Several months ago I was fortunate enough to win a vintage Ever-Ready 115 brush handle as part of a PIF from @TitanTTB. The old knot had been removed before it was sent to me, so all I had to do was clean and polish the handle and perform some additional expansion and clearing of the socket to accept a new knot. I expanded the hole from about 19mm to approximately 21.5mm so that the handle would accommodate a larger knot. After trading several emails with the good folks at TheGoldenNib, I was invited to visit their shop, which is located about 30 minutes from my home. I grabbed the handle, drove across town, and we reviewed several knots of various grades, shapes, and sizes. I eventually selected a 20mm, TGN 2-band Finest badger in a fan shape. Using 5 minute epoxy, I set the knot at 51mm, which I hope will perform well for bowl lathering. Photos of the finished product can be seen below: Pre-Bloom: Post-Bloom: Glory Shot:
Don, that looks fantastic. I am a big fan of TGN Finest knots. Set at 50mm you should be good to go with either bowl or face lathering. I am waiting on a handle and I'm thinking of going with a fan shape this time around. Look forward to hearing you thoughts on the brush.
That is a good looking brush. Ever Ready made such a vast range of brushes, it never ceases to impress me. If a modern manufacturer managed to make a fraction of similarly designed brushes, I would be a fan for life. But until then, it looks like I have some knot replacing and handle polishing to do.
Gentlemen, thank you for the kind comments. A few test lathers have me believing that the TGN Finest knot hits the sweet spot of having soft tips AND good backbone... exactly what I was after.
It really turned out great Don. Nice to see a vintage handle back in action & good choice on the TGN finest, its a excellent knot. Here's the before picture...
