Restore Advice Needed [Archive]

AnakiMana

02-16-2011, 11:27 PM

I've never done a restore before. I will continue to read up in here, but wanted to know what advice you might have for me. I just picked up this Ever-Ready 65 and it must be rare because I've been looking and haven't seen any others. What would you do with this?

BTW, I really like face-lathering and want something that will complement the handle.

Pjotr

02-17-2011, 12:18 AM

Well I haven't done any myself but like you will be embarking on one soon. It looks like a big old barber shop brush. What size is the knot?

AnakiMana

02-17-2011, 12:45 AM

The knot is 19mm or 20mm... it's actually a pretty small brush.

Here it is next to my other brushes... VDH boar on left, DeLong Best Badger on right.

Pjotr

02-17-2011, 12:58 AM

That's a great size for face lathering. What a nice little brush. I'm sure you've been on The Golden Nib website to check for knots. If it's 20mm there are at least a dozen different badger knots you could use. Actually a 20mm knot apparently varies from 19.5 to 18.5mm (or something like that) so there's a bit of leeway there. Not much in the way of boar knots which would also suit that brush I think.

AnakiMana

02-17-2011, 01:07 AM

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Does the fact that it's stamped "hard rubber grip" mean someone replaced the handle already? If not, what does it refer to?

Sapian

02-17-2011, 01:25 AM

I can't really offer anything for help here, but great catch! I really like the handle! I hope it restores very well!

Pjotr

02-17-2011, 01:35 AM

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Does the fact that it's stamped "hard rubber grip" mean someone replaced the handle already? If not, what does it refer to?

I'm not sure to be honest. Does it look like something was previously wrapped around the handle? Maybe it was rubber coated or something. In any case whatever it was it doesn't detract from its looks.

Hex

02-17-2011, 04:38 AM

That's an interesting brush.

The top is metal, right ?

I have never done one of those, and have steered clear of them, cause I haven't a clue as to what to do with the metal part. I usually was trying to expand the knot hole for a shorter loft and the metal stumped me.

Keep us posted on your progress :thumbup1:

AnakiMana

02-17-2011, 09:34 AM

Yes, the top is metal. There is a little bit of play where the wood handle meets the metal part, which is why I think in my pics the metal looks slightly lopsided.

I soaked the bristles, even using Dawn dish soap, overnight. Man does it stink when wet! Smells like "antique shop" and like old cigar boxes... Tobacco-ish. Shaved with it this morning, and it was quite interesting. The bristles are slick-as-snot when wet... Like there's no texture.

PozzSka

02-17-2011, 11:56 AM

1) cut those old bristles off with sharp scissors
2) wrap handle up in masking or electrical tape to protect the handle
3) use small chisel or rotary tool to drill/grind out old knot glue.
4) clean thoroughly
5) re-seal anyparts that may need that
6) buy new knot from TGN or Whipped Dog (I've never used Whipped Dog, but have heard good thigns)
7) place knot in handle with epoxy or slicone adhesive
8) enjoy

when choosing a knot diameter...measure the actual hole in the handle...it won't be perfect...but a 20mm hole, won't always fit a 20mm knot (the part of the knot that is actually at teh opening is several milimeters higher than the base of the knot). So if you aren't sure which size to get, get the smaller of the two.

I imagine the metal part will come off when you clean out all the old glue. Like a collar.

MentalFloss

02-17-2011, 01:16 PM

I would remove the metal piece, clean it then epoxy it back on handle to get rid of the wiggle. If you don't have anything that measures mm You can go to a craft store (Michelle's) around the bead section and they sell cheap calipers for measuring beads. I paid $1.99 for a little orange plastic one that works good enough.... As far as knots go, the golden nib has a 20mm finest fan shape thats great for face lathering,be sure to set your loft kind of low like 46mm or 48mm. Just some ideas

AnakiMana

02-21-2011, 08:55 PM

I'm not sure to be honest. Does it look like something was previously wrapped around the handle? Maybe it was rubber coated or something. In any case whatever it was it doesn't detract from its looks.

After looking closer, the handle still has rubber on the bottom, and a little bit going up one of the sides. I'll probably sand it down and varnish it. I actually have no experience with wood finishing, so I'll have to educate myself a bit beforehand.

Pjotr

02-22-2011, 06:58 AM

After looking closer, the handle still has rubber on the bottom, and a little bit going up one of the sides. I'll probably sand it down and varnish it. I actually have no experience with wood finishing, so I'll have to educate myself a bit beforehand.

I think you'll find the the wood has been stained in which case there wouldn't be much to be gained from sanding it all right back because the stain soaks in very deep. I think I would just lightly sand it to remove the gunk and to rough up the very top layer of wood and just stain it again. You'll probably need to find an oil based stain as water based ones were pretty rare when that brush was made. After that personally I would just use an oil to protect the timber and to stop water soaking in. There are loads of options and looks you can acchieve. High gloss varnishes etc. But I think the option of sanding to bare wood is going to be a hard one. Also given that it was probably stained to begin with the wood is not likely to be that exciting to look at. At a guess I'd say it'll be beach. I know a lot about timber but nothing about restoring brushes. I think for your first project it's a good brush to have. It's all natural materials. Restoring plastics and bakelite would be something different again and something I know very little about. I've got my first bakelite restore job arriving in the post any day. Can't wait!

JBagKY

02-22-2011, 07:06 AM

flycbyrd

02-22-2011, 07:15 AM

Get some stripper in a can. A spray can. Once you get the top seperated from the base or protect the metal spray the stripper on the handle let it sit for 5 min then rub with a terry cloth vigurously over it. Repeat this process several times. You can even sand lightly then spray stripper on it and let it sit as well. it shouldnt be that hard to strip it. Get some stain and apply light coats of stain to it with staining cloth. Buy wipe-on polly its the best thing since slice bread and is very thin and easy to work with. You apply it with a rag anybody working with a wooden handle should have some its so easy to use! I like the patina on the metal part, if you want it shinier polish it with some mr metal, it works great but smells horrid you will need to crack the windows and doors :thumbup:

Snargle

02-22-2011, 07:17 AM

That is a really nice handle.

I had wondered how hard it would be to reset an older handle with a new knot. From the short description by PozzSka, it doesn't look that hard. Or is it just me not really understanding what all goes into reknotting an old handle?

I've only completed one restoration, but I have a couple in-process. The toughest part seems to be removing the old knot. I got lucky on one handle...the whole knot was loose (it was mounted in a metal cup) and was easy to pull out the whole thing with a pair of pliers. The others were a little more challenging and took some time with a drill and a Dremel rotary tool to get all the old hair and glue out, and in one case, to grind the hole deeper to set the knot lower.

Don't forget the advice about taping up the handle to protect it from scratches. I got impatient and started drilling one out without doing that and ended up with an ugly gouge in the handle (and almost one in my hand!) Fortunately, it wasn't a particularly great handle and I can chalk that up as a learning experience. I've also learned to clamp the handle in place before using power tools on it! :ohmy:

JBagKY

02-22-2011, 07:21 AM

I've only completed one restoration, but I have a couple in-process. The toughest part seems to be removing the old knot. I got lucky on one handle...the whole knot was loose (it was mounted in a metal cup) and was easy to pull out the whole thing with a pair of pliers. The others were a little more challenging and took some time with a drill and a Dremel rotary tool to get all the old hair and glue out, and in one case, to grind the hole deeper to set the knot lower.

Don't forget the advice about taping up the handle to protect it from scratches. I got impatient and started drilling one out without doing that and ended up with an ugly gouge in the handle (and almost one in my hand!) Fortunately, it wasn't a particularly great handle and I can chalk that up as a learning experience. I've also learned to clamp the handle in place before using power tools on it! :ohmy:

The other option that I have thought of is having my brother-in-law do it for me after I buy the stuff. He does a lot of woodworking and has all the tools that you could imagine for that stuff. Thus, I would think that he would have the experience and equipment to do it right. The other good thing is that we have a good relationship and he has built stuff for me in the past without me asking, so I would think that he would be willing if he has the time.

AnakiMana

02-22-2011, 10:39 AM

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I ordered a couple of knots, one finest badger and one vulfix boar... Not sure which one I'll choose for this project yet. Anyway, about the handle, would it be hard to re-rubberize it? I know the knot type won't be original, but wouldn't it be cool to restore the handle to it's original design, and the engraved words would ring true again...

flycbyrd

02-22-2011, 07:26 PM

wuska

02-23-2011, 08:25 AM

Check out Plasti Dip, limited colors but maybe they could be mixed with one another?

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Snargle

02-23-2011, 10:00 AM

Check out Plasti Dip, limited colors but maybe they could be mixed with one another?

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Plasti Dip has a "Create Your Color Kit" that allows you to mix pigments into a clear base and customize it to any color you want. http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Create_Your_Color_Kit

That being said, I think I'd much rather see a nicely finished, stained, and polished wood handle on that brush, rather than some industrial plastic coating...YMMV.

AnakiMana

02-26-2011, 02:12 AM

Here's an update.

I polished the aluminum using a wire-brush bit for the dremel, and in the first pic you can see the polished and unpolished sides while I was in-process.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_G5DVUyu2OSU/TWjK_Xb6_bI/AAAAAAAAAiY/kbDZO4tJM00/s800/IMG_3128.JPG

In this next pic, you can see I've finished polishing the aluminum and I've also sanded the handle down. I started with a course grit, and went finer until the wood was pretty smooth. I would have taken the aluminum off, but couldn't figure out how! I think the epoxy I pooled up inside will take care of the wiggle between the wood and aluminum.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_G5DVUyu2OSU/TWjK_i1HAfI/AAAAAAAAAic/1LIzOsVP86M/s800/IMG_3140.JPG

And here's where I'm at currently. I haven't painted or treated the handle at all yet. But I did glue the knot in using Epoxy. I'm not real happy with myself concerning the epoxy, though. It seeped above the base of the knot and was touching the hair all around the base, visibly pooled up just above the aluminum. I took some kleenex and wiped up as much excess as I could, going sideways to avoid gluing the bristles. It did get on a few, and I wiped them best I could. Upon close inspection it's noticeable. *sigh* I hope I can scrape the glue off those bristles later. Otherwise I'll chalk this up to experience and re-do the brush at a later date. Next step is turning that handle black again. I think.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_G5DVUyu2OSU/TWjLMdke9tI/AAAAAAAAAig/guhPrj6J-2w/s800/IMG_3142.JPG

By the way, this knot is a TGN 20mm x 60mm Finest Badger Extra Hair.

AnakiMana

02-26-2011, 02:23 AM

That being said, I think I'd much rather see a nicely finished, stained, and polished wood handle on that brush, rather than some industrial plastic coating...YMMV.

Yeah, I agree the more I think about it.

Maybe I'm just exhausted, but does this knot look weird on this handle, dimension-wise? Wait, it might just be that picture, because in real life it doesn't look bad. Well, considering I'm starting out with 0-experience, and I'm not much of a DIY kinda guy, I guess I'm doing pretty well. :001_rolle

AnakiMana

02-26-2011, 02:40 AM

I had to take another picture to make my brush look better. :)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_G5DVUyu2OSU/TWjYP1YDHnI/AAAAAAAAAiw/8wD7KLET8dI/s800/IMG_3146.JPG

Hex

02-26-2011, 04:26 AM

You did an outstanding job and when it gets the black paint job it will really pop. :thumbup:

Congratulations.

Mr.Oak

03-24-2011, 01:16 PM

maybe sanding the bottom of the wood handle will make it sit flat. But I really dig the way it turned out, a nice dark stain would make it perfect IMHO :thumbup:

mftoms59

03-26-2011, 05:41 PM

Hex

03-27-2011, 05:03 AM

Re the epoxy leaking into the knot, I can't see it.

And I did exactly the same thing with my 2nd restore, but mine was visible. It turns out that the extra epoxy effectively shortened the loft and made an ideal face scrubber.

I think you're gonna like it.

Brownbear

03-27-2011, 11:53 PM

Here's an update.

And here's where I'm at currently. I haven't painted or treated the handle at all yet. But I did glue the knot in using Epoxy. I'm not real happy with myself concerning the epoxy, though. It seeped above the base of the knot and was touching the hair all around the base, visibly pooled up just above the aluminum. I took some kleenex and wiped up as much excess as I could, going sideways to avoid gluing the bristles. It did get on a few, and I wiped them best I could. Upon close inspection it's noticeable. *sigh* I hope I can scrape the glue off those bristles later. Otherwise I'll chalk this up to experience and re-do the brush at a later date. Next step is turning that handle black again. I think.

Hair.

Next time you glue one in have an old tooth brush and a small bowl or cup of white vinegar handy. If the epoxy gets out of line just hold the brush upside down and stroke the toothbrush dipped in the vinegar from the ferrule to the brush tip. Rinse the brush, repeat until the epoxy is gone. The vinegar will denature the epoxy resins and they won't react, when the epoxy in the ferrule sets you can wash the whole brush in the lather of your choice and voila, no unsightly epoxy above the ferrule. I do it all the time as I glue the perimeter of the knot plug and it is easy to get epoxy gooshing up where it doesn't belong.