Adoration Addition

I restored my first Adoration shaving brush last summer ( http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/353670-Adoration-admiration ). It turned out so well and I was so impressed with the quality of Adoration shaving brushes, a search for more ensued immediately.


Needless to say, very hard brushes to find.


25 September 2013 rolls in and. . . . .BINGO. One concern, with this brush, was the discoloration of the upper portion of the handle.





But, I couldn’t pass it up.


Several days later, the brush arrived and it immediately underwent an initial cleaning and evaluation.









Cut time.








Finishing the knot removal. . . .






The seller advertised the brush (lower portion) as “Bakelite.” The more I handled the handle, and based on what I saw, I became more intrigued with the claimed “Bakelite.”


After removing the rest of the knot in the handle, I placed a flashlight to the bottom of the handle.






Hmmmm. . . .


And then a different light source away from the handle. . . .

What to do. . . .what to do?


You see, a little research revealed the lower portion of the handle to be Catalin and not Bakelite. Bakelite was produced in solid colors – no swirling, marbling, etc. Catalin was produced in 20 opaque and translucent colors. Engineers limited the color range because they felt all other dyes would cause instability in the plastic. Phenolic resin reacts to ultraviolet light by converting to phenyl alcohol, which is brownish in color. That is why so many Catalin items are amber colored. Supposedly, the effect turned original white to butterscotch, bright blue into drab olive, green into butterscotch and brilliant red marble into brown, just to name a few.


So, what lies beneath the butterscotch patina?


The first objective was to see how deep the discoloration was on the upper portion of the handle.


The second objective came in two options. One, do a light sanding and polishing of the lower, to leave the butterscotch patina intact. Or, perform an aggressive sanding to see what lies below the patina.


The latter. . . . .sacrilegious, I know, to the butterscotch, shaving brush lovers. lol


My biggest fear. . . .removing the patina and find nothing more than white. Green wouldn’t be bad though. Lol



So, what to do. . . .what to do?


Several days after the brush arrived and knot removed. . . .I made a decision and went to work.


Hey, this is what restorations are about, right? lol



Here it is. . .sanded, polished, and branding repainted.








Now, what kind of knot to shove in it?


I’ve done plenty of TGN’s 2-Band Finest knots. I’ve also accomplished a restore using a TGN Grade A Silvertip. Something different is needed. I even contemplated sending it to Shavemac for a DO1 Silvertip. Nah.


How about a High Mountain White (HMW)? A knot I haven’t played with, during a restoration.


Pre-bloom. . . . .






Post-bloom. . . .







The pair. . . .

Amazing. Thanks for to he education on Catalin!

Forgot to ask, have you lathered that beauty up yet? A lot of folks would love an opinion on that HMW knot.

Speechless.

Both are absolutely beautiful

Outstanding!

OH MY ! What a beauty!

Beautiful job!!!! What size knot and loft did you go with. How would you rate the HMW after lathering with it? I have yet to do one with a HWM so inquiring minds want to know! Thanks!!

Wow! Those are gorgeous.

You are a trouble maker (you have tempted me to add Adoration to the list of handles I need to obtain).

Enjoy those lovely restorations in good health!

robk said:

Wow! Those are gorgeous.

You are a trouble maker (you have tempted me to add Adoration to the list of handles I need to obtain).

Enjoy those lovely restorations in good health!

Click to expand...

i need that clear one for sure.

I have an Adoration in Applesauce Green that I have been wanting to get started on. This sure did peak my motivation.

Great job on both. Would like to hear the measurements of the knot and where you purchased it.

Beautiful brushes!!

Lovely work once again Gigster. I actually hold you responsible for the current prices of the Ever Ready 400. You just doubled the values of Adoration handles with this thread.

We are all anxious to hear how you are enjoying the HMW knot. Please post a shot of it in full bloom! Again, fabulous job!

Both brushes are stunning.

Bold restoration with outstanding results. Thanks for doing the research and sharing the information.

Wow! Those are awesome photos and you, sir are a true craftsman. Very nice restos and a good lesson on Catalin. I have never heard of that before.

The knot is a TGN, 24mm High Mountain White (HMW). Here are the specs of the knot when it arrived.

Overall height: 65.0mm
Plug thickness: 23.8mm
Thickness above plug: 26.3mm
Weight: 0.7 oz or 19g

When it came to knot selection for this handle, I was a bit gun shy on TGN’s HMW knots. One, there aren’t very many threads providing specifics. Two, based on the price of this knot, I can purchase two, TGN 2-Band Finest knots, which are proven knots.

My knot preference. . . .substantial backbone for scrub effect, but no scritch. The primary reason I’ve used TGN’s 2-Band Finest knots in most of the restorations I’ve accomplished.

For this knot, I set the loft height at 47.4mm. I played with the loft before making the final setting – a delicate balance of aesthetics and backbone. The loft range I tested – 45mm to 52mm.

I went with this loft height due to the amount backbone this knot does not possess. God, I hate floppy knots! Lol For me, 49 – 52mm felt too high.

My standard routine, after the epoxy cures (24 hours) and initial post-bloom pics, is to shampoo the knot to clean and help get rid of any badger funk, if any. I also bowl lathered the knot, using Mystic Water Irish Traveler shaving soap.



Today was the first shave with this brush. The pre-load/pre-lather process – soak the knot in warm water, one teaspoon of hot water on the soap, pour excess soap water into the bowl, and enough swirls on the soap to adequately load the brush (50 swirls). I had enough lather for five or six passes.

I can tell you this: The knot absorbs and holds a ton of water. Loading and building lather was a breeze. Releases lather beautifully, not floppy, splay is excellent, superb face feel.

I would like to run the usage up on this knot, but right now. . .it’s a winner! Very, very impressed!

That's really great to hear. Glad you found a unique knot for that beauty. Been thinking of pulling the trigger on the same knot for a resto... My knot preference is he same as yours.

You are forcing my hand!

Beauties, Note to self, I gots to get me an Adoration brush. I've been on the lookout, passively mind you, they do not come up very often and in my experience can be pricey. Congratulations!