Thinking about restoring - basic questions

Just a couple questions...

I don't want to start a debate about which type of brush is the best - I know that's subjective. But, I would like a silvertip brush at some point. Art of shaving has one, but it's waaaaay too expensive. If I restore a brush with a silvertip from thegoldennib.com, for example, would the brush quality be equivalent to what I can buy? I'm worried about the bristles, not the handle.

In general, is it better to buy the handle on eBay (like http://www.ebay.com/itm/121367295926) or try to find something at a flea market? How common are the ever-ready brushes?

I think the idea of cleaning up one of these old Bakelite brushes appeals to me. Any other suggestions?

It would more then likely be cheaper at the flea market /antique stores, but if you are an impulse buyer ebay is for you. Also look for estate sales and the such. I just recently purchased a The Whipped Dog silvertip knot to restore an old Plymouth brush that had nylon bristles in it. I just installed it today and it should perform great! Go check it out if you want.

Good luck with your resto!

-Deeeebs

EDIT: Also if you are watching stuff on ebay, sort by ending soonest. You might find something you like that no one has bid on for pretty cheap, and you could be the lucky winner!

Thanks for the advice. I will probably be hitting up antique stores at some point. Part of the fun of this as a hobby, to me, is the thrill of finding something unique (especially for cheap). Ebay feels like cheating...

Any advice on bristle quality for these knot-sellers? if I restore a brush with a silvertip from thegoldennib.com, for example, would the brush quality be equivalent to what I can buy as a whole, finished brush?

The Golden Nib also sells handles. Get yourself one of those and the TGN Finest knot, put that at about 48mm and see how you like it. Inexpensive, one stop shopping, and you get to set the knot yourself to get a good loft. An inexpensive way to get a really nice brush! I personally recommend the Finest over the Silvertip. You'll find a lot of love for the finest around here.

Once you have that under your belt, you'll know better what to do when you get a nice antique handle.

Deeeebs said:

It would more then likely be cheaper at the flea market /antique stores, but if you are an impulse buyer ebay is for you. Also look for estate sales and the such. I just recently purchased a The Whipped Dog silvertip knot to restore an old Plymouth brush that had nylon bristles in it. I just installed it today and it should perform great! Go check it out if you want.

Good luck with your resto!

-Deeeebs

EDIT: Also if you are watching stuff on ebay, sort by ending soonest. You might find something you like that no one has bid on for pretty cheap, and you could be the lucky winner!

Click to expand...

Good info Thank You.

i think you will find TGN quality to be just fine. Might not be on par with a $200+ brush, but then, you aren't paying $200+. I find pride in findina a handle, polishing it up, and replacing knot.

I'm a great believer in restoring oldies. The handle shapes and varieties are not available today and are so much more interesting. They have style.

I think that it's highly likely that whoever TGN sources their knots from also supply mainline brush manufacturers. Therefore they must be equivalent to some production lines. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were names we recognized.

No one really answered this question and I would like to know as well.

*Terence* said:

No one really answered this question and I would like to know as well.

Click to expand...

OK, I'll try.

When you buy a brush, you are buying a knot and a handle. You can buy a European name brand with a good reputation, and you will get a nice knot with a nice handle. Because of their reputation, you pretty much know you are getting high quality stuff.

Nearly all the badger hair today comes from China, where badgers are vermin. Most of the rest of the world badger are considered endangered, and are protected from harvest, or the harvest is at least highly controlled.

The Chinese have learned to sort and grade badger hair. It didn't take much for them to figure out how to make the knots. When dealing with a trusted source, the quality of the knot can be as good or nearly as good as those you get on a European brush. They can also be a bit trashy.

I've had good luck by asking about potential sources here on B&B before purchasing.

It didn't take much for the Chinese to figure out how to make handles too. Again, the quality can vary considerably. A perfectly usable handle isn't hard to make, but the nicer ones require a bit more care.

So, yes, you can get a Chinese made brush that gives up very little in comparison to the European names for considerably less. A nice Chinese silvertip can be had for something in the range of $30.00 to $60.00 and be very comparable to a brush from a European maker that sells for $100.00 to $250.00.

As for buying an older handle and re-knotting it, that can be a bit dicey. Some of the old handles are made well enough that re-knotting them is reasonably easy, and others either fall apart in the process or are not worth the effort. I have re-knotted quite a few, but had a couple that didn't make it.

The one I'm happiest about re-knotting is one that belonged to my grandfather. He died before I was born. I don't know how long he had it before then, but my Dad used it and then my older brother before it was passed on to me. It is an old Erskine that came with a pure badger knot that was pretty much wasted when I got it. I used it some over the years and then just left it in a drawer a few decades until I rediscovered badger. I re-knotted it with a 20 mm silvertip (it was originally a bit smaller, maybe 18 mm or 19 mm). Today it is a brush that I'm sure that any of the prior users would be proud to have.

One of my Chinese brushes, a 24 mm ACE that was $30.00 including shipping is such a nice brush that all but one of the 20 or so people that I have loaned it to have bought their own. I would put it up against any $100.00 brush in a heartbeat.

I believe that we may well be in the golden age of Chinese shaving brushes. As the Chinese economy continues to roar, the pricing we have now won't last. We have already seen the cost of Chinese goods increase considerably in the last few years. Their own consumption in general is roaring, and the cost of labor has gone from roughly $.50 an hour to closer to $6.00 and hour, causing quite a bit of the stuff that we outsourced to China a few years ago to come back. it is felt that the US worker is three times as efficient as a Chinese worker, and that $6.00 an hour doesn't look so good against $18.00 an hour here. Frank Shaving has already raised their prices in the last few years and I'm sure that economic pressures will do the same for others as well.

YMMV

Not sure how deep you're setting the knot. But i found that making the hole 3/4 inches deep will give you good backbone, no one wants a floppy brush.