I found it. I was WAY off base. This ad is from 1907. Your brush is going to be from that time period since they didn't use this logo for very long.
Wow. Glad I didn't set the knot yet. I was trying to decide if it was worth sending off to be refurbished and replated in the original nickel before epoxy. I think the answer is "yes." That ad is lying. Rubberset bristles can come out without tools. It just takes a hundred years for that to happen. It's too bad they didn't keep using that logo. It's one of the classiest they had. Thank you for finding that. Looks like you get to put another entry into your website.
They went to this in 1963. https://trademarks.justia.com/721/75/rubberset-72175690.html I think I may have a brush in my box that has this logo.
Just picked up on of these on a whim earlier today by throwing out a low bid I didn't really think would stick...but it did... I've seen these models now and then but I like the look of this one quite a bit as it both has a bit of a distressed look but seems to be in good overall shape. Any help in dating it, at least roughly, would be greatly appreciated.
All I know is that they didn't start sterilizing them until about 1921 or so. So I'd say between 1921 and 2015. Hope that helps.
Well it does narrow it down! I'd be tempted to say that it's not made in the last 40 years so...maybe 1921-1975?
Seriously I wouldn't date it any later than the 50s I might help to try and find out when they quit putting Albright's name on the trademark. I know he founded the company and I believe he died around 1930.
Found some Albright information as it pertains to Rubberset brushes: (The below, by @bladeshark , B&B post): "1/ Andrew Albright, Sr. Andrew was a farmer who had a vision for covering horse harness trimmings with hard rubber. His idea was met with great skepticism as the popular and accepted covering based on longevity and durability was leather. Ultimately, after a lot of experimenting, he found a way and patented it in 1873. This same method would work to fix bristles permanently on shaving and paint brushes. Andrew Sr. died in 1905 a successful and wealthy man. 2/ Andrew Albright Jr. He took over the company after his father's death and decided to focus on the brush division as an area for business growth even though the profit margin was very small. Sales volume would be the key to financial success. Like his father and namesake, he was a visionary and saw what the emerging automobile market was doing to the horse and buggy industries and could see a demand for consumer shaving brushes, not just barber ones, as home shaving became common place with the popularity of the brand new Gillette disposable safety razors. He organized a contest with his employees on what to call the brush division and the winner was "Rubberset". Two months after his father's death he started using this as a company name. It was still a division of the parent company "Rubber and Celluloid Harness Trimmings Company". He launched huge advertising campaigns that took years to recoup the investment. It paid off in multiples and was very bold for the day. He was President of the company until 1929. This is the beginning of the Great Depression and he lost the Presidency in a reorganization. 3/ Elizabeth (Albright ) Spurr Andrew Sr's other child and Andrew Jr.'s older sister. She had been a VP since 1919. She ran the company from 1929 to 1934. 4/ Bristol-Myers Two months before Elizabeth passed away she sold the company that her father had founded to Bristol-Myers. No doubt the success of the Rubberset toothbrush was a primary draw. The tooth brushes we take for granted today were state of the art at this time. Oral hygiene had taken a leap into the future. 5/ Sherwin-Williams Bristol Myers sold the company to Sherwin-Williams in 1956. The patents for the Rubberset paint brushes, particularly rolling brushes, were cutting edge and likely were the primary draw. Sherwin-Williams still owns the company today and has phased out shaving brushes over the years. Sherwin-Williams changed the Rubberset logo in 1956 and a similar version is still used today. This logo is often used to date brushes made after 1956."
Well that narrows it down. 1921-1934. And that info is on the homepage of the website under discussion, created by bladeshark.
That sounds right to me too. I believe Rubberset's original brushes would have all had wooden handles like this one. The wood is boxwood and actually cleans up nice if you ever wanted to strip and stain it.
Thanks. As far as restoration goes I think I will actually keep most of the patina and wear and just clean it up a bit, oil the wood and re-knot it. I kinda like its distressed look so no paintwork or high gloss polish
I totally agree, that is a very classy logo that they should have kept. It still looks elegant a century later. I'll be sure to add that model to my site today. I'm glad you found that one and will be restoring it. It's a great piece. I'm a big fan of their metal brushes and also looked into have them replated. I was told by the replater that this metal couldn't be redone. I hope you have better luck. Here are the pieces I was going to have chromed: A quick side note if anyone is interested... I had commissioned a gentleman to scan a copy of Rubberset's entire 1921 catalog. It was in an archive at Rutgers University in New Jersey and it took awhile to get the logistics down. It is available to all here: http://home.comcast.net/~bladeshark1/pdf/Rubberset Catalog Number 15 - 1921.pdf
Did the plater say why it couldn't be replated? Mine appears to be made of brass, so it should be able to be replated. The biggest concern would be stripping off the old plating, and repairing the dents in the base cap. Even if it can't be replated, as long as the dents were removed, I could live with the current plating, which is in pretty decent shape, considering it's age. Luckily, the threads are in perfect condition.
He said if it was brass it would be good to go. If it was a mix of brass and pot metal he could put it in an acid bath to strip the plating but when he goes to replate it it won't stick. No going back once it's stripped. I chose not to try it although I'm still tempted.
I thought I would update this information: The link (https://trademarks.justia.com/721/75/rubberset-72175689.html) states that it was first used commercially in 10 November 1956. In July of 1956 Bristol-Myers sold Rubberset Company and Rubberset Company, Limited (Canadian division) to Sherwin Williams after owning them for 22 years. I'm sure they were acquired for their innovations and patents in the area of paint brushes. Right after the acquisition Rubberset changed their logo. According to this trademark registration: November 10, 1956 - first used August 23, 1963 - trademark was applied for July 21, 1964 - trademark granted October 21, 1984 - trademark expired This is the logo still used today and the stylized "R" in the logo can be used to quickly identify the last generation of the brushes --- post 1956.
