Custom brush... the saga continues (need your advice!)

Gentlemen,

Of all my posts, the one with the announcement that my brother-in-law and I started experimenting with hand made brushes did attract the least attention. Too bad, as I need you valuable advice here!

We bought some knots of the Golden Nib, and started working on some shapes. Basic inspirations are chubby, Persian jar and of course Semogue 1305.

These are the prototypes:


I think #2 and #4 (left to right) are on the right track.
What would you recommend to proceed with?
We can make two brushes.


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I like second from the left best of all. Nice traditional keyhole shape. Very nice!

IMHO The first and third don't look balanced. First is too slender for my taste. The third has too much "bottom" compared to the small top.

The fourth looks balanced, just not a shape that speaks to me.

Good luck with your project!

scoopster said:

I like second from the left best of all. Nice traditional keyhole shape. Very nice!

IMHO The first and third don't look balanced. First is too slender for my taste. The third has too much "bottom" compared to the small top.

The fourth looks balanced, just not a shape that speaks to me.

Good luck with your project!

Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking as well. The only one that I'd personally be interested in is the second one from the left.

What types of wood are you using? If you're a brush soaker, I'd recommend corian or extremely dense and oily hardwoods.

carbonsteel928 said:

What types of wood are you using? If you're a brush soaker, I'd recommend corian or extremely dense and oily hardwoods.

Click to expand...

I'd actually like to see some cypress examples...

Hello,

Thanks for your replies! It seems we are heading towards the classic 'keyhole' shape.

These are very low quality wood prototypes, just to experiment with the shape and size untill the knots have arrived.

We don't know yet what wood we will use for the final versions, and where to find it.

But that is all part of the fun of this DIY project ;-)
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We don't know yet what wood we will use for the final versions, and where to find it.

You might try checking with some lumber supply companies and deck builders in your area. They probably don't work with it often, but sometimes a customer will request a special wood (my sister had her porch done in acacia). If you're lucky, they may have scraps left over that they don't need and may be large enough for you to turn.

Thanks for your replies and advice, gents.
We'll be on the hunt for a niece piece of wood from now on.

Meanwhile, the knots have arrived form The Golden Nib.
I think these are beauties, but let me know your opinion.
Type: 22mm Finest Badger Extra Hair.


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And for comparison with a Muhle custom 22 and the Semogue 1305:

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We are getting there!

A type of wood used for decking that would be great is Ipe. It has a nice dark reddish color. I think that Ipe with a tung oil finish would be great and should last a long time. You can get sample pieces of Ipe from some decking companies and often these samples should be a perfect size to turn a handle from. Good luck. # 2 gets my vote.