Restoration in progress

[Luc]

Yes, I know, I can only blame Ian who goes by the name of Fidjit (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=17705) on this board. If you see this avatar -> http://badgerandblade.com/vb/image.php?u=17705&dateline=1262513184 I advise not to discuss brushes with him, you will end up restoring at least one...




Let's cut the long story short.




It all started when I saw Wim (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=19188) http://badgerandblade.com/vb/image.php?u=19188&dateline=1243683804 buy a Semogue so I decided to buy a Semogue 2020 from Leon (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=4509) http://badgerandblade.com/vb/image.php?u=4509&dateline=1212532098 at Vintage Scent (http://www.vintagescent.com/). I'm still waiting for the brush but that's not the point.

That dark Tasmanian Devil Fidjit (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=17705) told me that I should restore a brush instead. I'm thinking, 1... 1 knot, it would better, considering shipping, to have a few? Yes. So I'm looking at lots.

I'm sure you all know where this is going.

I'm seeing an auction with 6 brushes and Ian tells me that he saw a Simpson in there, he's willing to split it. No worries there. I didn't win it. I tried another lot by the same seller and did win it.

Got the brushes and now I'm getting them ready.

What's in there? From left to right


Simms - Set in Rubber - Sterilized - Made in Canada
Simms - Rubberset - Pure Badger Hair
Rubberset - Sterilized - Made in Canada (same logo so I'm assuming Simms)
Ever-Ready - C40 - Made in USA - Sterilized
Simms - Rubberset - Made in Canada
Simms - Butterscotch


Now, the blue and white handle died in the process of removing the knot.

I used:


Gloves
Long nose pliers
Newspaper (to work over so the bristles wouldn't fly everywhere - They did but anywho).
Fine Steel Wool
Rubber Gloves


Some of the knots came out be just pulling on the hairs in 1 lot. Others where 1 hair at the time...

They were all stinky!

So, what do I have left?


Simms - Set in Rubber - Sterilized - Made in Canada - 24mm - Red/White
Simms - Rubberset - Pure Badger Hair - 19.5mm would be exact so I would say 19mm - Beige
Rubberset - Sterilized - Made in Canada (same logo so I'm assuming Simms) - 23mm - White/Blue
Ever-Ready - C40 - Made in USA - Sterilized - 19mm - White/Red
Simms - Rubberset - Made in Canada - Blue/White
Simms - Butterscotch - 20mm - Butterscotch!


My 2 favorites are the second and fourth ones.

They smell much better now. I just need to get some knots now...












To be continued... :laugh:

[fidjit]

Yes, I know, I can only blame Ian who goes by the name of Fidjit (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=17705) on this board. If you see this avatar -> http://badgerandblade.com/vb/image.php?u=17705&dateline=1262513184 I advise not to discuss brushes with him, you will end up restoring at least one...

That dark Tasmanian Devil Fidjit (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=17705) told me that I should restore a brush instead. I'm thinking, 1... 1 knot, it would better, considering shipping, to have a few? Yes. So I'm looking at lots.

I'm sure you all know where this is going.

I'm seeing an auction with 6 brushes and Ian tells me that he saw a Simpson in there, he's willing to split it. No worries there. I didn't win it. I tried another lot by the same seller and did win it.


:whistling:

Hey , I resemble that remark !!!!! :lol:

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than restoring a brush yourself, being able to customise it and use it.

And good to see you're doing it the old fashioned tool way too.

May these be the first of many :biggrin1:

Nothing to see here...move along :lol:

p.s. don't forget my wiki entries, there's sure to be something to help you out there :biggrin1:

[Luc]

:whistling:

Hey , I resemble that remark !!!!! :lol:

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than restoring a brush yourself, being able to customise it and use it.

And good to see you're doing it the old fashioned tool way too.

May these be the first of many :biggrin1:

Nothing to see here...move along :lol:

p.s. don't forget my wiki entries, there's sure to be something to help you out there :biggrin1:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I'll see when they're done... But I have to admit that I'm excited by this... I might PIF one...

Your link, if someone wonders...

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/User:Fidjit#Brush_Restorations

[Legion]

My favourites are the butterscotch on the left and the blue bottomed one in the middle. They look like they will all come up well though. :001_smile

Good score.

[Luc]

My favourites are the butterscotch on the left and the blue bottomed one in the middle. They look like they will all come up well though. :001_smile

Good score.

The left butterscotch is small but heavy. It's going to make a fine restoration, love the grip. It has some kind of wood pattern printed on it. I just saw a stamp on it that says "Pure Badger".

[Harvitz81]

That dark Tasmanian Devil Fidjit (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/member.php?u=17705)
and his threads inspired me as well. Problem is, when I get an AD I get it bad!

I was in the same boat as you, why restore 1 brush and pay $7 for shipping when you can restore many more and save on shipping :001_rolle

I haven't knotted any of these yet. I'm planning on keeping the front 5 on the right. The rest just came in the lots I purchased with the ones I like. I'm planning on slowly knotting the handles I don't plan on keeping with the various TGN knots to get a feel for the loft and which knots I like, so that I won't mess up my precious 5 that I plan on keeping. Hence, in the coming months you may see some brush restores on BST....

I really need to stop reading this board.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t285/jb_edson81/Brushes/SAM_0357.jpg

[luvmysuper]

Luc, that Octogon Butterscoth on the far right is sweet!

[Luc]

All right, I will order some knots this week-end (got to finish this project if I want to start the other straights that need sanding... No comments...)...

What I was thinking:


Simms - Set in Rubber - Sterilized - Made in Canada - 24mm - Red/White
Simms - Rubberset - Pure Badger Hair - 19.5mm would be exact so I would say 19mm - Beige
Rubberset - Sterilized - Made in Canada (same logo so I'm assuming Simms) - 23mm - White/Blue
Ever-Ready - C40 - Made in USA - Sterilized - 19mm - White/Red
Simms - Butterscotch - 20mm - Butterscotch!


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110663&stc=1&d=1277536975

I only want something short and chubby for the second one. The others, dunno. Any suggestion, I don't like my brushes to be picky. From what Ian was saying, Finest/best is great! I might go with that. Not really interested in pure badger or boar.

Which sizes according to the measurements up here? Is it better to buy them 1-2 mm smaller or exact size?

[fidjit]

Simms - Set in Rubber - Sterilized - Made in Canada - 24mm - Red/White
Simms - Rubberset - Pure Badger Hair - 19.5mm would be exact so I would say 19mm - Beige
Rubberset - Sterilized - Made in Canada (same logo so I'm assuming Simms) - 23mm - White/Blue
Ever-Ready - C40 - Made in USA - Sterilized - 19mm - White/Red
Simms - Butterscotch - 20mm - Butterscotch!
[/list]



So the sizes you've given are the width of the knot holes? What about the depth of the existing shelves ? A lot of what you get is going to depend on that if you don't/can't drill them out !!!

What do I mean, let's say you use a 20mm knot and you have 19mm depth hole. Without modifying your handle the standard loft will be:

Silvertip A 67mm = 48mm loft
Best 62mm = 43mm loft
Finest 60mm = 41mm loft
Super 64mm 45mm loft

So you'll get a lot of variation just by using the different know without considering the grade of the hair. The hair and knot will then set the density and softness of the hair.

Generically assuming you don't want to have to enlarge holes, you'd most likely be looking at 22m, 18mm, 20/22mm, 16/18mm, 18mm.....mainly because of the bulge above the knot holder on most of the knots ( except the UK's ).

Can't talk about the Best until me Bone handle finishes curing tomorrow morning :lol:, but Finest, Silvertip A and Super are all good.

Since you've got so many handles, go for one of each, but you've got to have some idea what loft you can get/want too....

I believe like me, you don't have many tools, so I'd start by looking at the solid handles ( 2 and 5 ) which are the hardest to modify. Work out what loft you reckon you want, measure the depth of the knot hole, work out which of the standard lofts of the knots will give you what you want. That pretty much sorts out those two. The other 3 are hollow and if need be can be drilled out so then you can start looking at what other knots you want to try.

Make sense ?? It's kinda hard to put into words sometimes........ :blink:

( and in the end does it make that much difference and am I being OCDish about it all :lol: )

[Luc]

I'll measure the holes tomorrow!

[W_B_K]

Ah Guinness... good man! :thumbup1:

Congrats on the first restores, I am sure they will turn out beautifully! I really like that Simms second from the left.

[Luc]

All right, I got the deepness of the holes now.

First is the diameter, second, how deep.


Simms - Set in Rubber - Sterilized - Made in Canada - Red/White - 23mm/19mm would be the deepest
Simms - Rubberset - Pure Badger Hair - 19.5mm would be exact so I would say - Beige - 19mm/8mm deep
Rubberset - Sterilized - Made in Canada (same logo so I'm assuming Simms) - White/Blue - 23mm/6mm
Ever-Ready - C40 - Made in USA - Sterilized - White/Red - 19mm/no bottom so I'm free with this one.
Simms - Butterscotch - Butterscotch! - 20mm/11mm


So, keeping in mind that I want a small and chubby brush for #2, the others, I'm not too fuss. I was thinking the short Best 18mm/58mm for that one....

For the diameter, it's better to have 1-2mm smaller?

[jwcarlson]

Any of the bottoms unscrew? My Simm's had a removable bottom.

[Luc]

Any of the bottoms unscrew? My Simm's had a removable bottom.

The two white/red ones, yes.

The blue/white, no.

The 2 beige handles are 1 piece!

[Luc]

Knots ordered and dispatched already.

I got 3 BEST and 2 Silvertip.

In the whole process, Ian told me to get Finest or Super and I totally missed it and got the BEST. Hope they won't scratch too much...

[pauls51]

Damn it Luc... He's gotten to you too!!! :lol:

[alabamalawyer]

The brush restoration AD is spreading quickly! I have complete the pictured EverReady and Rubberset brushes. The other three handles are just waiting on the knots to arrive from TGN! There is something satisfying in taking the old, seemingly usuable brush and turning it around into something that you are proud to display on your counter.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=21591

[Luc]

Yes, victim to the Tasmanian Devil...

I will take some pictures of the final set when I get the knots!

[rm71]

Ian was a big help when I made my own custom brush. I have yet to restore a vintage one though. BTW, Luc you have some nice looking handles there mate.

[ezmike]

Joe there's at least 4 that I find interesting, the butterscotch bottom black top, the black bottom ivory top, red bottom black top and the other butterscotch bottom black top with the ring around the bottom portion.

Good luck with them.

Mike

[Luc]

Ian was a big help when I made my own custom brush. I have yet to restore a vintage one though. BTW, Luc you have some nice looking handles there mate.

Thanks mate! I don't think it will get any difficult after I get the knots. They should all fall into place!

[Deltaboy]

Good Job !

[Luc]

Okay, got my knots...

Bummer...

I find them way too small...

Where I measured 20mm and bought 18mm, it looks like there's a giant gap over there...

The worse is the 16mm knot vs. 20mm hole... I tried to get a shorter knot as the handle is short... Looks like I will need to re-order...

Excellent service from TGN! Their shipping was ultra-fast!

[cooncatbob]

Okay, got my knots...

Bummer...

I find them way too small...

Where I measured 20mm and bought 18mm, it looks like there's a giant gap over there...

The worse is the 16mm knot vs. 20mm hole... I tried to get a shorter knot as the handle is short... Looks like I will need to re-order...

Excellent service from TGN! Their shipping was ultra-fast!

I believe Tony's knots come sized small, so for a 20mm hole you order the 20mm knot and it leaves you enough room for the glue.

[Luc]

I believe Tony's knots come sized small, so for a 20mm hole you order the 20mm knot and it leaves you enough room for the glue.

I think that's what happening... No drama, I'll get more knots!! :laugh:

[Legion]

I think that's what happening... No drama, I'll get more knots!! :laugh:

Ah, if money was no object I would always have a bunch of loose knots in various sizes just sitting there waiting for handles to come along. Even though TGN is quick, the shipping time from USA to Aus kills me. Once I start something I can't wait to see it finished. I needed a knot for one I restored last night so I ordered three. :lol:

Luc, they will ALWAYS come in handy for that handle you haven't met yet. :biggrin1:

[Schwert]

Oh yeah they will be useful for sure.

On my recent orders I have started getting both potential sizes. Last restore I did I was SURE the 18mm Finest would be the knot....ended up using the 20mm Extra stuffed I ordered as a "spare".

[Luc]

I don't know if I will do any other brush restores after that... Might sell the knots down under at a reduced price but not now... I'll fix my handles first!

Shipping from TGN isn't so bad but then, I only ordered 5!

[Luc]

New order

2xSilvertip 20mm
1xSilvertip A 20mm
2xSilvertip 24mm

[Luc]

Package received, I will be playing with some knots tonight!!

[Luc]

No, I don't have a problem...

The first thing I did is try those knots when I walked in...

They all fit perfectly except for one brush, I will work on it so it fits properly this week-end!

Will post the results!

[Luc]

All right, 1 done, 4 to go...

I am not totally happy with it. It's not the knot, it's not the glue, it's the handle... I'm very difficult with this... I find that the handle slip a bit too much when wet... I will need another brush with a different handle...

It's still a great brush, the knot is awesome. Special mention to the Golden Nib, very good product!

I have a Silvertip Grade A in there.

[Schwert]

Well it looks great.

You could try polishing it with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper just enough to give it a bit of tooth for gripability.

[Luc]

Well it looks great.

You could try polishing it with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper just enough to give it a bit of tooth for gripability.

I guess I could try that... The finish is very nice on the brush... I might just end-up selling it, I'm unsure at this stage...

[Luc]

Next on the table is the red/beige long handle. The knot sits well down the handle. I didn't superglue the red/beige part, it can become useful if the knot needs to be changed again :001_rolle

Silvertip again, longer handle, I might have a better grip with this one!

[Luc]

I fixed the butterscotch yesterday and tried it this morning... I think this is the brush! I was able to grate more glue yesterday using a screwdriver and ~2 hours of time. A bit of sandpaper to make the bottom even and the 20mm knot fitted perfectly, a bit tight even. Again, used a Silvertip!

I'm not 100% with the hexagon design but the grip is awesome. I'll give it a few days but I'm pretty sure that's the new favorite!

115081

[fidjit]

Nice jobs mate.

They're looking good. Nice to see you've found one that suits ya !!!! :thumbup1:

[Luc]

I did the final 2 yesterday, they are dry now and ready to use...

The blue/beige now has a Silvertip/24mm and the Red/beige has a 20mm Silvertip.

I'm happy the way the knot sits in the blue/beige one, very tight! The hole where the know sits on the red/beige isn't completely round, we can see on the picture that I have a gap on the right.

I think that both will be excellent performers!

I will probably end-up selling some of those as it didn't convert me to collect brushes. The experience was great and I now know a bit more on how to restore brushes. I also found a favorite in the lot, the hexagonal butterscotch.

Finally, Ian had doubts that I had an ivory brush (small yellow 1 piece brush). So, I did the ultimate test. I started by boiling water and left a needle in there for a good 5 minutes and I quickly tried to poke the brush underneat (so it wouldn't show). Nothing, I can't poke. I took out the torch and heat up my needle until it was white (:001_rolle), it went in like butter and stinky stinky stinky. My guess, it's a plastic handle, not ivory. That's all right, it still look good!

[Luc]

This thread wouldn't be complete without a before/after ... :001_rolle

Before:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=110662&stc=1&d=1277536801

After:
115883

[Darjeeling Express]

Holy Smokes! The man below is amaz'in.

[Luc]

:lol: thanks Joe!

[Darjeeling Express]

I know its way too late. I did all of my restores with TGN's Silver Tip, thinking that would be the best quality with the soft tips. But they were too skritchy??! Then Rudy did one for me. He suggested TGN's Finest. Zero skritch incredibly soft tips. Luc, you did an amaz'in job with all of these. I actually love the first "slipp'ry" one. Beautiful work.

[Luc]

I know its way too late. I did all of my restores with TGN's Silver Tip, thinking that would be the best quality with the soft tips. But they were too skritchy??! Then Rudy did one for me. He suggested TGN's Finest. Zero skritch incredibly soft tips. Luc, you did an amaz'in job with all of these. I actually love the first "slipp'ry" one. Beautiful work.

Finest was suggested and I just went to Silvertip. They scratch a bit at the moment but nothing bad. I'm happy with the results. The first one is actually too tall for my stand. If I hang the brush upside down, it touches the counter top!

[fidjit]

I know its way too late. I did all of my restores with TGN's Silver Tip, thinking that would be the best quality with the soft tips. But they were too skritchy??! Then Rudy did one for me. He suggested TGN's Finest. Zero skritch incredibly soft tips. Luc, you did an amaz'in job with all of these. I actually love the first "slipp'ry" one. Beautiful work.

I've found the Silvertip and the Best too scritchy for me ( YMMV ). The Finest, Super and Silvertip A are not scritchy at all. I'll repeat what I've ( and other people ) have posted before that the Finest is THE best bang for buck knot that Tony sells. Soft tips yet nice and firm bristle.


Finest was suggested and I just went to Silvertip. They scratch a bit at the moment but nothing bad. I'm happy with the results.

Excellent job Luc. So all it took to get you to finish was a plane trip and breakfast with ya huh :thumbup1:

Doesn't matter if that brush isn't Ivory, still a very nice looking brush . I should have snaffled it but was concentrating more on keeping you away from my Daine and Hathaway Miltary kit :biggrin1:

[Luc]

I've found the Silvertip and the Best too scritchy for me ( YMMV ). The Finest, Super and Silvertip A are not scritchy at all. I'll repeat what I've ( and other people ) have posted before that the Finest is THE best bang for buck knot that Tony sells. Soft tips yet nice and firm bristle.



Excellent job Luc. So all it took to get you to finish was a plane trip and breakfast with ya huh :thumbup1:

Doesn't matter if that brush isn't Ivory, still a very nice looking brush . I should have snaffled it but was concentrating more on keeping you away from my Daine and Hathaway Miltary kit :biggrin1:

Yeah, keepin' that drop kit 2 tables behind just to be sure... :lol:

Let me know if you want the brush Ian...

[Legion]

That hexagonal one is my favourite too. They all look nice, though. Good work!