Attached are some pictures of an on-going brush restore. These are un-retouched pictures...straight out of the camera. I have no clue as to the history of this brush, how old it is, etc. As one can see, quality control was not at the forefront. The ridge lines on the upper portion are evident. Additionally, there are stains on the lower portion; the etching on the bottom is faded. With this said, I have seen a number of posts where the restorer sanded down the mold lines, cleaned up any staining, polished the brush, and retouched the etching on the bottom. I am leaning to installing a new knot and retaining the age and character of the brush. No sanding the mold lines, leaving the stains and etching as is. I do not want a "new" brush. I want an old brush with a "new" knot. I appreciate your thoughts as well of the thoughts of folks that have previously restored older brushes.
You need to deepen the hole to at least 12 - 15 mm deep so that your knot can have some backbone. You can use a Dremel drill bit to start the hole deeper and then use a burring bit like a Dremel 115 to get the hole larger, or use a standard drill and a Forstner bit.
Yes. I noticed how shallow the knot hole is. I have a drill press as well as a number of Forstner bits so I will deepen the hole. Just got to figure out the knot bristle I want to use.
The orange-ish and brown-ish material at the base of the knot was very brittle so I decided to drill it. The base is about 1/8th inch thick and then the handle is hollow. Once I get the old base removed and decide on a knot, I plan to fill the handle with epoxy to the level of the new knot base let it set. Once I get things tided up, I'll install knot. I am happy to see the handle is hollow because it will make the removing the remaining material easy. I also believe there will be less likelihood to damage the top of the handle.
I ran into the same situation with another handle. I filled the cavity with plumbers putty. It gave the handle some heft.
Here is a picture of a similar brush I restored. I chose a synthetic knot from TGN. I did sand the handle with 3000 grit sand paper to get a nice smooth finish.
Nice restoration. I am still not sure what I will do with the finish.....leave it rough and aged or polish it up. One step at a time.
Here is a picture of the 153 with the knot hole cleaned out as well as a C40 with the knot hole removed. Good advice from @GDCarrington on cleaning the knot hole. Also is a picture of the C40 test fitted with a Virginia Sheng Finest Badger (20mm/65mm) and the 153 test fitted with a TGN Best Badger (20mm/65mm). This brush making/restoration is addictive. A pox and cruse on you Jim. Just kidding. I do find making and restoring brushes both relaxing and pleasurable. All in all it is not to expensive but well worth the cost. I have a couple old long handle brushes coming in that may require around a 30mm knot. Just have to figure out what I an going to do with all of these brushes.
Thanks....I thought the C40 deserved the Finest a little more than the 153. However, of all of my brushes from boar to Silver Tip, I like the Best the best. I face lather 90% of the time and like the feel of the Best on my face. I have three Best Badgers coming in form Virginia and plan to use them on new builds/restorations. I also have a Larry/Whipped Dog High Mountain Badger on hold for just the right handle.
Very nice. I like the colour of the Best knot with the colour of that handle. Great. I also have a very similar handle and also fitted it with a TGN synthetic. I believe I widened the hole on mine to accept a 22mm knot. It's one definitely one of my most used knots
I ran this by Jim and got a thumbs up. I filled the hollow handles with a wooden dowel that is set in with waterproof silicone. The dowels provide the proper hole depth for the knots and will allow the knots to be set on something solid. This also gives the hollow plastic handles a little heft. After this sets-up, I will glue in the knots. I am thinking of using the silicone to set the knots. Thanks for looking.......
