The Rubberset 400 Club

dfoulk · Aug 15, 2015

troy said:
Hey David thanks for the tips sorry I didn't see yours before I posted. If the knot starts to fall apart I may do a full restoration, but for now like almost all my antiques it will be a cleaned up survivor.

No problem, many come here and look for how to do this or for general information. Pretty much the same things you were referring to so I figured why not. This thread is super long and while it contains all the info you need it's buried a bit so it doesn't hurt to share the process again. I'm glad you like the brush. It looks a lot better than when you started. So nice work there.

You might want to try a high grit pad (I have one of the 3M 4000 grit ones from the auto parts store) and skip the Mother's polish for a nice satin look that'll probably hide a lot of the imperfections. I have one of mine finished like this and I really enjoy it.

If the knot stays together the original knots are quite nice.

troy · Aug 15, 2015

Thanks again I may have to try the pad a satin sounds awesome. I really do like used and loved look, a little worn around the edges.

ks6c · Aug 16, 2015

When I was polishing by hand, I used MicroMesh, foam core wet-sanding abrasive pads available in grits to 12,000, though as David points out, after 4,000 grit it's easier to go to the next level with Mother's Aluminum polish than the higher grits.

Lately, I've been using Dremel Abrasive Buffs, available at Lowes in several different "grits", on a cheap Harbor Freight bench grinder with a PTO and flexible shaft. I use this setup rather than using the buffs on a Dremel tool because I find I get much, much better control with the flexible shaft and, as many have noted previously, it's incredibly easy to do more damage with a power tool than you'd ever want! I just polished 3 400s this weekend in less than 1/4 of the time it would take me to polish 1 by hand.

The buffs will take out light flea bites, but they will not take out deeper dings - hand sanding is the only option I've found for those, followed by the buffs rather than working my way up the grit scale with MicroMesh.

troy · Aug 16, 2015

Thanks for the tips. I may use them one day, but for now I plan to use it as is. As you can see from the razors in my shot I kind of like a little patina.

Today I introduced it to a couple of its new friends. The W&B was for my face and the ER 1912 for my head. Truly Awesome shave today. My daughter is off with Grandma and Grandpa and the wife is still in bed nice relaxing me time.

The brush performed wonderfully great lather as soon as it hit the puck of VDH luxury scented. I can get a usable lather out of my VDH boar but it takes a lot of work. This is the first time my lather actually looked like what people get in the videos. I sure hope it holds up it seemed to lose less hair (noticed 2 this morning) than my VDH dose every time I use it.

Here are a couple of pics from its first morning out in what I am sure has been a very long time.

troy · Aug 17, 2015

Hey guys, I've been scrolling through this thread for the last couple of days and I must say beautiful work everyone. I can't believe I hadn't noticed these before one just fell into my lap. I will definitely keep my eyes out for more on my wild hunts.

I have used mine twice now and it seems to be holding up great and blows my other brush out of the water. It is definitely my new daily driver for now. I do want to get a badger sometime so I can decide witch way to go if/when the original knot needs replaced.

There are 2 things I'm curious about still and couldn't seem to find.

1. When were these made? I know it probably can't be narrowed down to the exact year(s) but can it be narrowed to a decade or 2?

2. dfoulk (David) mentioned using a 4,000 grit pad and no polish for a satin look. Are there any pics of how this looks when finished?

Maybe it is there and I just missed it.

Thanks for the info.

dfoulk · Aug 17, 2015

troy said:
Hey guys, I've been scrolling through this thread for the last couple of days and I must say beautiful work everyone. I can't believe I hadn't noticed these before one just fell into my lap. I will definitely keep my eyes out for more on my wild hunts.

I have used mine twice now and it seems to be holding up great and blows my other brush out of the water. It is definitely my new daily driver for now. I do want to get a badger sometime so I can decide witch way to go if/when the original knot needs replaced.

There are 2 things I'm curious about still and couldn't seem to find.

1. When were these made? I know it probably can't be narrowed down to the exact year(s) but can it be narrowed to a decade or 2?

2. dfoulk (David) mentioned using a 4,000 grit pad and no polish for a satin look. Are there any pics of how this looks when finished?

Maybe it is there and I just missed it.

Thanks for the info.

I think I heard that these were used from sometime around the 50's, generally by barbers. I got a little history on one of mine and it was used in a barber shop for several decades until the barber retired and gave it to the person I eventually bought it from. So it's really cool to think about all of the things that brush has been through.

I'll post a pic of my brush with the satin finish for you soon.

troy · Aug 18, 2015

Thanks again David. I think my brush wants to keep its original knot I didn't see any loose hairs today! :thumbup:

ks6c · Aug 18, 2015

troy said:
.... When were these made? I know it probably can't be narrowed down to the exact year(s) but can it be narrowed to a decade or 2....

Paging BladeShark to the white courtesy phone, please...

PM sent, btw

BladeShark · Aug 18, 2015

ks6c said:
Paging BladeShark to the white courtesy phone, please...

From what I've been able to find these were made from the late 1930s through at least the late 1950s. After the turn of the century self shaving became the norm and brushes like these would have found their way in the the homes of the average shaver. These were originally an inexpensive brush with a novel "rocket" shape that oddly didn't get copied by competing brush makers of the day. The handles hold up well and are easy to reknot. They will likely outlive all of us who enjoy them today.

BladeShark · Aug 18, 2015

This is the only ad for an aluminum Rubberset 400 that I've come across. It's believed to be from the late 1930s.

I'm really curious what the wooden versions looked like. Did they have a rubber, wood or aluminium ferrule? It appears that both wooden models had a higher loft than the aluminum version. Could it have had a bigger knot diameter too? We'll find out one day. The truth is out there waiting to be uncovered. :thumbup1:

BladeShark · Aug 18, 2015

All of the earlier ads for a 400 were for a single size with a non-corrosive metal ferrule. This ad is from 1915 and perhaps they kept that style. Rubberset's popular wooden handled model was the 49 and it came in multiple sizes.

Bsohm · Aug 20, 2015

Has anyone seen these new brushes from PAA?
http://crownkingshaving.com/product...uave-synthetic-shave-brush-introductory-price

samlark · Aug 20, 2015

Bsohm said:
Has anyone seen these new brushes from PAA?
http://crownkingshaving.com/product...uave-synthetic-shave-brush-introductory-price

Oh, man, someone's finally done it! If they sell the ferrules separately so I can add my own knots, that would be awesome. I wonder if they're interchangeable with original Rubberset handles? This is very cool.

-- Sammy

Bsohm · Aug 20, 2015

I would think they would the problem is they are chrome plated zinc alloy (Zamak (Pot Metal))

BladeShark · Oct 3, 2015

samlark said:
Oh, man, someone's finally done it! If they sell the ferrules separately so I can add my own knots, that would be awesome. I wonder if they're interchangeable with original Rubberset handles? This is very cool.

-- Sammy

I picked up the brush and the ferrules. They do fit an original Rubberset 400. Per correspondence with Douglas Smythe at Crown King Shaving the handle is chrome plated brass and the ferrule is chrome plated zinc. I asked if he would consider making one in aluminum but no luck.

BladeShark · Oct 19, 2015

When was the last time you saw a Rubberset 400 sell on eBay for less than $10 shipped? :thumbup:

eBay listing

ks6c · Oct 19, 2015

I'd be happy to shine her up for you, Jim :thumbup1:

BladeShark · Oct 20, 2015

ks6c said:
I'd be happy to shine her up for you, Jim

That's half the fun! I'm a bit worried by some pitting I can see in the pictures. I'll know in a few days when it gets here.

ks6c · Oct 20, 2015

I've gone to the Dremel Abrasive Buffs available in 180, 280 and 320 grits to do the heavy lifting. Turns a 6 hour job into a 45 minute job - unless you slip with the Dremel and do more damage. :blink:

I actually use a bench grinder with an auxiliary tool shaft that gives me a lot more control than with a Dremel tool.

troy · Oct 20, 2015

Nice score! :thumbup1:

I can't wait to see how it cleans up.

Just a quick update on mine. It was my daily driver for over a month until I got a synthetic. I still get it out now and then, and the original knot is still holding up well. I think it will stay in its cleaned up survivor state for occasional use.

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