Went all Martha Stewart Yesterday

[1OldGI]

I decided to fashion a couple brush holders so that my brushes could hang inverted like they're supposed to so I cut up a wire hanger and went to work. Neither of these will win a beauty contest but they are functional and all three of my brushes can now be stored in the inverted position. Almost free and work like a champ.

[Confilo]

pictures, please

[HoratioCaine]

If you like the look of re-tooled wire hangers, I say have at it. However, the idea that brushes are "supposed to" hang upside down is a myth. If a brush drips when hung upside down, that means it hasn't been shaken out well after use. Once you shake out a brush throroughly, you've gotten as much water out of it as can be acted on by gravity. Capillary action will hold any remaining water in, and only evaporation will get the rest out. In fact, a good argument can be made that by hanging a brush upside down, you are actually impeding evaporation, since the water needs to evaporate up, not down. I stopped using stands years ago, and my brushes are in great shape. But don't let me rain on your parade, or deny you from adding that Stewart-esque touch of class to your shave den. I'm sure your stands are precious, and I too would like to see pictures of them.

[luvmysuper]

Water doesn't evaporate "up" or "down", it happens in all directions simultaneously.
I like to hang 'em to save precious counter space.

[HoratioCaine]

Water doesn't evaporate "up" or "down", it happens in all directions simultaneously.

Then why does water vapor rise?

[Darjeeling Express]

Ancient discussion and the wise men are split down the middle on this. Its all good, heads or tails. Win Win.

[luvmysuper]

Water Vapor is steam. Steam rises because it is hotter than the surrounding air, thus lighter. Evaporation and vaporization are not the same thing. Evaporation is the spontaneous change of state from a liquid to a gas which occurs due to the kinetic energy in a very small amount of water molecules closest to the gas / liquid surface. Though evaporation occurs faster if the water is of a higher temperature, the temperature differential between the molecules at the surface of the water and the air is almost indistinguishable.

But I digress, what I meant to say really was, Good job on making a wire hanger for your brushes. Can we have Pics?

[HoratioCaine]

Thank you for clarifying that. Two questions in response. One, are you saying that a wet, recessed knot in a shaving brush handle will dry the same upside down as rightside up, assuming all other conditions are equal?

Also, assuming the answer is yes, would you nevertheless agree that once a brush is well shaken out, whatever moisture remains in the bristles needs to evaporate in order to dry? In other words, that gravity has no effect on how it dries?

As for Mr. GI's wonderful creations, more power to him. If he wants to hang his brushes, by all means he should. I just don't think he has to feel like he needs to.

[luvmysuper]

I agree with you that if well shaken out, a brush will dry equally as well upside down or rightside up, and that gravity has no part to play in it. Water doesn't "pool" at the bottom of the brush when it is sitting up because the water "wicks" to the drier area.

Maybe the idea for hanging a brush upside down originated when super epoxies where not widley used, and there was some thought that water near the glued base would deteriorate the glue. Who knows.

But like someone else in another forum pointed out, most brushes have a flat bottom for a reason, so you can set it down.

[GoldenMonkey]

Horatio, I think at this point, a "YMMV" and a "Nice! Glad you are happy!" would be in order, instead of..whatever's going on here now...semantics, I guess...

[Shane]

Awesome. DIY shaving gear is great.

[HoratioCaine]

Horatio, I think at this point, a "YMMV" and a "Nice! Glad you are happy!" would be in order, instead of..whatever's going on here now...semantics, I guess...

I resolved after this thread not to give advice where it was not asked for.

[kingfisher]

I resolved after this thread not to give advice where it was not asked for.

That's too bad. I, for one, enjoy conversations like the one that took place above (even though it was a bit of a threadjack). Furthermore, I look forward to your posts, as they are often thoughful and interesting. Please don't hang up unsolicited advice entirely; you can provide me with it anytime.

OldGI: Congrats on the DIY project. I hang my brushes, too, but never had the gumption to construct my own.

[strat1117]

What happened to the pictures?

[HoratioCaine]

Please don't hang up unsolicited advice entirely; you can provide me with it anytime.

Thank you.

And to Old GI, I apologize for jacking your thread and raining on your parade. Sincerely. I get a chuckle every time I think of your brush stands, and I really would like to see some pictures of them.

[moonshine44]

Home made may not be fancy, urbane, and sophisticated, but if it does the intended job with a minimum of fuss and hassle, and the price is right, then it becomes tranformed from home made to perfect...

Good job! I made my own as well. There's a thread somewhere about my own home made shaving stand. Ah, here it is now: Redneck shaving stand

[heirkb]

I was also interested in the conversation above. Why not distribute info? Nobody was being criticized and there is such a thing as too much politeness after all. Especially if it's inauthentic.
I do value consideration (which I consider to be different from "custom" and "politeness"), however, and don't mean to offend anyone.

Sorry to hijack the thread. ;)

[luvmysuper]

Please don't hang up unsolicited advice entirely; you can provide me with it anytime.

But if you tell him he can provide unsolicited advice to you, isn't that soliciting his advice, thus making it no longer unsolicited?

[HoratioCaine]

But if you tell him he can provide unsolicited advice to you, isn't that soliciting his advice, thus making it no longer unsolicited?

I suppose I'm invalidating my own apology for the threadjack, but since others are continuing the conversation, I'll chime in. I've been a member of other online forums, including other shaving forums, going back a number of years. In most forums - but especially shaving forums, for some reason - there is a mutual desire to have a free exchange of information, as well as to have it be a laid-back place where people have pleasant interactions. Sometimes achieving that balance is walking a very thin line. Offering information can sometimes rub people the wrong way, which starts nerves fraying, and that starts to disrupt the laid-back feeling we all want. Conversely, if we decide to keep our thoughts to ourselves so as not to make waves or to keep things pleasant, we're subverting the free and open exchange of information. This thread is a case in point. I think I can stand to learn that not everbody wants my ideas crammed down their throats, no matter how useful I think those ideas might be. Likewise, those who want a laid-back, pleasant forum might consider if they are inadvertently discouraging the open exchange of ideas and are instead fostering a less substantail, "hail fellow well met" atmosphere. Generally, I think the members of this forum, along with the moderators, do a pretty good job of maintaining the balance of both goals, but occasionally reminding ourselves why we're here and what we hope to get from our time and efforts can also be worthwhile.

[luvmysuper]

I suppose i'm invalidating my own apology for the threadjack, but since others are continuing the conversation, i'll chime in. I've been a member of other online forums, including other shaving forums, going back a number of years. In most forums - but especially shaving forums, for some reason - there is a mutual desire to have a free exchange of information, as well as to have it be a laid-back place where people have pleasant interactions. Sometimes achieving that balance is walking a very thin line. Offering information can sometimes rub people the wrong way, which starts nerves fraying, and that starts to disrupt the laid-back feeling we all want. Conversely, if we decide to keep our thoughts to ourselves so as not to make waves or to keep things pleasant, we're subverting the free and open exchange of information. This thread is a case in point. I think i can stand to learn that not everbody wants my ideas crammed down their throats, no matter how useful i think those ideas might be. Likewise, those who want a laid-back, pleasant forum might consider if they are inadvertently discouraging the open exchange of ideas and are instead fostering a less substantail, "hail fellow well met" atmosphere. Generally, i think the members of this forum, along with the moderators, do a pretty good job of maintaining the balance of both goals, but occasionally reminding ourselves why we're here and what we hope to get from our time and efforts can also be worthwhile.

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