mind would you include me in that pm. Thanks in advance.

 

Thanks Ceferguson.

 

I've had good luck with 22mm over the years. I'm sure they are quite different after they are broken in.

 

Thanks for the good info.
Will order a couple of different size knots tonight.
Now I'll have to play the waiting game hanging out for the knots to arrive.