to stand or to hang

[Poodle Soup]

Lets all organize into 2 groups, brush hangers and brush sitters and in 40 years lets see who still has a nice brush

 

[DoubleE]

Did you not read it? The results of the experiment show that standing your brushes up on their base actually dries them slightly better. [link]
(In other words, basically no difference. Get a stand if you want your brushes to look nice. But it is not necessary.)
All you have to do is shake your brushes out before you put them away.
But what about gravity, you ask?
On the micro level it is overcome by capillary action.

The reason stands are so highly recommended is so shaving vendors can make more money by selling you stands.
Just like razor manufacturers used to recommend that you "rest" your straights before using them again. Why? They sell more razors that way.
And stands have been recommended so much that it is now "common knowledge"
The widespread knowledge about stands is similar to those who talk about "opening" and "closing" their pores.
Very often, most people are wrong.
Wikipedia - List of Common Misconceptions

There probably isn't any difference in dry times. A couple of the brush care instructions, which have nothing to do with vendors, talk about the care of the handles, not dry times. Still, I'll continue to hang mine just to be sure.

 

[huntmol]

There probably isn't any difference in dry times.

Agreed, they both dry at the same rate.

A couple of the brush care instructions, which have nothing to do with vendors, talk about the care of the handles, not dry times.

See my previous post about common knowledge.

Still, I'll continue to hang mine just to be sure.

Again, nothing wrong with hanging your brush.
I just don't like the scare tactics used on newbies when they ask if they need to spend money on a shaving stand. There is no long-term damage from standing a brush up on its base to dry.

I know what you think you're saying, about stuff dripping down into the handle, but you should never put your brush away when it's dripping wet anyway. Always shake it out a few times. This gets all of the "standing" water out of the brush. At this point it should not be dripping, or have the hair very clumped. At this point the volume of water in the brush is so small that it actually will not drip downward at all. The thin ends of the brush hairs wick water upwards constantly as the tips of the hair dries out, via a process known as capillary action.

[Note: for those concerned about how to dry their brush properly, Mantic does a fantastic job of explaining it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dRVZz83ago]

 

[DoubleE]

For those newbies who want to hang their shaving brushes, but can't afford the 5 bucks to get one, here's a solution.

 

[njpaddy]

Hang for now. But I've got a second brush coming so one of them is going to have to stand. I keep my brush and razor on top of my bedroom dresser as my wife says she can't spare any room on the bathroom counter.

 

[brianw]

I always hang....don't know why I just do

 

[Scrom]

I'll add my vote to the hang to dry stand to store crowd.

 

[azrichter]

With a natural bristle, water will be wicked upward, against gravity. Look at what happens when a piece of absorbent material is dipped into water and held upright. The moisture travels upward.

So, actually, when you hang the brush you may have that moisture wicking back up into the handle.

Just some other nit to pick and worry about. I shake out my brush thoroughly and I doubt there's enough water to pool near the handle. Hangin' or standin'---makes no difference in dry time, imho.

 

[swkohnle]

I have one I hang in a stand (Wife bought me several years ago) and another that I stand on it's back for the past several years (mostly I never wanted to spend $$ on a stand) both I use regularly and I have seen no difference in drying time or wear...

 

[SirWhiskers]

Squeeze, shake and splay the hairs a bit. I think airflow is much more important than how it stands. In other words do not keep the brush in a humid environment or put it in a cabinet/drawer when wet.

Also, if the brushes were supposed to be hanged, wouldn't the text and logos on them be "upside down" by default?

 

[Pulley]

Squeeze, shake and splay the hairs a bit. I think airflow is much more important than how it stands. In other words do not keep the brush in a humid environment or put it in a cabinet/drawer when wet.

Also, if the brushes were supposed to be hanged, wouldn't the text and logos on them be "upside down" by default?

+1 - I also will give it a couple of quick squeezes with a towel.

 

[drumana]

Stand or hang? Doesn't make a lick of difference either way. It solely depends on what you like to gander at when in your shave den.

 

[TMH478]

I was just thinking. When I purchase my Simpson, there was a slip of paper in the box. Mind you, it never specified whether to hang or stand on the base. You just want to keep it out of enclosed places while drying, especially inside cabinets.

 

[Lucky11453]

I keep mine in a very nice brush and razor stand...but I love the rope idea that OUCH has. If it was me....I would have to used a hangman's knot.

 

[huntmol]

With a natural bristle, water will be wicked upward, against gravity. Look at what happens when a piece of absorbent material is dipped into water and held upright. The moisture travels upward. So, actually, when you hang the brush you may have that moisture wicking back up into the handle. Just some other nit to pick and worry about. I shake out my brush thoroughly and I doubt there's enough water to pool near the handle. Hangin' or standin'---makes no difference in dry time, imho.

+1

I have one I hang in a stand (Wife bought me several years ago) and another that I stand on it's back for the past several years (mostly I never wanted to spend $$ on a stand) both I use regularly and I have seen no difference in drying time or wear...

+1

Squeeze, shake and splay the hairs a bit. I think airflow is much more important than how it stands. In other words do not keep the brush in a humid environment or put it in a cabinet/drawer when wet. Also, if the brushes were supposed to be hanged, wouldn't the text and logos on them be "upside down" by default?

+1

Stand or hang? Doesn't make a lick of difference either way. It solely depends on what you like to gander at when in your shave den.

Yes! This is EXACTLY it. +1

 

[Go West Young Man]

With a natural bristle, water will be wicked upward, against gravity. Look at what happens when a piece of absorbent material is dipped into water and held upright. The moisture travels upward.

So, actually, when you hang the brush you may have that moisture wicking back up into the handle.

Water is NOT wicked upwards - it moves from wet areas to dry areas, regardless of direction.

Assuming the brush is equally wet throughout, the water won't go either up or down, and will sooner or later evaporate into the surrounding air.

 

[Drubbing]

I spend the extra penny to maximize drying efficiency. But that's me- Mr. Vegas.

Ingenious. I currenty stand all my brushes and have been living as close to the edge as possible, but reading too many of these threads, and moisture anxiety is starting to freak me out; I obviously haven't thought about this crucial aspect anywhere near enough.

I feel a patent coming on. Or a rip off of a potential ouch patent if I'm quick enough. While I'm planning to steal, could you provide more info?

1. What gauge of string do find works best to get the optimum grip?
2. How have you arrived at the recommended length of string?
3. Will I need to adjust string length according to loft and density of brush?
4. Will this work for Boar brushes, or should I use Hessian twine?
5. Have you experimented with angles for the correct dangle to achieve the most efficient evaporation rates?
6. Will I need a protractor to set the desired angle?
7. Will my protractor need verifying for accuracy from the appropriate Weights & Measures authority?
8. Are U.S. W&M authorities really any good - should the protractor be sent to somewhere more rigourous, like Germany?

Please don't go away, I'll need to sleep on this. I'll have more questions....

 

[thunderball]

Stand proud mine do.

 

[verdict]

I squeeze my boar, flick it a few times, and I dry it a bit with my towel, then stand.

 

[Blue58]

Ingenious. I currenty stand all my brushes and have been living as close to the edge as possible, but reading too many of these threads, and moisture anxiety is starting to freak me out; I obviously haven't thought about this crucial aspect anywhere near enough.

I feel a patent coming on. Or a rip off of a potential ouch patent if I'm quick enough. While I'm planning to steal, could you provide more info?

1. What gauge of string do find works best to get the optimum grip?
2. How have you arrived at the recommended length of string?
3. Will I need to adjust string length according to loft and density of brush?
4. Will this work for Boar brushes, or should I use Hessian twine?
5. Have you experimented with angles for the correct dangle to achieve the most efficient evaporation rates?
6. Will I need a protractor to set the desired angle?
7. Will my protractor need verifying for accuracy from the appropriate Weights & Measures authority?
8. Are U.S. W&M authorities really any good - should the protractor be sent to somewhere more rigourous, like Germany?

Please don't go away, I'll need to sleep on this. I'll have more questions....

You forgot the "adequate ventilation " question. you know air temp, humidity stuff