I got busy today and completed the Vulfix 404 brush restore Ive had sitting on the bench. The "Grosvenor" started off with a 21mm mixed badger/boar knot which I pulled and then bored out the handle to 26mm to fit a 2 band TGN knot I had on hand. The lettering was extremely faded so polished the handle, eliminating all text. I think it turned out pretty good. The Vintage Simms handle is just about ready for the 18mm TGN Finest knot ive got on order. I tried to repaint the lettering but the handle is worn too much to hold paint in all the logo. Im thinking I might leave it in this semi restored state, giving it that retro look. Interestly the Simms Brush Co has a long history in Canada (130+yrs) The company was started by a civil war veteran in Maine and then moved to Nova Scotia. I have not found any information on thier shaving brushes other than some mention on the other forums. It would be cool to date this brush though.
If it's the same "Simms" company in Canada I tracked down they appear to at least at some point have been located in Saint Johns New Brunswick and was maybe more known for their paint brushes. It was founded in 1866 and it appears as if they are still around. Yours appears to be a rather early product as the ones that pop up, when they do, are often full resin duo-colored ones. According to the patent trademark filing in the 1960's it still covered shaving brushes at that time. An online quote about their later manufacturing facilities: "T.S. Simms Brush Factory is truly an anachronism in appearance as factories go these days. It’s a late Victorian era design known as daylight construction, and was popular for area shoe factories and cotton mills. Opened in 1912, its windows originally had 25,000 panes of glass. The plant was the first all-concrete building in the city and also the first to have a fire sprinkler system. T. S. Simms is the leading brush manufacturer in Canada and their name is seen on some 700 product lines worldwide. The Simms’ name is also attached to the nearby confusing corner known for its strange traffic patterns... so strange everyone slows down and there is rarely an accident." On one of their price lists one can see at least some of their locations at the early 1950's:
