I know there are many posts about shedding brushes, and I have been through too many to count looking for an answer, but here is the situation I face:
I have been using shave brushes for about 8 years now, until about two years ago (or so) I only had purchased cheep(er) brushes, usually made by Van der Hagen (both boar and badger) because they were readily available. Each of these "cheep" brushes would last about 9-12 months before they would begin shedding profusely and I would need to discard them; I chalked this up to the brushes just being "cheap."
About 5 months ago I restored one of these (used) brushes; I used a "20mm Silvertip Grade A" knot from The Golden Nib in a old Van de Hagen "Luxury" base [the shiny black one with the silver metal collar] using the epoxy sold on TGN. The top of the knot base was probably about 1mm just below the metal collar. After completion, the normal break-in shedding occurred for the first week or so, and then the brush was really nice. (Actually, it was really, really, really nice.) Now, in the past week, after about 5 months use, the brush has begun to lose 15-20 hairs each time I use it!
I can't figure out why this is happening, did I do something wrong when restoring the brush that would cause this? Am I using the brush wrong? Over the years I have slowly learned about the "proper use & care" of brushes, as I have come to understand it. Here are the points I keep in mind when using or caring for the brushes I have...can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong/what is going on to cause such shedding all of a sudden?
Any help/suggestions appreciated. Also, any suggestions on how I can stop the shedding from happening?
- Joe
I have been using shave brushes for about 8 years now, until about two years ago (or so) I only had purchased cheep(er) brushes, usually made by Van der Hagen (both boar and badger) because they were readily available. Each of these "cheep" brushes would last about 9-12 months before they would begin shedding profusely and I would need to discard them; I chalked this up to the brushes just being "cheap."
About 5 months ago I restored one of these (used) brushes; I used a "20mm Silvertip Grade A" knot from The Golden Nib in a old Van de Hagen "Luxury" base [the shiny black one with the silver metal collar] using the epoxy sold on TGN. The top of the knot base was probably about 1mm just below the metal collar. After completion, the normal break-in shedding occurred for the first week or so, and then the brush was really nice. (Actually, it was really, really, really nice.) Now, in the past week, after about 5 months use, the brush has begun to lose 15-20 hairs each time I use it!
I can't figure out why this is happening, did I do something wrong when restoring the brush that would cause this? Am I using the brush wrong? Over the years I have slowly learned about the "proper use & care" of brushes, as I have come to understand it. Here are the points I keep in mind when using or caring for the brushes I have...can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong/what is going on to cause such shedding all of a sudden?
- I let the brush soap, 3/4 the way up the bristle to the handle, in warm (not hot) water for 5-8 minutes as I shower.
- I gently rinse it out, get some soap on it, build a lather and apply.
- When lathering, or creating lather, I try to only use the tips of the brush and try to avoid applying a lot of pressure. (By its nature, I have noticed the brush builds up large amounts of lather though the bristle all the way to the handle.)
- I shave and before I rinse my face off, I carefully rinse out the brush through and through, gently squeeze excess water out, fluff/fan with a clean dry cloth, and give a couple shakes to get some lurking water out of the knot base. (All done in this order)
- Once a week I use some dish soap to clean the brush. I usually do so after a shave while the bristles are relaxed. I add some soap to the tips of the bristle, massage/lather it in my hand, let the brush soak in warm water a minute or two, and rinse under warm running water. Then I let the brush soak for about a minute in a diluted borax solution, rinse and dry (as listed above).
- I have used a number of shave soaps; I don't remember which ones I have "tried" out. Is there a type I should avoid?
- I usually rotate though 3 brushes to ensure proper drying between uses. The exception would be the first few months after I restored the brush since I wanted to "break it in" as well as just enjoyed it so much.
Any help/suggestions appreciated. Also, any suggestions on how I can stop the shedding from happening?
- Joe