My First DIY Pine Brush Handle

I had some scrap wood from some laminated pine board that I used to make a desk top on the cheap (steel angle, flat, and square tube, bolts, and pine board, with twine for support), thought I'd like to make a brush handle and it looked like a good candidate (turned out pretty well for the desk, anyway .

It's not done yet, but here's what I have so far:


Took some strips and cut them into about 1.25" square by 0.5" tall blocks, cleaned 'em with a damp cloth, put a thin layer of epoxy on the top of two of 'em, and clamped 'em all together (with some cheap 99 cent clamps). After it dried over night, sanded the edges so they were about flush, drew a circle on the top and bottom, then went at it with an old dull xacto knife knocking down the corners.

Not easy, but it's coming along. The worst part is trying to remove material from the end-grain sides, but I think I've more or less figured that out (hold block with side grain horizontal, end grain on left and right of block. Cut away from myself and toward the end grain using slicing motion, with blade at a ~45 degree angle respect to the grain) I'll have a Morakniv Classic 2/0 some time next week--should make things go a lot quicker--or smoother, at least. Might get a new blade for my xacto, too, for any detail work I need to do. Still not sure what the final shape will be...will probably evolve as I uncover the grain. I have a drill press to make the hole for the knot, but don't have a bit for that yet.

As far as color, not sure if I want to use the same stain I used for my desk top or go with a natural oil finish (flax is what I have on hand, but I may do another). I'll try a couple on some of the other scrap pieces and see what I like. Here's a couple pictures of the desk (before it got all cluttered up):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6HZjBTsAO7EWDJKRll2ZldiUDg/preview
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6HZjBTsAO7EclFvSFpWUzl1NGs/preview

What an interesting project! I enjoyed reading your write-up on your progress so far. Not being what you'd call a 'handy' person, I am always impressed by such skills. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the finished product. I like the table very much also.

sandstone said:

What an interesting project! I enjoyed reading your write-up on your progress so far. Not being what you'd call a 'handy' person, I am always impressed by such skills. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the finished product. I like the table very much also.

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Thanks, I thought the table turned out fairly well, though not perfect for lack of proper tools, experience, and patience (drilling through a steel weld is tough business), though I forgot to stain one edge...eventually I'll get that.

Progress on the brush is slow, but it is going...here are two photos, one with flash and one without, in that order:



I've nibbled a bit more wood off the brush, and sanded two sides convex with some 80-grit wrapped around a tube. Tried to get the end-grain sides started, but that wood is tough...a chisel or round carving knife would be really helpful there, I think...or a file (which I have, but it's a few states away). My knife should be here tomorrow or the day after, but I don't think I should use it on that side, for that purpose...

The scrap wood below the handle has flax oil applied to the left side, and both flax oil and a stain applied to the right side (one coat). I'm impatient, and was curious what it'd look like with the stain applied over the oil, so it was put on while still wet (and it's still somewhat wet in the photo). I'll probably sand it down a little, then apply some more oil and more stain. This is neither the standard nor recommended way to apply stains and oils--you have been warned!

Looking like I'll just need to man-up and get a file from harbor freight or something. I can manage to shave off of the middle block because it's a little softer, but the others are really hard, and even if I was able to use my new knife to do it, it'd probably ruin (or, at least, really dull) the edge--being as I don't have a sharpening stone and have never used one, that's not something I'd like to do to a brand new blade. :/

As far as the stain goes, I sanded it down with 220 grit and wiped with a damp microfiber towel, then applied a second coat of flax oil and stain. I'm sort of leaning towards the oil, 'cause I really like the golden highlights, but it'll be a few coats of stain before it really starts to looks like a finished product so I'll hold my judgment for now. No photo, because aside from being a (very) little shinier on the oil side, it looks about the same.

Oh, and I meant to say concave in my previous post, not convex. Darn dyslexia...

Got my knife--man it looks nice. Currently bubbling nicely in some hot vinegar:


Slo-mo video:

Glad you got your knife and that is a cool video! I am wondering about the vinegar treatment. What does it do?

sandstone said:

Glad you got your knife and that is a cool video!

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Thanks! Probably going to use the photo as a wallpaper--the full res photo looks awesome (well, as long as you ignore the mess in the background). Just wish my camera could do slo-mo at a higher resolution.

I am wondering about the vinegar treatment. What does it do?

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It's a form of "Rust Bluing"--It creates a nice even layer of black rust on the metal, which helps protect it from the more corroding red rust (as long as you don't leave it wet or something like that). For more info, check out this wiki article.

It's probably not perfect, being as I'm an amateur working with make-shift tools, but it's better than nothing. I'm probably going to wipe it down with alcohol and steel wool and do another coat--it's not super dark, and the collar is rusting a little:


Anyway, going to see if I can wake myself up tomorrow and go to harbor freight to grab a file. I tried the knife, and it really couldn't put a dent in the handle--I don't blame it, that's not really the kind of utility work it was designed for. Maybe if it was sharper...