Goldilocks dilemma: any ideas for how to accelerate hair splitting on a boar brush?

[mistervee123]

I've tried to get in as close as I can, but my camera doesn't have a great macro setting. If I can get a hold of a better camera, I'll get some more highly magnified pics if possible. In the one really close up pic, you can see a couple of the bristles that stick out still have the sharply angled points. On the bristles more inside the mass of the knot, you can see how the tips are tapered from the sandpaper treatment, and how some of them have started to split. I always think about Edison trying a couple thousand light bulb designs before he found one that worked. Hope springs eternal, man. Maybe I didn't ruin this brush... yet.

[MondoJ]

Nice haircut, did you use manual or electric shears?

[mistervee123]

I started with electric clippers, but some of the bristles were too thick for the cutters to handle. I opted to use specially made, professional, ice-hardened, shaving brush shears for the majority of the wash and clip. These specialized shears for are custom made and VERY difficult to obtain. If you would like a pair, I would be willing to let mine go for for for, say $1,000 USD or so (cash only please).

[sychodelix]

Clipped my boar a few days ago because it was annoying me. Turned out after only 3-4 days of heavy conditioning it turned out better than ever and I think it was probably a clipped boar in the first place. It was a way oversized brush and now that its not so big, it lathers like mad.

[mistervee123]

I'm in agreement there: the lathering ability of this brush is better now than when it was new... but aside from the clipped tips, the brush has been fairly well broken in. Do you think that might have something to do with it? Or is is that the tips are now stiffer and cut through the lather better?

[sychodelix]

I think the firmness definitely whips the lather up better. Mine was so big in the first place that it would eat all the lather and not let it go until you strangled it.