As many of you know, the decals on Simpsons brushes are the type that are attached by wetting, placing them on the socket and then letting them dry in place. Because of that, they are also UNattached by wetting. They are intended to come off when wet because they are supposed to indicate to the buyer that the brush is a new, unused, "official" Simpsons brush (this from Hannah at the factory). As some of you also know, consistency is not one of Simpsons strong points. I have two of their brushes. The label on the T2 came off the first time I got it wet. The PJ2 however, still has the label, even after repeated immersion in hot water. No special treatment...it just doesn't seem to want to come off. As for the Tulip label, I wanted to reattach it, but I never thought using clear nail polish was a particularly good solution. So I decided to try something else. Rubber cement seems to have done a reasonable job and it looks original, unlike what I imagine the nail polish looks like. I've never seen the nail polish fix, so if someone could post a close-up of that, I'd appreciate it. Anyway, take a look at the pics and decide if you want to give it a shot. Once the label comes off, gently pat it dry and let it finish air drying completely. It's very thin and delicate so be careful. Once it's dry, apply a very thin coat of rubber cement to the back of the label as well as to the spot on the handle where the label will be placed. Don't get any cement on the front of the label. Set both aside to let the cement dry thoroughly (10-15 minutes should do it). Once the cement has dried, gently place the label on the handle. Try not to touch the glued surfaces (easier said than done). Careful now; once the two surfaces touch, they really don't want to come apart, so make sure it's lined up correctly before you let them touch. Try to avoid air bubbles as they are difficult at best to remove. Blot gently with a tissue to make sure it's as well attached as possible. You will be left with some glue residue around the edges of the label from where you brushed it onto the handle. This can be removed by rubbing the excess with your finger. Careful here too. You will notice in the pic below that there are a couple of chunks missing from my label (orange arrows). I guess I got a bit heavy handed when I was rubbing off the excess. Try very hard not to touch the label while removing the excess cement. If you want to try it first (for those unfamiliar with rubber cement), just brush some cement on the end of the handle and let it dry. Then you'll see what I mean about rubbing it off. Anyway, I did this to my Tulip several weeks ago and, while I suppose I could MAKE it come off, I don't treat it especially gently. I completely submerge the brush in very hot tap water before I use it and the label shows no sign of loosening, though it is chipping a bit around the edges. The T2/PJ2 pic was taken a few weeks ago, just after I reattached the Tulip label. The smaller pic was taken this morning. Anyway, YMMV, but I'm happy enough with the results. Thought you'd like to know.
Michael, Exellent post, a real shavegeek worthy......one cannot think of too much methods to preserve the Simpsons label. Frankly Simpsons should develop a method to stick the label permanently to the handle. Until then, we'll have to find out our own methods. I use only clear nail polish and to me it works well, provided that you use ony light strokes... Judge from yourself from the pictures below...
I'm no expert in this field, but I read that people that make scales use CA coatings, could CA be used for this too?
Showing off again, Peter? Thanks for the closeups. I had imagined it would look obvious that there was a clear coat over the label. Those look nicely done.
Michael, Here are some more and better closeups from my PL 14 Best. You can clearly see the "smear" of the nail polish nd the use of a little too much in the lower corner right of the label. But don't forget that these are macroshots....
A PL14, Peter?! OMG, you must use an entire pot of shaving cream every time you use THAT monster!! Those pics are more in line with what I expected. Still, your labels are better protected from wear and tear (as seen in my small pic above...after only a few weeks of use). We are too anal retentive about this, aren't we?
When I get a Simpson, I apply one coat of clear nail polish and let it dry. The next day, I apply one more coat. If you apply too much, it may "melt" the label. One coat. Let it dry for a day. Apply another coat the next day. I don't have a good camera to show close-ups like those above (and they are terrific), but the nail polish cover on my brushes is hardly noticeable.
Not to sound like a blasphemer here....but I kinda like when the label comes off. But, the methods you guys use looks very nice.
I used to like the no label look myself, then as I started acquiring more brushes I had some with the label and some without. The collection didn't look as good on the brush rack that way so I had to fix it
I cant even afford a simpson brush Nice job with the labels though peter. And a nice job by Michael too. Somebody has to be willing to put their simpsons on the line for experimentation
I take pleasure in making sure it goes down the drain on the maiden voyage But then--I'm easily amused these days
Hahaha, too funny Chris I have been sealing mine too, but I haven't exercised as much care and mine are not as nice as the experts above
I fully expected the gold Simpson label to wash away on my newly acquired Polo 8 but through about 6 uses it seems to be intact. When I first started acquiring different Simpson brushes, I was adament about preserving the label....then grew to like the austere no label look...After trying 20 odd brushes from primarily luxury brands, the Polo series of brushes from Simpson appeal to me the most. Of course I haven't sprung for a Rooney Heritage Emillion or a HMW Plisson....
Just so you'll know, my rubber-cemented Simpson label is not holding up so well. It isn't coming off like the ones from the factory do, but it is chipping away slowly but surely. It's also turning green!! Guess it isn't real gold. My apologies for leading you astray...assuming any of you actually tried this at home!
