Due to a lot of issues in the past year or so, my brush restorations and production has been severely curtailed, but this week I decided to take some time to finish a long term personal project. When I obtained the short brush a couple of years ago it was a Generation 1 nylon fiber synthetic brush. The fibers were as if it were brand new even after 60 years of age. The larger Plymouth brush I obtained early last year. It had a very long boar knot and had been used as a dusting brush by a barber since it had talcum deep in the knot. When I saw both together in the box, I began to have a plan that would link the two together with Custom Two Band Badger knots I received from a supplier who will remain unnamed. Given the facts that poly(methyl methacrylate) known by DuPont's patented name "Lucite" and DuPont "Nylon" were not developed until the mid to late 1930s these materials were expensive to produce initially. The outbreak of World War II allowed for investment for mass production to bring down the costs of both plastic materials. With the war completed the now excess production was turned to consumer goods so we can safely ascertain that these brushes were both made after the war. http://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/plastics_history/default.aspx http://sharpologist.com/2012/09/syn...ow-they-relate-to-shaving-brushes-part-1.html As I stated earlier, I had a plan and a name for these two brushes. Given the size differential and the fact that they seem to have some commonality and I like nostalgia, I decided to name these brushes Mutt and Jeff. So I introduce to you my new brushes Mutt and Jeff. Here is a quick synopsis of what Mutt and Jeff was and is ... Mutt and Jeff was a long-popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched tinhorns." It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. Augustus Mutt is a tall, dimwitted racetrack character - a fanatic horse-race gambler who is motivated by greed. Mutt has a wife, known only as Mrs. Mutt (Mutt always referred to her as "M'love") and a son named Cicero. Mutt first encountered the half-pint Jeff, an inmate of an insane asylum who shares his passion for horseracing, in 1908. They appeared in more and more strips together until the strip abandoned the horse-race theme, and concentrated on Mutt's other outlandish, get-rich-quick schemes. Jeff usually served as a (sometimes unwilling) partner. Jeff was short, bald as a billiard ball, and wore mutton chop sideburns. He has no last name, stating his name is "just Jeff — first and last and always it's Jeff." However, at one point late in the strip's life, he is identified in the address of a cablegram as "Othello Jeff." He has a twin brother named Julius. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutt_and_Jeff For those who have never seen Mutt and Jeff, or have forgotten what they looked like here are some comic book covers to complete the reference. The short brush of unknown stock and origin does not have a pedigree or name associated with it so the fact that Jeff did not have a pedigree or even a first name in the early comics makes the association even stronger. The tall brush has a name with some distinction of "Plymouth." Tall Mr. Mutt has a distinctive first name of "Augustus," so that makes the association stronger as well. Both brushes were completed yesterday and are in the process of at least a 48 hour curing of the epoxy. Soon I shall have this pair in my permanent rotation. Thanks for viewing.
Those look great. I remember seeing Mutt & Jeff Comics in Old Newspapers in my Grandmothers Garage. I don't know what ever happened to them.
Those are magnificent Gary! The handles look so ambery you'd be expecting to find an encased prehistoric mosquito...
Nice looking handles GD. At first glance I would have thought the amber part was cellulose acetate. Great looking pair, congratulations.
Very nice work first off... and an informative and enjoyable read to share my morning "Cup o Joe" with *tip of the hat my friend*
