first time brush restore!

[discodaz]

something i have been thinking of doing for a while, the perfect opportunity arose when i bought a lot off ebay consisting of this brush and an incredibly filthy superspeed.
its not a perfect handle, its got a little crack at the bottom and a couple of minor cracks around the top but i dont want to start on a super expensive rarity!

first job-chop off the old bristles....

then a good clean and polish. i t was really grotty, so i used a brillo pad and warm water to get the crud off, then i polished it with t-cut and a yellow duster

nice and clean, now dig out the remainder of the old knot. i drilled out the middle then nibbled away the rest with a sharp modeling knife.

it seems to be full of plaster or something-it seems to be nice and solid.
now i can measure up and source a knot. its going to be nothing fancy just in case i make a mess of it, but quite pleased with how its going.
dont know whether or not to cut out the brass ring?

any tips or advice gladly received!

 

[daz]

well done so far!
check outThe Turners Workshop for some pretty cheap but very good knots, all stocked in the UK so no waiting for a couple of weeks or more for delivery.
If you had access to a lathe I would suggest chucking it up and getting rid of the cracks at the rim and boring the hole out a wee bit deeper. Then you can use coins to pack up the knot to find the right loft for your chosen knot.
If you can't use a lathe then I can help you out there (FOC), either that or use a file and some sandpaper. Give me a pm if you want some more info on the lathe work

 

[UKRob]

I'd be inclined to leave it as it is - once you have put a decent knot in it's bloomed I don't think you will see the cracks.

Nice offer though Daz

 

[daz]

You're right Rob, you won't see the cracks once the knot blooms. BUT, the fibres will catch on those jaggy bits and cause shedding, and apart from that I would know they are there and couldn't sleep until they were gone :blush: Imagine giving you a lovely straight with some rust spots on it, what would you do? ;-)

 

[UKRob]

Of course I would - forget what I said discodaz and get it in the post. A slightly bigger knot will not go amiss anyway.

 

[discodaz]

the little cracks will easily sand out if i take out the brass ring, they really are minor! the big one on the handle was worrying me but i think its pretty stable. to be honest i achieved much more than i thought i would today and i got to the point where i though i had better step away and take stock before doing something irreversible!
that is a very kind offer daz, i am going to try and sand them out first but if i think i am out of my depth i will PM you =)
i am getting more from tinkering and cleaning old stuff than i do from using it!!

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just had a brain storm! i figured that if i left the brass ring in there it would limit how much material i can remove, so i gave it a quick rub....

pretty much gone! when its had a bit of shaping and tidying i think it will be right!
gonna lose that ring as well, i reckon that its probably what was holding the old knot together!

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played around a bit and removed the brass thingy-cracks pretty much history now!

 

[BraveBlades]

nice finish - knot hunting now i presume!

 

[discodaz]

hole is a little over 22mm, just ordered a silvertip knot from the turners workshop-thanks for the link daz!-cost a little over £20 delivered, seems to be a pretty good price!
i will update when it arrives, thanks for your advice and encouragement guys!

 

[GDCarrington]

Good work, we await to see the finished product.

 

[shakespeare]

Nice job Daz, that handle's really come along beautifully

 

[pugh-the-special-one]

Well done good result cracks now gone and ready for the knot.

 

[ajh101]

Could an ultrasonic cleaner help with restoring brushes, by helping to remove soap, or is that a waste of time? Or worse?!

 

[discodaz]

the knot has just arrived from the turners workshop, its lovely! i have only ever used a wilkinson sword boar bristle brush, and while that is a perfectly useable item, this feels different class!
lovely and soft, i had heard tales of badger bristles being a bit stinky but there are no bad aromas =)

it looks smart in the handle-i bought the knot without really thinking and was worried it might be to big or small to suit the proportions of the handle but it is just right! here is a pic of both together-i am going to glue it in now !

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all glued in now and i am very happy!

knot is still a little out of shape from the packaging but i am sure it will be tip top when its bloomed.
trickiest bit of the whole job was getting the amount of glue right but i guess that will come with experience! this has been a lot of fun and i will definately be looking to do another soon!

 

[chappers]

Out of interest what sort of glue did you use, cracking job too, looks very nice.

 

[FrankieG]

Beautiful job, especially for a first restore. This brush should serve you well.

 

[discodaz]

two part epoxy chappers, like a big double syringe thingy! brush is great, used it for the first time today, a lot different from my old brush-much easier to get a lather up and holds much more of it as well! really chuffed =) got to find a suitable candidate for the next one now .