***Fendrihan/Mühle
My trusty Fendrihan Super Badger 20mm was my first real brush, and my only brush for several years - until I started lurking on B&B a few months ago. The knot is set in a little plastic cup with a ring. The ring and cup had cracked at some point. A couple of weeks ago, the knot came out, during a shake into the tub.
I reached out to Rudy Vey, since he had many times mentioned great results from a 19mm Mühle STF knot. He sent me a knot in what appears to be the exact same plastic cup. It was a perfect drop-in fit.
I removed the old glue from the interior with a little sandpaper, as Sting would say, wrapped around my finger. Cleaned the surface with isopropyl alcohol. Spread some silicone sealant (GE brand for kitchen/bath use) around, and put the cup in. The sealant wanted to push the knot out, so I held the ring down with two fingers, and my thumb on the bottom of the handle, for a while after it stopped trying to pop out. I had been planning to watch some TV anyway. No part of this process was photo-friendly.
It's now been ≥36 hours and it seems solid. Before mounting, I did a couple of test lathers with the cup held in place using a piece of rubber band. So far the knot seems to be incredible... Can't wait to try it. No one will ever care, but with a Mühle knot, the "Made in Germany" label might now be more accurate than it was with a knot of what was almost certainly Chinese hair.
***AP Shave Co
After lurking here at B&B, for a while, I decided I needed a synthetic with strong backbone since I was coming from years of badger. I reached out to Andrew at AP, who set this G5B 24mm at his recommendation of about 54mm. Turns out my badger brush is a floppy, low backbone type, and this G5B has been far too stiff for me. I was able to remove the knot with a little twisting, a little pulling, and a fair bit of perseverance. Andrew uses a high-powered silicone sealant to prevent accidental dislodging while remaining user-serviceable. He'd used plastic washers to set the height.
I have my doubts about this knot being a good fit for me long-term, so I did minimal cleanup. I left the washers and a fair bit of the sealant in place, sliced up a synthetic wine cork (one more hat tip to Rudy Vey), and sealed in two slices, then the knot. It's an imperfect job, but will serve the purpose of testing a new loft.
The loft is now the absolute maximum of 60mm. It does feel less stiff and splays slightly more easily when dry. Time will tell how it feels with soap on it.
If things are working well, I will reloft my other brush, AP G5C 24mm, currently at 55mm. That brush has been good, but has too much backbone for me, and can cause some brush burn when face lathering. Hopefully a higher loft will reduce the backbone enough to mitigate this.
My trusty Fendrihan Super Badger 20mm was my first real brush, and my only brush for several years - until I started lurking on B&B a few months ago. The knot is set in a little plastic cup with a ring. The ring and cup had cracked at some point. A couple of weeks ago, the knot came out, during a shake into the tub.
I reached out to Rudy Vey, since he had many times mentioned great results from a 19mm Mühle STF knot. He sent me a knot in what appears to be the exact same plastic cup. It was a perfect drop-in fit.
I removed the old glue from the interior with a little sandpaper, as Sting would say, wrapped around my finger. Cleaned the surface with isopropyl alcohol. Spread some silicone sealant (GE brand for kitchen/bath use) around, and put the cup in. The sealant wanted to push the knot out, so I held the ring down with two fingers, and my thumb on the bottom of the handle, for a while after it stopped trying to pop out. I had been planning to watch some TV anyway. No part of this process was photo-friendly.
It's now been ≥36 hours and it seems solid. Before mounting, I did a couple of test lathers with the cup held in place using a piece of rubber band. So far the knot seems to be incredible... Can't wait to try it. No one will ever care, but with a Mühle knot, the "Made in Germany" label might now be more accurate than it was with a knot of what was almost certainly Chinese hair.
***AP Shave Co
After lurking here at B&B, for a while, I decided I needed a synthetic with strong backbone since I was coming from years of badger. I reached out to Andrew at AP, who set this G5B 24mm at his recommendation of about 54mm. Turns out my badger brush is a floppy, low backbone type, and this G5B has been far too stiff for me. I was able to remove the knot with a little twisting, a little pulling, and a fair bit of perseverance. Andrew uses a high-powered silicone sealant to prevent accidental dislodging while remaining user-serviceable. He'd used plastic washers to set the height.
I have my doubts about this knot being a good fit for me long-term, so I did minimal cleanup. I left the washers and a fair bit of the sealant in place, sliced up a synthetic wine cork (one more hat tip to Rudy Vey), and sealed in two slices, then the knot. It's an imperfect job, but will serve the purpose of testing a new loft.
The loft is now the absolute maximum of 60mm. It does feel less stiff and splays slightly more easily when dry. Time will tell how it feels with soap on it.
If things are working well, I will reloft my other brush, AP G5C 24mm, currently at 55mm. That brush has been good, but has too much backbone for me, and can cause some brush burn when face lathering. Hopefully a higher loft will reduce the backbone enough to mitigate this.
