Beginner restorer

So I picked up a couple of old brushes from a local antique store. I have never done a restore, but I think I might like it. I need a little advice from you veteran brush restorers though. First, what do you all use to polish/shine the old brushes? Second, how do you afix the knot to the brush?

Here are the candidates...



Not exactly sure what I want to do with them. The black and red one is kind of weird. Its actually two pieces. The red base unscrews from the black top which is hollow. I'm real excited for the clear, lucite(?) one. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and expertise.

Nice brushes! You'll probably want to try the red one first. The lucite ones are trickier. I'll let others chime in with details on procedure, but I will recommend the Finest Badger knot from The Golden Nib. Either bulb shape or fan are good when set to about 48mm loft. http://thegoldennib.com/wet-shaving/badger-hair-knots/finest-badger-knots.html

Tell us about what tools you have, that may help with suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was able to steam the knot out of the lucite one already, but there is still a bunch of junk in there that I need to clean out. I thought I would be able to just pull out the knot from the red and black one since it was just sitting in the handle loose, but it has proved to be stuck somehow.

I was thinking a finest knot from TGN also, but wanted to get some opinions. I have another brush that has a two band finest from TGN and I really like that knot.

As far as tools go... I don't have many. I have plenty of knives and a multi-tool. I don't have a Dremel or anything fancy like that though. I'm a college student and I haven't really had a chance to build up my tool chest.

Mostly I was hoping people could tell me what products work well for polishing the handle. Especially the lucite one. The other one is probably going to be the experimental brush since its a little more cheaply built. I was hoping I might be able to restore the lucite one to the point of being very usable. I really like the clear handle.

Don't discount the desirability of the red and black handle. It looks like the butterscotch and black Rubbersets and Fullers commonly seen here.

I'm glad the steaming method got the knot out of the Lucite handle without damaging it. I have never steamed a knot out for fear of damaging the handle. I'd totally clean out the recess, polish it with Turtle Wax rubbing compound, paint the recess with black Testor's enamel, then set the knot with some tinted Devcon 5 min epoxy.

I would wet the knot in the red and black handle, cut it off with a razor, and carefully carve out the remnants with a sharp knife, if you don't have a Dremel or drill. Should come out easily after getting a small amount cut out.

Nice find!! I love the red and black handles!

Usually I'll use a pair of needle nose pliers and pull the old knot out a few hairs at a time. Sometimes it's tough but they always come out. You will need something though when you get to the base of the knot, to drill it out. There are a lot of posts here with pictures that will help. Take your time and you'll become addicted like the rest of us!

Very nice and glad the lucite came out easily. Good luck with your project and be sure to show us the finished brushes.

Update #1
Here are the handles with the knots removed. I'm certain I'll need to remove a lot more junk from the lucite handle. How much more do I need to remove from the other one though? The handle is hollow and I damaged that piece of whatever-it-is trying to remove the knot that I'm pretty sure was set in cement. (not really though, it was just hard to get out) Should I leave that thing and just put epoxy over the hole?

I'd drill it all out, then fill the handle for a little more heft. I've filled hollow handles with epoxy, cork and epoxy, hex nuts and epoxy, washers and epoxy, and one handle received just the knot with a little epoxy. Others have used silicone, ball bearings, shot, coins, to add some weight to the handle. I would build it up to just below where I'd like to set the knot, then set the knot with a little epoxy. Looking good so far!