Does anyone know of someone that does really good work with refinishing burl wood handles? Going to need a refinish in the near future and looking for the best possible type of finish on my brush.
Refinishing handle help?
- Thread starter clong82
- Start date
Could you post a picture or two of the brush? There are some options: Marine Spar varnish, CA glue all can give you a good protection.
If there is already a knot installed makes things a bit harder to do and i would opt for the marine varnish (I think McCloskey is the right stuff, and I use it from time to time).
If there is already a knot installed makes things a bit harder to do and i would opt for the marine varnish (I think McCloskey is the right stuff, and I use it from time to time).
- Thread starter
- #3
Here is a picture of the brush, and let me preface this image by saying that I did speak with the maker and he gave me ideas on what to do, but I would rather have a professional do work on this brush rather than myself because I love this brush so much. It is beautiful and it works like a dream, I plan to give this brush to my future son (if I have one), because I want to pass on the knowledge of straight razor shaving to my next generation and I want them to have things that I have cherished so they can use the great tools that I have used. You can see at the bottom of the handle that it has started to crack, and I can live with that (it is fine to me for now) and I believe it has had to do with the climate change to my part of the world, but I want a rock solid finish on it so I will not have to worry about cracking in the future. Any ideas will be apreciated.
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Dang, that is a breathtaking handle. What size is that knot?
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- #5
Thanks DC_MPA, I have to agree it is a gorgeous handle and I have been extremely pleased with this brush and the only reason I believe it is cracking is because of the climate or settling of the wood because I take very good care of my brush. It is a 24 mm grade A silvertip badger. Looks even way better when you have it in your hands and it has a great weight to it.
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- #6
So I am thinking of sanding it down completely, but only when the time comes that I absolutely have to, and putting a lacquer finish on it. From what I have read from numerous woodworking sites and woodfinishing information, it would be best to go with a lacquer because it is durable, it will withstand the subtle movement of the wood due to the plasticity of the lacquer, and it will retain that slightly glossy shine to it. Any comments on this idea?
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- #7
So nobody else has any information they would like to share.............
Lovely brush. I recently redid an old wooden brush (not as nice as yours) by taping the bristle with masking tape to protect them. I applied some stripper to remove the old varnish and let it sit for 30 minutes and rubbed off the old finish. I sanded it down with fine paper and let it dry for a day then applied several coat of marine varnish. It came out well. I am not sure that this will help with the cracking problem though.
The marine varnish is a common suggestion for wooden brush handles. The fine gentleman at Woodcraft also recommend lacquer as a durable finish. You can buy quality lacquer in a spray can rather than having to brush it on. I plan to try this on my next wooden brush handle overlaid by wax. I've got a handle in the works right now finished with pure tung oil, but it will take about a month to cure, maybe longer since it is getting cold here in Tennessee and my wood shop is not heated.
- Thread starter
- #10
Comet and Shaverjoe, thank you very much for you much needed input. I appreciate the insightful input that you have both given. I believe a couple of lacquer finishes after some thorough sanding should do the job because the lacquer is a little more "flexible" so it will give a little better than a polyurethane finish. I think the Tung oil finish would be very nice as well and I would love to hear what kind of results you have from the Tung oil handle. I have given the Tung oil some thought, but I am slightly impatient so I was thinking of going with the lacquer finish and letting it cure for probably a couple of days to to a week. Please give more thoughts on this is anyone has any. Thanks again.
clong-
1. The lacquer will likely be your most durable finish. Certainly better than a wipe-on poly. DEFT brand makes a nice spray on lacquer. Remember with lacquer, less is more. This spray on lacquer will dry quickly (30 min), and you can easily apply multiple coats per day, however, once you have applied the # of coats you wish, I would allow it to dry at least a week, no less.
2. If you change your mind and try the tung oil, look for pure tung oil, not "tung oil finish". Tung oil finish is merely wipe on varnish, and many have no tung oil in them at all. Pure tung oil is very thick, like syrup. It can be applied in multiple coats as well but takes weeks to cure, longer if it is cold. The first coat of tung oil should be mixed with turpentine in a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio (2 turp:1 tung). All subsequent coats should be pure tung oil without the turpentine. This helps the oil penetrate the wood. You can also buy "polymerized tung oil" which from my understanding is identical to pure tung oil but has been "cooked" to help polymerize the oil and decrease curing time. If you have the patience for it, a pure tung oil finish is fantastic and very durable, in my opinion. I will be happy to let you know how the handle goes. I am doing some test runs now in the shop with scraps with pure tung oil only, pure tung + wax, and pure tung + lacquer. I am going to let the tung oil cure for 2-3 weeks, then submerge each in water for about 1-2 weeks, just to see what happens. I'll let you know.
All this being said, I am an ameteur woodturner, not a professional. It is only a hobby, but is very relaxing and something else to spend my money on other than shaving goodies.
Good luck. That brush is gorgeous.
1. The lacquer will likely be your most durable finish. Certainly better than a wipe-on poly. DEFT brand makes a nice spray on lacquer. Remember with lacquer, less is more. This spray on lacquer will dry quickly (30 min), and you can easily apply multiple coats per day, however, once you have applied the # of coats you wish, I would allow it to dry at least a week, no less.
2. If you change your mind and try the tung oil, look for pure tung oil, not "tung oil finish". Tung oil finish is merely wipe on varnish, and many have no tung oil in them at all. Pure tung oil is very thick, like syrup. It can be applied in multiple coats as well but takes weeks to cure, longer if it is cold. The first coat of tung oil should be mixed with turpentine in a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio (2 turp:1 tung). All subsequent coats should be pure tung oil without the turpentine. This helps the oil penetrate the wood. You can also buy "polymerized tung oil" which from my understanding is identical to pure tung oil but has been "cooked" to help polymerize the oil and decrease curing time. If you have the patience for it, a pure tung oil finish is fantastic and very durable, in my opinion. I will be happy to let you know how the handle goes. I am doing some test runs now in the shop with scraps with pure tung oil only, pure tung + wax, and pure tung + lacquer. I am going to let the tung oil cure for 2-3 weeks, then submerge each in water for about 1-2 weeks, just to see what happens. I'll let you know.
All this being said, I am an ameteur woodturner, not a professional. It is only a hobby, but is very relaxing and something else to spend my money on other than shaving goodies.
Good luck. That brush is gorgeous.
- Thread starter
- #12
What are some thoughts on the durability of the CA a.k.a. superglue finish for wood handled brushes?
I have not used CA in applications like this but I would like to add that I have used DEFT in the past and had it "shatter" where the peice looked like it had a lot of fine cracks in the finish. Don't know if it was just with the product I used or if it is common due to the high gloss. It has been years ago.
One thing in lacquers favor, each new coat melts the coat underneath it and forms a single coat.
This isn't true of oil based finishes which will form layers.
Lacquer also dries much faster then oils especially spar varnish that has been thinned.
Easiest way to refinish your handle is to mask off the hair and spray it with Deft, spray several thin coats let it dry over night the scuff it with a fine gray Scotch-brite pad and spray several more thin coat.
Repeat until you get the results you like.
This isn't true of oil based finishes which will form layers.
Lacquer also dries much faster then oils especially spar varnish that has been thinned.
Easiest way to refinish your handle is to mask off the hair and spray it with Deft, spray several thin coats let it dry over night the scuff it with a fine gray Scotch-brite pad and spray several more thin coat.
Repeat until you get the results you like.
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id go ask rv.this is after all his art
I use CA for many years as a finish on my pens, and I must say, it holds up excellently! One of my colleague uses his pen daily for some four years now and it looks like new. I apply many thin coats of thin CA with a aerosol spray accelerator between coats. Applying thinner coats, but more coats, gives me better results than applying a few thick coats with med or thick CA - it was an experience that I have made over the years. Important is the sanding afterwards, I just use a few sheets micro mesh, say 1500-4000 and then buff.
But, since tour brush is already finished, applying a decent coat of CA is a problem. I apply it with the work still on the lathe and spinning pretty fast. In your case a lacquer finish would be the better choice.
Wrap the hairs in a plastic foil, well wrapped with a masking tape, so that nothing can get into the hair. Sand the old finish off as good as you can, use a sanding media like 320 and 400 grit Abranet, just making sure that you work well around the handle and scuff off the finish evenly. I would use a spray lacquer from a spray can. Hang the brush with the handle down on a string so you can spin the handle. Give it a few, thin coats, let them dry between application before the next coat. Remember, less is more!! if you apply too thick a coating, you get runners, drips and orange peel effect (don't ask me how I know this).
