Exotic burl
- Thread starter beardybrewer
- Start Date
OP
- Messages
- 256
- Location
- Ireland
- Thread Starter
- #19
I finally took delivery of my brush today!
All in all given Bob's prices were really good so even with the $60 shipping and customs charges you really wouldn't feel the total cost was completely unjustified. So I figure brush €220, stand €80, and pen €60 are prices I'd happily pay in the EU which adds up to my total expense. I can live with it.
So to finally look at them in person I'm just blown away. In normal room lighting they are not shiny like Bob's picture above and the burl is more a muted mottled dark brown. This is also what I wanted as I didn't want anything garish and wanted it to be a subtle piece that you naturally want to get a closer look at. Of course to look at the burl under my sink light or daylight and you can see the incredible detail and I really feel lucky with the blank Bob used has the burl effect I was after. The craftsmanship is amazing although I have a few tiny quibbles. The stand has a slight wobble and there was a little nick in the wood but it was easy to loosen and rotate that to face the back and cover the nick with a sharpie. The handle is perfectly turned and sealed and I'm looking really close. Rubbing the brush against my palm I did get one stray hair but I'm not worried. The knot is really dense with loads of backbone. I just stopped writing this to go do a test bowl lather and man it whipped up a huge amount of lather and no stray hairs. Although it's 26mm with this amount of backbone it's hard to imagine it splaying wide like a mop so I think this size works with this density. The handle shape is really comfortable too and just a bit larger to keep those extra tough lathering sessions cramp free. The handle is balanced and looks heavier than it's 63g. I requested no logo and was concerned how the top of the handle would look but it's perfect with a subtle concave depression. The finish was a tiny bit tacky but now after a rinse the miniscule amount of grittiness is smoothing out. The pen is fat and chunky but a bit light. There's also a ridge on the ring at the tip which might dig in when writing but I really just use it for office, not longhand, use so that probably won't be an issue. I also ordered an onyx pen which is a great weight and I'm glad I threw it in.
So, at last, my quest is at an end.
All in all given Bob's prices were really good so even with the $60 shipping and customs charges you really wouldn't feel the total cost was completely unjustified. So I figure brush €220, stand €80, and pen €60 are prices I'd happily pay in the EU which adds up to my total expense. I can live with it.
So to finally look at them in person I'm just blown away. In normal room lighting they are not shiny like Bob's picture above and the burl is more a muted mottled dark brown. This is also what I wanted as I didn't want anything garish and wanted it to be a subtle piece that you naturally want to get a closer look at. Of course to look at the burl under my sink light or daylight and you can see the incredible detail and I really feel lucky with the blank Bob used has the burl effect I was after. The craftsmanship is amazing although I have a few tiny quibbles. The stand has a slight wobble and there was a little nick in the wood but it was easy to loosen and rotate that to face the back and cover the nick with a sharpie. The handle is perfectly turned and sealed and I'm looking really close. Rubbing the brush against my palm I did get one stray hair but I'm not worried. The knot is really dense with loads of backbone. I just stopped writing this to go do a test bowl lather and man it whipped up a huge amount of lather and no stray hairs. Although it's 26mm with this amount of backbone it's hard to imagine it splaying wide like a mop so I think this size works with this density. The handle shape is really comfortable too and just a bit larger to keep those extra tough lathering sessions cramp free. The handle is balanced and looks heavier than it's 63g. I requested no logo and was concerned how the top of the handle would look but it's perfect with a subtle concave depression. The finish was a tiny bit tacky but now after a rinse the miniscule amount of grittiness is smoothing out. The pen is fat and chunky but a bit light. There's also a ridge on the ring at the tip which might dig in when writing but I really just use it for office, not longhand, use so that probably won't be an issue. I also ordered an onyx pen which is a great weight and I'm glad I threw it in.
So, at last, my quest is at an end.