How difficult is it to re-knot a brush with a different knot? Are their places that supplies the knots? I read the Muhle Synthetic knots are available too who supplies those?
I have only used The Golden Nib and I have been very happy overall, I had one complaint about hair loss in maybe 40 brushes, I never got to see the brush in question, shipping was more costly then a new brush....
Muhle supplies their knots to screw into their custom handles. You can strip down the threads, but at over $50 with shipping for a knot it is just a little too pricey. http://www.muehle-shaving.com/shop/classic/purist/halter___austauschkoepfe/143/238/1
Easy. What ya got? What do you want? The golden nib has a great selection. Just a matter of removing the old knot and gluing in a new one. Have to measure the opening for the new knot.
Gluing in a new knot is easy enough. Just make sure you have accurate measurements, before you order it. (Since I have no faith in my measuring skills, I use a digital caliper for that. They are not expensive.)
As Glen said the Golden nib. very good selection. The proccess is quite easy. I have an old travel brush I want to reknot for a shave set PIF. (But cant get the old brsh open....YET anyway) there have been a few step by step threads posted in the brush section over the last 12 months http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/brush-restoration.27211/ http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/another-re-knot-for-shawna-video.27590/ http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/iamthejodys-first-brush-restore.26400/ There are some other posts but these are just a few that I have found so far should help you out. as problems you may encounter are mentioned.
It is pretty intimidating the first time you attempt a reknot Brad, but the second one you do goes a lot easier because you have removed a lot of the unknown. PC Woodcraft is also a supplier of knots and has synthetics. I have used both TGN and PC Woodcraft and see very little difference between the two suppliers.
I have an Everready with a Lucite handle that currently has a rather floppy nylon knot. I want to re-knot with a badger knot.
What I did with mine, and I am not saying that it is the right way, was to take a pair of needle nose pliers and reach down into the center of the knot and gripped a small section of the hair and twisted and pulled. That section came out, so just proceeded to pull it all out a bit at a time. I always try the simplest thing that can think of first. How the old knot comes out depends a lot on how it is held in. In my case it was old brittle glue. Clipping and drilling is probably the next choice (IMHO). The reknot threads are good info. Good luck.
A little trick I learned from a Newb doing one of these that had never read the "Cut the Knot" part Take the brush and snug the bristles in a bench vice, right at theedge of the handle, now crush the knot, release, spin and crush again, so the knot is in the vice and the handle is out as close to the handle as you can get it to grab... About half the time with a little twist, the old knot will fall out, nice and neatly without having a bench full of cut bristles I always at least try it before I make the mess of cutting them
Have you decided what knot you are going to use yet? I personally like TGN super 26mm with extra hair, set at 50mm, i've tried a few TGN knots and would have that one down as the best and a very good choice for anyone thinking of a re-knot, good luck, dont forget to post the result. Jamie.
Over the weekend, I was able to receive confirmation that the knots used in Mühle brushes are available by special order. Members are able to obtain nearly any knot from any of their current lines in existing sizes. According to Christian Müller, General Manager of Mühle: "Requests for special knots are welcome through http://www.muehle-shaving.com/company/contact. However we are limited to the ring sizes 19, 21, 23 and 25. We are unable to experiment with different loft sizes and lengths." Since there are so many knot types and sizes, pricing will vary by size and material. This is great news for the shaving community!
Sorry but i don't agree about that Look 2 pure badger knots from PC W that they gave me: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/why-should-i-glue-those-pure-badgers.37862/#post-669962 TGN's pure badgers are one of the best in the market I have use 22-24mm,excellent quality. Can not compare them with PC W knots.
If it would have been hard, I could have never figured it out. The hard part is not to be scared to screw things up. If you do, hopefully you learn something and move on to the next one.
You know, I never compared them like that. I've since sold all of my brushes except for a handful (of which, none are PC Woodcraft knots) so I can't. That sucks man, I'm really bummed you had a negative experience. Mine lathered great still, I just never did any type of side by side.