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View Full Version : Finished restoration of Ever-Ready F40



pezhore
01-19-2012, 06:28 PM
This was my first brush restoration, and frankly I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I found this brush on Ebay for $10 shipped, and replaced the existing knot with a 20mm Silvertip badger from Whipped dog. My main complaint about the finished product is that it's not as shiny as I would like, but I think it still looks great. Pictures follow:

Hair trimmed, bottom, hole drilled out, sanded, and polished/epoxied final product.

I used a Dremel and the 932 Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone to smooth out the interior, followed by a light sanding with 1000 grit paper on the handle & 2000 grit wet sanding to get out slight imperfections. Flitz was applied in an attempt to get it shiny, but I still haven't achieved the mirror finish that I was hoping for.

Lessons learned:

The using a buffing disk with the Dremel actually mars the surface (I think it was spinning too fast and melting the top layers of plastic).
Although I used just the right amount of epoxy, I think I may have gotten a bit on the bristles when I was wiping excess off the top of the handle. Next time, I'll wrap the bristles in plastic to make sure they don't come into contact with epoxy.
This was hella easy and cheap. The knot was $14 and the handle was $10. As this was my first restoration, I did have added costs of the Flitz, sandpaper, and epoxy, but I think I'll come out ahead as I continue refreshing old brushes.

Wid
01-19-2012, 06:51 PM
Very nice work.

FL shaver
01-19-2012, 07:04 PM
Looks great for the first one...or any one! How high is the loft (top of handle to tips of knot)?

pezhore
01-19-2012, 07:07 PM
It turned out to be about 57mm loft. I'm having a really hard time not using this right now to go shave... :)

hig789
01-20-2012, 06:21 AM
I would say next time you might want to set the knot a bit lower, 49-50mm. I believe that 57 will be very floppy, but if that's what you like then more power to you. As far as the shiny part I would start with some 800-1000 grit WD paper and sand it down a little to refresh the outer layer of plastic. You"ll have to go higher in grit before polishing it back up. Restore looks good, keep it up .

urkel
01-20-2012, 07:47 AM
pretty nice first attempt. i've done a few similar to that and had to set the knots lower to be able to use them without much flop. but it's your brush which is what makes it so rewarding doing your own. nice work

noahpictures
01-20-2012, 11:26 AM
Good job!

pezhore
01-20-2012, 02:24 PM
Just did a quick shave with this brush, and I'm pleased with the result. It is a bit floppy, but it holds a crap-ton of lather and seems to do a great job working that lather into my facial hair. Here's a picture post-bloom:

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Redstickjohn
01-20-2012, 04:07 PM
I'm in the middle of my first restore right now. How did you keep the epoxy from slopping out of the hole and making a mess? Just curious. It's the one part of this I haven't read about.

hig789
01-20-2012, 07:23 PM
I'm in the middle of my first restore right now. How did you keep the epoxy from slopping out of the hole and making a mess? Just curious. It's the one part of this I haven't read about.

Use less.

That is one very nice bloom. If you are happy with it that's all that matters. Good job.

pezhore
01-20-2012, 08:34 PM
I'm in the middle of my first restore right now. How did you keep the epoxy from slopping out of the hole and making a mess? Just curious. It's the one part of this I haven't read about.

Like hig789 said, I used less. At first I used so little that I wasn't even sure it would stay in (thank goodness I went with the 5-minute epoxy so that I could re-seat the knot). I ended up putting a bit more than was needed, and gently pushed the knot in while I wiped whatever extra squeezed out with a wet paper towel.