mahogany brush with polished epoxy finish

Well I finally got around to trying my hand at making a shaving brush. A few unexpected things happened during the process so I decided to make a little write-up that will hopefully entertain some of you.

Beginning with the end, here is the final result:

20mm badger knot (50mm loft), mahogany handle with polished epoxy finish, brass ferrule, with hanging cord






This all began one day when I noticed that my favourite woodworking tool store (Lee Valley) had cheap badger knots for sale. Having only used boar brushes, I decided to buy one just for the heck of it.

It comes packaged in a plastic sleeve, in a plastic bag. It's 20 mm in diameter and 63 mm in total height.




Wanting a completely waterproof wooden handle, I decided to see if the ordinary epoxy resin I had on hand (i.e. the type usually used with fibreglass cloth for boat repairs) could be brushed on and polished to a high luster.

I didn't have a polishing wheel that would allow me to polish beads and coves; all I had was a buffing pad which I installed in my drill press...so the design of the handle had to be very clean and simple.

The first prototype was made from a piece of scrap spruce 2x4 (#1 in the picture below). It was given two coats of epoxy and buffed with automotive finishing compound on the buffing pad...and the finish came out beautifully.




But something was wrong with the knot, I was not able to seat it deep enough to get the “scrubby” 48-50 mm loft I wanted.

Close inspection revealed that the brush mounting medium was “mushroomed” up into the brush to a diameter of close to 7/8”...so to get a loft of 50 mm I would have to have a 7/8” hole diameter.




Hummm...7/8”...why that happened to be the exact diameter of brass candle rings I happened to have at hand...perfect for ferrules!

I proceeded to make prototype #2 (see above picture). I found this handle a bit too big in proportion to the knot, and the ferrule too flat and too wide.

So I then decided to roll the ferrule on the lathe to narrow and heighten its profile. Here is the picture of the modified ferrule (left) in contrast with the original (right):




Ahhhhh, finally with prototype #3 (see picture above) I had the handle size and the ferrule profile I wanted. I added a brass sleeve to hole of the mounting cord to see how it would look; didn't like it. A bare hole was decided for the final handle.

So, I dug into my scrape pile, hesitated between black-walnut, cherry, American-chestnut, but finally decided to go with the classy mahogany/brass combo.

I would have preferred to add a few beads and coves to the shape, but as mentioned before, it was not a possibility with my current polishing set-up...might be time to look into a Beal system

Hopefully the epoxy finish will hold-up to use over time, if not I'll let you guys know.



Thanks for looking.

Awesome looking brush! I really like the simplicity of the handle shape.

Thanks Denis

Nice, comtemporary looking brush.

Well worth your time and effort.

Steve

Nice work. That knot looks similar to the WoodCraft badgers (pure?) that I've put in several handles recently. Scrubby and a bit prickly, but they don't shed and seem like they'll be very durable.

What type of epoxy did you use for the finish?
My experience with the epoxy adhesive is it doesn't cure hard enough to tale a good polish.

Thanks guys, I am debating right now whether to keep it or give it to my Father for his upcoming birthday

cooncatbob said:

What type of epoxy did you use for the finish?
My experience with the epoxy adhesive is it doesn't cure hard enough to tale a good polish.

Click to expand...

I got the epoxy from a boating supply shop. They sell it for use with fibreglass cloth for boat repair. It is very slow curing (24-36 hours depending on conditions) and when cured it has a greasy film you must wash off. Very important to get the mixing ratio spot on to get good results; I used a cheap kitchen digital scale to do this.

The brand I used is made by “Produits Chimiques Citadel” in Notre-Dame du Mont Carmel, Quebec, Canada. I do not know if it is anything special, it was just the brand the shop carried because it is made locally.



Just a thought, but perhaps “buffing” is more an accurate term to describe what I did rather than “polishing”. I first used 1800 and 2400 grit automotive sandpaper to get rid of the lumps and bumps then I used “3M Finesse-it finishing compound” on a drill-press mounted buffing pad.




Perhaps the “buffing” process has more to do with the high shine than the epoxy itself.

The first time I tried it on the spruce prototype (#1 in the pictures of original post), I did not get good results...probably got 90% there. I could not get a good shine, so I set it aside. On a whim, I tried it 4-5 days later and it shined right up...perhaps the epoxy hadn't completely finished curing. I waited longer to shine the mahogany one and it went fine.

Unfortunately the epoxy and 3M compound only come in rather large quantities and are expensive. Boat repair guys (for epoxy), and car painters (for compound) will probably be able to sell you small amounts for testing if you bring your own containers (make sure the shake the 3M well first!).

Tap Plastic sells smaller quantities of various resins, I don't know if they have that type of epoxy but I know they sell 2 part polyester resin.

I like your "buffer" a lot. It's all about making do. Great job on the brush!

I just want to make it very clear that I didn't go out and buy a liter of epoxy to make this brush, nor am I suggesting that any of you do.

I already had it, it was left over from a canoe repair I did a few years ago.

In fact, everything used (except the knot) were leftovers from other projects... it's a leftover brush

As Cooncatbob mentioned there are lots more proven, and cost-effective epoxies out there, but if you have free access to different products, don't be afraid to experiment on prototypes.

That's a fine-looking brush. Congratulations on a job well-done!

Very nicely made, the shape, the ferrule, the color and even the rope to hang it by. It's a great looking brush.

That's a very nice contemporary style and I like the cord idea. If you do choose to send it to your dad, he'll be a lucky man!

Thanks for all the kind words guys



Well, I decided to keep it, couldn't resist...never tried a badger before.

Tried it this morning... let it soak in a hot cup of water while I took a shower... loaded it with Proraso from the green tub...then proceeded to face lather...

...it is so darn stiff and itchy!



I really hope this thing softens up, because I really don't care for it as-is. I'll tough it out for a while to give it a fair shot and cross my fingers.

Perhaps I was just spoiled with my cheap Omega boar and didn't even know it.