Local reknots

stillshunter

stillshunter

a man of resolve, a man of conviction
State Convenor - ACT
Group Buy Associate
2015 Sabbatical Fail
Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Location
Walbunja country
Just wondering who locally - well in Australia anyways - does brush reknots?
 
Apart from @Pjotr ?

He does a great job if you twist his arm - but also says anybody can do it
 
It's not hard. The only extra knowledge that I might have over anybody else is of the knots supplied by The Golden Nib and how to set them. Just take your time really. If it's an old knot in an old handle that's easy 'cause the glue is generally buggered and pretty easy to remove. If you want to replace a new knot in a new handle that can take a while. Don't be tempted by the steam method. You can seriously stuff a handle up that way.
 
TGN knots are pre knotted and plugged, it's really not much more than a clean out and drop in deal. I trusted PJ because I don't trust myself not to fubar it.
 
I was thinking a reknot for a new handle. Really like the Omega 31025 Scarlatti handle but not much into the mop stuck in it. Might improves as it breaks in, but I doubt it - I believe boar get softer with age and it's moppy enough already. So just canvassing my options.

…just visited TGN website. SO many knots!!! What do I discount?
 
Everything below Finest is prickly and floppy or soft and floppy. If you look at some of the old brush threads, you'll see I've been through a few of theirs.
 
Drubbing said:
Everything below Finest is prickly and floppy or soft and floppy. If you look at some of the old brush threads, you'll see I've been through a few of theirs.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate, so Finest and above is good?
I'll hunt down some historical Drubbingston tales
 
Not sure if there's anything up from Finest. PJ might know, as you'll need to know if anything goes ^24mm
 
Drubbing said:
Not sure if there's anything up from Finest. PJ might know, as you'll need to know if anything goes ^24mm
Click to expand...
Yeah according to the TGN website:

"The Golden Nib is proud to offer you the largest & finest selection of shaving brush knots in the USA. Our knots are manufactured by several companies to our specs using 100% badger hair with no fillers. Tips are left natural and not trimmed. Our knots are made with extra hair and well packed. All knots are product of China unless otherwise specified.

High Mountain White - Silvertip - Super Badger - Best - Finest - Pure - Black - Boar & Synthetic

High Mountain White - Top of the line, badger hair, very soft tips well packed, strong backbonePremium Silvertip Bader HairPremium Silvertip- Top of the line silvertip, very soft natural tips, well packed, great for face lathering, A little less backbone than Super & Grade A. NEW
Super Silvertip - Top of the line, soft creamy white natural tips well packed.
Silvertip Grade A - Top of the line soft creamy white natural tips, well packed.
Silvertip - Standard grade, not as soft as the above knots, greyish silver tips very well packed, good backbone, great value.
Super Badger - Super badger is treated silvertip. This makes the tips whiter and softer. Very high quality knot, soft tips well packed available in Bulb or Fan shapes.
Best Badger - Flexible and soft bristles with a bit of stiffness; great for massaging and exfoliation. Blend of dark and light badger hair to create a gray look.
Finest F2 - This is our new Higher grade finest Badger hair, taken from the Manchurian badger, slightly longer & softer tips than our standard finest. A great premium knot.
Finest Badger - Creamy white tips that fade to black, sometimes referred to as two band. Fairly soft tips well packed, good with soaps and creams. Available in fan & bulb shapes
Pure Badger - Coarse dark hair with firm bristles, good for scrubbing and exfoliating, Value knot.Boar Coarse hair with firm bristles.
Nylon - Synthetic hair extremely soft tips with the look of badger."
 
I've tried most of them and have had the best results using the finest with extra hair. I think if you have a squiz over at B&B, provided you can weed out the endless gushing fanboyism, that seems to be the general consensus, Knot sizes go up in even numbers (16-18-20mm etc). Even if your aperture is 25mm, you can easily shove a 24mm knot in there. In fact it's advisable as the knots have a ridge above the top of the plug. They give you the plug size which in itself can vary (the tolerances are noted) but the knot, or more to the point where the glue has seeped in to the hair above the plug, itself is bigger. It's been a while since I've used any of their other knots so maybe the quality (i.e. density) has improved.

The whole badger hair quality thing is a bit of a mystery to me. Aside from Pure and to a degree TGN Best badger I honestly can't tell the difference in quality between one grade or the next. The density and loft are far more important to how a badger brush will work than whether or not it's Silvertip, Silvertip Grade A, Finest, etc etc.

What's the handle you're thinking of using?
 
Thanks for all the info PJ.

Initially I was thinking of the Omega 31025 (Scarlatti).

omega31025.jpg


But now I wonder about all those old balding comb-over brushes I've seen around the place - breathing new life with this advanced hair, yeah, yeah!
 
Pjotr said:
The whole badger hair quality thing is a bit of a mystery to me. Aside from Pure and to a degree TGN Best badger I honestly can't tell the difference in quality between one grade or the next. The density and loft are far more important to how a badger brush will work than whether or not it's Silvertip, Silvertip Grade A, Finest, etc etc.
Click to expand...

True - even worse when trying to compare grades across makers. Simpsons Best is the equal of any Silvertips I've tried. But I found TGN just didn't stuff the Best very much. I think their Silvertip was much the same, only softer. Finest seems to have more density, and mine also benefited from being set low. The Buttterscotch brush has a smaller knot, but the knot is still pretty decent. I think their (or your) glueing at the base comes into it too.
 
stillshunter said:
Thanks for all the info PJ.

Initially I was thinking of the Omega 31025 (Scarlatti).

omega31025.jpg


But now I wonder about all those old balding comb-over brushes I've seen around the place - breathing new life with this advanced hair, yeah, yeah!
Click to expand...

That would be a lot of work and not something in retrospect I'd want to tackle as my first re-knot.

Finding an old handle to restore is a better idea I think.
 
Hmmmm all this badger goodness has me considering trying a makeover/restore jobbie as well.

Emailed TGN asking what postage is for 1 or 2 of their knots (the 24mm ones that PJ had been using) - also spotted these which don't look too bad, though I suspect maybe something a tad smaller like a 22mm might be more suitable to my face lathering.

Also had considering ordering from WhippedDog - as they have reasonably priced handles as well and thats the real issue I've got at present - as I've not got nor been able to locally find anything suitable.

Hard to gauge the Ebay ones as they could be really sparsely packed or shitty grading - and atleast the TGN ones are a known quantity.

I'm thinking of checking the local charity shops for old shaving brushes - I'd imagine most folks would look at a shitty old brush and think it was hardly worth selling etc so could be tough to find as they tend to be seen as a disposable item - unlike razors etc. Any feedback welcomed (sorry don't mean to threadjack - so mea culpa up front).

PS. Just browsing and spotted these. Interestingly saw a thread on YKW and this guy had made a custom brush in Olive Wood and it looked devine. Food for thought anyway.
 
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Sorry but 15min editing limit expired - same vendor and for a few dollars more these are much nicer (IMHO) - and what a bonus with Olive Wood being naturally waterproof! Must resist but feel it is impossible.
 
Yeah, they're nice looking handles. The TGN site hasn't got the right international postage rates. Just add another 3 USD to their price. I just buy the knots and then wait for the inevitable email asking for an extra 3 bucks. A bit annoying.
 
Hmm interested in doing a brush from scratch but getting empty handles is a bugger. Soured on those Olivewood ones - prefer a resin one I think. I know you can get some from Whipped Dog - but otherwise few sources I can see. I guess hunting through Op Shops for old brushes is also an option.
 
I'm resolved. My next shaving purchase (…well substantial shaving purchase) is going to be a reknot. Not a ready-made but a DIY job. I'll source the handle with some gunky looking thin hair in it, drill it, clean it out and test the heights of TGN Finest F2 knot, then set it where I like. Step one is to source the used handle.

So any hints on what to look out for - and more importably avoid - with my first handle?
I've seen a few that say "Rubber Set" is this a no-no or a plus?
I'm avoiding wood, but is there ay resin to watch out for? For example, what is wrong with something like this?
$_57.JPG

Sorry to be vague, not doing it deliberately, just operating from a base zero and so need to work my way up from down here. I want the first knot to be a little bit of a challenge but not simply a romp into inevitable disaster. Also want a turn of handle I like too…

Thanks in advance.
 
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