Suavizar las puntas de una brocha de cerda "Smoothing the tips of a brush bristle" Has anyone try it ? Is it appropriate or this will damage the tips ?
In my opinion, doing anything other than just using it in the manner for which it was designed is asinine.
Yeah, it only takes a good 10 or so cycles to notice it softening. I wouldn't risk it even on the cheapest boar.
I don't think that doing that will hurt the brush, but I don't neccessarily think it will help soften it either..
I don't see how that would help break in the brush at all. When it comes to the piggies time and patience is required.
Gents, this is a process that Semogue (and some other boar manufacturers but not all) uses in their manufacturing process, albeit with a lathe and iron rubbing bit rather than by hand. Please look at time sequence 0:43 in the link below (takes you to a video) in which this process in being performed at Semogue. The end seen does not cut, but uses friction to induce and accelerate a process called flagging. http://imagensdemarca.sapo.pt/atualidade/barbear-a-moda-antiga-com-a-semogue/ Boar brushes are pronounced in how they flag. To have a flagged tip is one that has split into thinner shafts to make the tips softer. Natural painting brushes (boar) have a process similar to this applied for well over 150 years that allows the brush tips to hold more paint and to paint in a smoother fashion. Here is a video showing the same process for paintbrushes. Now not all boar hairs are the same in how quickly they flag. I have noted through experience in handling many different boar knots from different manufacturers that some knots require more flagging effort than others. Some users going the "all natural approach" of letting each shave and drying sequence to do this work on certain boar brushes have noted as long as a year before the brush is broken in enough. Others state that the same brush straight out of the box is totally satisfactory. That is personal preference which is subjective. Flagging however can be easily seen visually so the the level of flagging is a measurable by sizing of the end of the brush, not due to personal preference (subjective measurement). What this individual (in the OPs posting) is doing is continuing a process that the end user rarely sees or thinks about when buying and using certain brushes. It will not harm the brush. The process just continues the flagging process. Eventually however, the tips are fully flagged which means that the hair ends cannot separate further and the brush will stay at this flag level throughout its life cycle. Now you know the secret as to why Semogue brushes are desired by many users over other brushes. P.S. I discovered this while doing a large amount of research into synthetics and integrated some of the information into my article series: http://sharpologist.com/2012/10/synthetic-fibers-part-5.html Also, thanks to Teiste Brito for making me aware of the Semogue video.
I did have some success with a similar process to what was done in the op's video and the brush survived. In the end though, time and usage is still probably the most reliable method for break in IMO...
Ah, but there are other tricks to the trade than this one. Remember, three functions, water, friction and drying. Time can be reduced on two of the three, friction and drying, since the hair will absorb water at a given amount to saturation, but one must be careful in trying to reduce the elements or other issues can occur outside of the splitting of hairs.
I will do the Suavizar in one of my Omega Boars so the the difference It's not a bad thing to be "uneasy" sometimes.
Wow. I sure have learned a lot reading this thread. Thanks guys. PS, now I know why badger is so expensive! That's a labour intensive process.
Hmmm..food for thought.. Didn't consider a wetting and drying cycle in the equation..just raw horse power..or in this case pork power. And in the softening quest, I'm afraid I really got enthusiastic and put the brush through an other then gentle workout. The poor guy ended up kinda stressed..he was bristling the whole time..
Maybe I've been lucky. When I get a new boar brush, I lather it and also rinse it vigorously in my hand for several days before putting it to my face. Usually, the bigger brushes start to break in quicker, but the hand lather process usually helps the small/shorter loft brushes after about a week.
I just use it after i give it a good initial shampooing to just rinse the hog smell. They break in fine that way and it isn't like they hurt you during the break-in or anything.
Watching the video, I noticed something - this brush is already broke in. See how worn the finish is around the collar. I'm thinking this is just combing to prevent tangling, not anything to do to hasten the breaking in. Still think it's unnecessary.
I have one Semogue 1305 brush that is my favorite. It was great right out of the box. It has backbone and is very soft. It is a great face-lathering brush. They are doing something right.
I think the tips of my Owners Club is about as good as it will get and my 610 is extremely close with just my regular use. Next on my list is an 830 but still feel no need to just use it to enjoy the breakin experience.
