Back in early November, Guy (@ram57) posted a photo in the weekly Shave of the Day thread that contained a great looking, wood handled brush with a large badger knot. In the post, he identified the brush as a Rubberset 49-4 with a 28mm HMB knot. At the time, I commented on its beauty, saying that it reminded me of a well-worn leather chair. Over the following few days I kept returning to Guy's post to have another look at the brush. I finally realized that I had to have one like it. After some further thought, I knew that just simply buying one wouldn't do, I had to RESTORE one myself to fully appreciate the brush. Off to 'the Bay' I went, getting outbid on several nice candidates until I just decided to bid high, and finally won a 49-4 with an astronomical bid of $4.50. It was all in one piece, and in reasonable shape as evidenced by the photo below. The old, boar knot was a fraction of its original size and stiff as a board. The black collar was full of micro-factures that under magnification reminded me of a dry, cracked Texas dirt field, a few weeks after a summer rain. The wood handle was covered in years of greasy grime and chipped in a few areas near the base and collar. The restoration proved to be easier than I expected. My dremel and pocket knife quickly removed what was left of the old knot, leaving a clean socket that was lined with a brass ring supporting the full height of the black collar. I wet sanded the outside of the collar as best as I could to remove the micro-fractures, but had to compromise somewhat and stop short before sanding through the lettering on the front of the brush. I sanded the wood handle smooth and successfully filled the chips, finishing with 400 grit sandpaper. Two coats of Minwax stain (Ipswich Pine) and several of semi-gloss spar urethane left the handle ready for a new knot. I decided to go with a badger knot from The Golden Nib, and since we are both located in the same area, I was lucky enough to be able to visit their shop to review a number of different knots to select the one that I liked. The brass ring inside the handle's collar measured 27mm in diameter, so I chose a bulb shaped, 26mm TGN 2-band Finest. To complete the restoration, I placed two commemorative Arizona quarters under the knot to establish the desired loft and glued everything together with Devcon 5-minute epoxy. Rubberset 49-4 Final Specs - Total Height: 142mm Handle Height: 88mm Knot: TGN 2-band Finest, bulb 26mm Loft: 54mm I love the look of the brush, and have a deeper appreciation for it because I gave it new life myself. It's my first full restoration, but it won't be my last. I had a lot of fun with the process. Thanks for the inspiration, Guy!
