From scratched up to ...

Discussion in 'The Brush' started by GDCarrington, Nov 1, 2013.

  1. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    Very nice results. Love to see old brushes breathed new life.
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  2. david of central florida

    david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

  3. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Today's (8-16) Shave ...

    [​IMG]
     
    RaZorBurn123 likes this.
  4. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    My shaving plan for tomorrow (8-26-2014)

    [​IMG]
     
    RaZorBurn123 and ObiDon like this.
  5. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Shave for the 27th of September ...

    [​IMG]
     
  6. entropy1049

    entropy1049 Well-Known Member

    A bloody good save. Well done.
     
  7. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    10 December 2014 Planned Shave

    The Racer R314 is a solid performer so I will move back to it for a time and today it is paired with the restored Rubberset Boar.



    [​IMG]
     
    RaZorBurn123, 178-bplatoon and Archi like this.
  8. Mr. Droid

    Mr. Droid Well-Known Member

    So I have been restoring some brushes. I have about 20 or so in progress. That means bristles pulled, old filler removed. About 5 of those are totally ready for knot replacement, and I am expecting 11 knots to arrive for them any day now. I have been using the three stage Novus polish and judicious sanding to clean up handles in better shape, but I am at a loss as far as some of the rougher guys. Some are so cool looking, I don't want to toss them... as it is the way that the bakelite/catalin/plastic/wood/rubber has aged that appeals to me. So I need to experiment a little bit to figure out the best way to fix up the more beat up handles. But the bottom line is this- refurbishing old brushes is hard! And filthy! And incredibly time consuming! I have probably put a solid 40 hours into my ten most complete handles, and that is considering the fact that not a single one of them is 100% done. It is getting quicker, as I learn, and develop procedures to do it, rather than bumbling through with trial and error. So, good job! Your brushes are always beautiful, and as I now understand how much work goes in to it, I am even more impressed!
     
    theFAT98 and GDCarrington like this.
  9. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Thank you!

    You will find that the extremely damaged brushes may not be fully restorable but can yield understanding into tricks and techniques in restoring others. So don't worry if a few fall out of the process because of too much wear. BTW, some brushes actually gain character with a few flaws so sometimes it is best to know when to stop restoring.

    This particular process takes over 20 hours for this one handle alone, after the removal of the knot and preparatory cleaning. The process is a proprietary / experimental one. Most restores are much easier, but this one and one other like it were to say the least very difficult restores. Given my current health situation I have had to put the tools away for the next couple of months at least but I do offer suggestions for the restorer who gets in a bind from time to time.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2014
    theFAT98 likes this.
  10. Codfish

    Codfish Member

    I love these old handles, and you did a remarkable jog bringing this one back to life. Congratulations!
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  11. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Thanks!
     
  12. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Shave 24 January 2015

    [​IMG]
     
    RaZorBurn123 and Sevenbark like this.
  13. BigMark

    BigMark Tests razors by shaving Wookies

    Gary is that a carpet blade form Lowes!?
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  14. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    BigMark likes this.
  15. BigMark

    BigMark Tests razors by shaving Wookies

    That was a relief. I am shocked they are so cheap.
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  16. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Well I could only get 2 shaves from the stainless blades before they began to tug. Much better that the carpet blade which had to be stropped to make one shave. At the rate for the stainless , the cost is around $0.15 per shave including shipping. Compare that to injectors at $1 each for Chinese Schicks at 8 shaves each $0.125 per shave or some DE blades at $0.12 each for 4 shaves or $0.03 per shave, they are not a great value. Now maybe they would work better in the Durham Imitiation Straight, but I am not planning on trying it since I am involved in another little project.
     
  17. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    23 July 2015

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    You sure did a great job on that Rubberset, GD.
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  19. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    Goodness. You are truly gifted Burma Shave. :happy088:
     
    GDCarrington likes this.

Share This Page