Remove knot tips

[seizure]

I'm sure this has been covered extensively, but for some reason I cannot for the life of me find a thread that addresses my scenario.

Is there a best way to remove an old knot from a handle without the aid of various power tools? For example, could I rip as many out with a pair of pliers, and then go about scratching/chipping the remaining epoxy/glue/knot remnants with a screwdriver or other sharp object?

Or am I really best served by heading off to the hardware store and picking up a few drill bits that will work?

[Foyle]

Cut off the knot hair as close to the handle as you can, then get a forstner bit of the appropriate size and put it in the ole drill press. You really need to drill out the rest of the knot. I suppose if you had a nice sharp, small chisel you could use that to carve out the knot but a drill press will work a lot better.

[hig789]

I use a cordless drill and a dremel. I cut the hairs off and dril through the knot with a 1/4" bit then do the same with a 3/8". Then use the sanding drum on a dremel to grind the rest away. If you have a harbor freight near you you can get a knock off dremel for cheap that will get the job done.

[inspiringK]

I think that you need a drill at the very least. Maybe also a forstner bit or a wood drill bit. As Foyle said, your first step is to cut the excess hair off as close to the handle as possible, from there on I think you will have a tough time without a drill.

Either way, post some pics

Edit: If you really want to try without a drill, maybe don't cut the excess hair off just yet. Let the handle and knot soak in warm soapy water for at least 12 hours (assuming the handle is not wood or the like). Then try to pluck out tufts of hair with needle nosed pliers. Though, I get frustrated just thinking about doing that.....

[Heespharm]

I have a mini desktop drill press that I bought for 20 bucks from eBay and just use a cheap 1/2 inch drill bit

[seizure]

Thanks for all the tips, everyone.

I'll attack it this weekend first with brute force just to see how it works, and then I'll bust out a dremel since that sounds like a decent option.

[vferdman]

I did it without a drill press, but I did use an electric drill and a dremel. I cut the hair close tot he handle, then used a 3/8" drill bit to drill a hole in what was left. I then used a ball-shaped sanding bit for a dremel to widen the opening. My handle was hollow, so I used the ball-shaped bit to get into the cavity and clean up the old epoxy. Worked well, but you got to go nice and easy. You could accomplish this with a hand-powered drill and then scrape with some sort of knife, but in my case that old epoxy was very hard and strong. Grinding it was the best way to go.

Good luck.

[dfwde]

I saw a guy steam his brush for 30 minutes on the stove and he just pulled the knot out

[Snargle]

I saw a guy steam his brush for 30 minutes on the stove and he just pulled the knot out

I'd be real hesitant to do this. Depending on the handle material, you could end up with a piece of trash instead of a nice, vintage brush handle. Many of the older brushes use materials such as Celluloid, Bakelite, Catalin, etc. that may not stand up very well to extended heating.

[melyus]

I'd be real hesitant to do this. Depending on the handle material, you could end up with a piece of trash instead of a nice, vintage brush handle. Many of the older brushes use materials such as Celluloid, Bakelite, Catalin, etc. that may not stand up very well to extended heating.

if you want to try with vintage handle be careful with steam method exactly larry said above. Also if the handle has a small crack sure it will go more with the steam or handle can be broken if you apply more than 20-30 minutes. so you have to check each 5 or 10 minutes to take off the old knot. im using dremel way with vintage brushes btw.
on the other hand if you have a restored brushes in a couple of years with two part epoxy like me so Teiste steam method easy to use and take out the knot only one piece so you can use it with your another handle one more time. i tried about 10 + brushes and worked very well.only 20+ minutes enough to get old knot out.

Also if you have new brushes like vulfix pure or cheaper brushes so you can easily take off the pure badger knot with teiste steam method and you can use this beautiful vulfix handle what ever knot you want. only 10-20 minutes enough to take out the knot.
Vulfix 2190 Travel brush restored with TGN 20mm Finest 2 Band Fan with steam method.
Regards.