I got started wet shaving back in July. I was looking for an affordable brush and everyone raved about the Tweezerman being a great brush at a cheap price. It was my first brush, but it did a good job for me. A while back, I had just finished shaving. I rinsed my brush and was squeezing out the water, when the knot literally popped out of the handle! I couldn't believe it. Luckily, it was completely intact and the handle looks clean. I need to glue it back with some epoxy, but I haven't ever done this before. I live close to Lowes and Home Depot, so those are my best choices for hardware stores. Some products listed on this forum aren't sold at these stores. Can someone recommend a god epoxy that I can find at one of these stores? Also, how much do I use? I don't want to mess this up and make a mess or had it pop out again. Any advice will be appreciated!
I've seen several threads with experienced brush makers saying they use plain old 2 part epoxy like Devcon 5 Minute 2 Part Epoxy. Others have had great luck with Loctite Marine 2 Part Epoxy which cures even when wet. You should be able to find any of these at Lowes or Home Depot or maybe even in the hardware section of your local department store.
That's exactly what I use. It really isn't difficult. Just take your time and don't use too much. If you over fill it, the epoxy will come out of the handle and get all over the hair.
Thanks for the advice! I looked online and Lowes does carry the Devcon Epoxy, so I'll pick up some of that tomorrow and see if I can get this brush back to work!
Be sure to.... Be sure to mix the epoxy on a non-porous surface like a plastic plate with a plastic spoon or knife. Sometimes mixing on a cardboard or wooden surface can absorb and throw off the mix and it won't set right. Until I learned this, epoxy never worked for me. Now it's just fine. Denatured alcohol is good for clean up. Best of luck in your repair!
Here are a couple of basic brush restoration tutorials for reference...of course, you can skip right to the end for your needs. Hope they help a little! http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=shaving_brush_tutorial http://pfbarney.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/restoring-an-old-shaving-brush/
Devcon 5 min 2-part epoxy is what I use for all my brushes and the restorations I do. Never failed on me. I think other epoxies will work fine, too. I would stay away from polyurethanes glues like Gorilla, they foam like hell and may squeeze out or push the knot up. I love Gorilla for my other woodwork, but work needs to be clamped when using this glue, otherwise, one will have some bad surprise. On most of my pens I use Gorilla, but I need to secure the parts with a strong rubber band so the glue is not pushing the inside brass tubes out.
I'm also a Devcon 5 min. fan. I can't live without this stuff. I get it in the large bottles. Some say Marine grade is the thing to use or the long cure stuff and not the 5 minute. Well,maybe, but I' had a test piece using Devcon submerged in water for over two weeks and still couldn't break it apart. I'm sure many of the epoxies are of similar makeup. But for some reason, brand loyalty, 20 yrs. good results,, I don't know. All I do know is the stuff works.
Maybe you should take this opportunity to find a nice vintage handle to fit that knot into. Or a ready made one from TGN - no drilling/cleaning required.
