Scored this ever ready 100T at an antique store and thought I’d embark on my first restoration. I’m happy with the way it’s turning out. Most of the gunk came off of the handle with some scrubbing and a good degreaser. I’m planning to put a new 22mm badger knot in it. Any pointers I’d appreciate early on. This is my first brush restoration. Also what’s the biggest differences between the feel of synthetic and badger etc?
Ever Ready 100T brush restoration
- Thread starter DMAN1213
- Start date
Great looking brush - reminds me of a tuxedo. Nice find and good work!
Nice clean up!
My steps:
Wrap knot tightly with cellophane or masking tape
Cut knot off close to handle with an old Gem razor blade and discard
Carefully gouge out the base of the knot. Be patient. I use a cheap lightweight gouge from a craft store carving set. Supplemented with an x-acto knife. Do not lever against the handle. It might crack.
Clean up the cavity with a little sandpaper as needed.
Don't force the knot in. Sometimes the diameter of the glue bump exceeds the stated diameter of the knot. With that 100T handle, if necessary just get a smaller knot. With wooden and some solid plastics you can drill or carve out a larger cavity. I doubt that would work on your 100T.
I glue them in with silicone adhesive, not too much. If it pops out, you can easily clean out silicone adhesive and re-glue with a bit more.
General comments:
I did not re-knot my E-R 100T. It didn't come in a box, but I'm still trying to break it in and get the pig stink out of it.
I have re-knotted quite a few brushes at this point, including E-Rs. Getting the knots out is usually straightforward.
The feel of synthetic, badger, and even boar knots varies a lot between different sources, grades, densities, and types of hair/fiber. And over time as well, as the knot breaks in and eventually breaks down. I like stiff, scrubby boar. To get it I look for narrow unbleached knots and loft them low. So even how a knot is mounted affects the feel.
There are many brush reviews out there that focus on knot feel. Lather building and lather release are also issues. Or you can ignore all that, pick a knot that looks good in your brush, and you'll still have fine shaves if you give your lather a couple minutes to hydrate your stubble before you start to shave.
My steps:
Wrap knot tightly with cellophane or masking tape
Cut knot off close to handle with an old Gem razor blade and discard
Carefully gouge out the base of the knot. Be patient. I use a cheap lightweight gouge from a craft store carving set. Supplemented with an x-acto knife. Do not lever against the handle. It might crack.
Clean up the cavity with a little sandpaper as needed.
Don't force the knot in. Sometimes the diameter of the glue bump exceeds the stated diameter of the knot. With that 100T handle, if necessary just get a smaller knot. With wooden and some solid plastics you can drill or carve out a larger cavity. I doubt that would work on your 100T.
I glue them in with silicone adhesive, not too much. If it pops out, you can easily clean out silicone adhesive and re-glue with a bit more.
General comments:
I did not re-knot my E-R 100T. It didn't come in a box, but I'm still trying to break it in and get the pig stink out of it.
I have re-knotted quite a few brushes at this point, including E-Rs. Getting the knots out is usually straightforward.
The feel of synthetic, badger, and even boar knots varies a lot between different sources, grades, densities, and types of hair/fiber. And over time as well, as the knot breaks in and eventually breaks down. I like stiff, scrubby boar. To get it I look for narrow unbleached knots and loft them low. So even how a knot is mounted affects the feel.
There are many brush reviews out there that focus on knot feel. Lather building and lather release are also issues. Or you can ignore all that, pick a knot that looks good in your brush, and you'll still have fine shaves if you give your lather a couple minutes to hydrate your stubble before you start to shave.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the information and pointers! I’ll definitely put those tips to use. When I go to take it apart I’m sure I’ll be back with an update and photos as well. Your comments about the knot feel has definitely stirred my interest… I’ll be doing more research. I could see where I’d like the feel of a stiffer boar knot but… I guess the only way to truly know is to try it all.
I picked up a green and off white brush that looks pretty much the same as yours. Interestingly enough, the knot was already loose. The lady at the thrift shop that sold it to me claimed that it was a feature to make it easier to clean. The original knot was a boar knot. Anyway, the handle itself had some stink to it, especially inside the hole. Attempting to get rid of the stink as I would with some new knots didn't do much. What eventually worked was to use an ultra sonic cleaner and it took a few sessions.
I opened up the hole to accept a 22mm Finest Badger knot. The handle originally did not have a normal floor at the bottom of the hole. The entire handle was hollow. I found a piece of cork and carved it up to fill the handle up to where I wanted the knot to sit on something.
Everything worked out well, and the brush is delightful to use.
Enjoy your project.
I opened up the hole to accept a 22mm Finest Badger knot. The handle originally did not have a normal floor at the bottom of the hole. The entire handle was hollow. I found a piece of cork and carved it up to fill the handle up to where I wanted the knot to sit on something.
Everything worked out well, and the brush is delightful to use.
Enjoy your project.
Nice photo. You're getting off to a great start. I restored the exact same model and color. After cutting off the old knot, I spent a lot to time trying to remove (unsuccessfully) all the remains of the knot with a U shaped chisel. I finally gave up and sought help on B & B. Rudy Vey recommend using Forstner bits in a drill. I took Rudy's advice and bought a set of Forstner bits, which worked great. Using increasing sizes of Forstner bits, I removed all of the old knot, glue, etc. I'm not a real tool guy and I had never heard of Foerstner bits. They're sort of router bits for drills.
- Thread starter
- #7
It did stink some at first and I soaked it in vinegar and water to kill the odor, it did help some. I haven’t broken it open yet and I do anticipate some odor.
Hmm… “A feature that makes it easier to clean.” Haha maybe so.
Ive wondered how the knot would sit in there. I imagine I’ll have to create something for it to sit on as well. We’ll see. I’ll definitely use that same trick if needed.
Would you say an ultrasonic cleaner has been worth it for you? Ive done many Razor restorations and wondered if it’s worth it.
Thanks for the insight.
Hmm… “A feature that makes it easier to clean.” Haha maybe so.
Ive wondered how the knot would sit in there. I imagine I’ll have to create something for it to sit on as well. We’ll see. I’ll definitely use that same trick if needed.
Would you say an ultrasonic cleaner has been worth it for you? Ive done many Razor restorations and wondered if it’s worth it.
Thanks for the insight.
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks, I’m a big fan of the black and white two tone. I love the simple feel of the handle in the hand.
Wow so it’s pretty tough to remove. I wonder how a drimmel tool would work. I have a quite a lot of bits I could try. I’ll keep the Foerstner bits in mind for sure if the drimmel is a failure.
Interesting! I use forstner bits to drill out the wooden handles I turn, in a drill press or mounted on my lathe. They are primarily used to make flat bottomed blind holes. Did you use them in a hand drill as a sort of router bit? I might have to try that. Or I might mount a router bit in my drill or Dremel to clean up after difficult knots.
I use the Foerstner bits in my electric hand drill as a sort pf router bits. Works well, but there is a learning curve. I'm working on another vintage Ever Ready brush today.
- Thread starter
- #11
So I just started with a pointed dremmel bit to work straight through it, then worked my way up with something in a bigger diameter. Works pretty well… however be extremely careful if you use this method because it’s easy to slip and bump the handle.
I also have an update coming about my handle that’s very interesting… I’ll update soon.
I also have an update coming about my handle that’s very interesting… I’ll update soon.
Attachments
- Thread starter
- #12
So last night I was going to remove the old knot by using the steam method I seen on YouTube. I figured let’s give it a shot, seems pretty straight forward. Got my water up to a rolling boil, stuck a glass in the pot, put the brush in the glass, then placed the lid on top. Pulled the heat down to about 3/4 on the stove. I set my timer, it was recommended to wait 30mins. When I came back to check on it I looked down in the glass and was horrified…. I pulled out…. this
So maybe I didn’t do everything right, but word of warning to those who decide to try this… understand there is a risk of melting something.
After some colorful words and frustration… I
picked up the brush…. and it might seem insane, but it felt great in the hands.
Now I know it’s very odd… I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so I decided to do some work on it. I’ve spent my day sanding it all down smooth. I’ve primed it, painted it and I’m finishing the epoxy now. I’ll post an update tomorrow. It’s coming along way better than expected.
So maybe I didn’t do everything right, but word of warning to those who decide to try this… understand there is a risk of melting something.
After some colorful words and frustration… I
picked up the brush…. and it might seem insane, but it felt great in the hands.
Now I know it’s very odd… I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so I decided to do some work on it. I’ve spent my day sanding it all down smooth. I’ve primed it, painted it and I’m finishing the epoxy now. I’ll post an update tomorrow. It’s coming along way better than expected.
I tried steaming out knots 3 times. The first time, it worked great and the knot lifted out. The second and third times the knots were still firmly stuck in the handles after 45 minutes of steaming. I've moved on to drilling out the knot stumps with Forstner drill bits, which works great. Good luck in your restoration after the setback.
- Thread starter
- #14
I’m sure I did something wrong, that was about 25-ish minutes when I discovered that. But I tried pulling it out ever which way and it didn’t budge. The drilling method I definitely prefer myself… especially now.
I love my ultrasonic cleaners. I use them for razors, brushes and for watch repairs among other things. they also work for cleaning gun parts and knives too..... My wife also has one for cleaning jewelery.
I have never used steam to free a knot. Now I doubt I ever will.
- Thread starter
- #17
I definitely won’t. I’ll just say the brush cooled down before I did.
Steam / Heat is NOT good for brushes it WILL warp / mis-shape your brushes.. Dont EVER DO THAT !!!!
That bit where you work on to explore the shocking result and maybe make a functional brush.... I have definitely gone there too.
I have at least two brushes that primarily exist to remind me of what NOT to do. And their lather making qualities are fine.
When boring out the remains of the old knots with Forstner bits, I almost always inadvertently bore through the "floor" under the old knot and end up with a hollow brush handle. This hasn't been a problem since the new knots fit snugly in the handles and don't slip. After several months of gluing new knots into handles, the knots are still firmly in the handles and the weight is fine. An alternative is to fill the hollow handles with marbles, epoxy, cork, etc. to create a new "floor."
Similar threads
