Opal Shaving Brush - looking for help

[SmokedStanley]

Looking for any info on this brush - Age and bristles?

So I was futzing around with some of my stuff and realized I had not tried out this Opal brush before and said it looks decent so I gave it a go. The knot doesn't look like it has been used much and the bristles are very stiff so I was thinking it must be boar. I gave it a long soak in hot water and made a quick lather but it still felt extremely stiff. I mean it softened up but not as much as I wanted so I rinsed and let it soak for another 1/2 hour in hot tap water and made another lather. Again, it was a bit more flexible but had a lot of back bone/scritch to it. I rinsed it out and looked at the bristles with a magnifying glass and most look like they have been cut at the ends rather than coming to a taper that you would expect with natural bristles.

Can anyone tell me if this could be an old attempt at making synthetic boar or if it is actually boar and just needs a long break in. These pics are after todays trial run.

 

[Ugmug]

Regarding the knot, it looks like a typical banded (dyed) boar knot. It was probably clipped into shape, which is likely the cause of the harsh feel.

 

[Tanuki]

I have an old Opal that I re-knotted. It looked much like yours, but blue. I have also seen that model in red. The original knot in mine was definitely boar, but too far gone for use.

I'm sure yours is a boar. Synthetic knots of that vintage are nylon. I have never seen a nylon knot with a dyed band. None of my nylon brushes are marked "STERILIZED". Opal did make some nylon brushes.

It would not surprise me if some of the bristles were trimmed by the manufacturer. Cost control.

From the Old School Shaving Brush site preserved on the Internet Archive:

"Opal Shaving Brush Inc. was originally called Pal Shaving Brush Company and was founded in 1948 in New York City. In order to avoid confusion with Pal razor blades it was renamed Opal Shaving Brush Company in 1957 and was active until 1973 when the founder, Adolf Schneider, passed away. Opal was pronounced O-pal."

 

[SmokedStanley]

Regarding the knot, it looks like a typical banded (dyed) boar knot. It was probably clipped into shape, which is likely the cause of the harsh feel.

I have an old Opal that I re-knotted. It looked much like yours, but blue. I have also seen that model in red. The original knot in mine was definitely boar, but too far gone for use.

I'm sure yours is a boar. Synthetic knots of that vintage are nylon. I have never seen a nylon knot with a dyed band. None of my nylon brushes are marked "STERILIZED". Opal did make some nylon brushes.

It would not surprise me if some of the bristles were trimmed by the manufacturer. Cost control.

From the Old School Shaving Brush site preserved on the Internet Archive:

"Opal Shaving Brush Inc. was originally called Pal Shaving Brush Company and was founded in 1948 in New York City. In order to avoid confusion with Pal razor blades it was renamed Opal Shaving Brush Company in 1957 and was active until 1973 when the founder, Adolf Schneider, passed away. Opal was pronounced O-pal."

Thank you both. Looks like I will have start putting this through its paces to see how it breaks in.