2018 DFS LE - Brad Sears ShaveWorks custom brush

That's it?

Just kidding. Hahahahahaa. Really informative and fascinating post Brad. Thanks for the write up. I really enjoyed reading it and seeing the pictures.

What type and size knot will go in those handles and what will be the final cost

Good afternoon, All.

Having obtained Andrew's blessing, I wanted to share a progress update on the 2018 DFS LE brushes--and to share some details of our manufacturing process.

First here's a quick photo of the 51 LE prepped handle blanks ready for Finish Turning, sanding and polishing.  These include the 50 in Ivory that will be offered for sale, plus one in Cobalt that will be donated to our 2018 Movember project.

To put this in perspective, I would like to share a high level view of what's going on to create these brushes.  The following might seem long-winded, but it's actually only about 40% of the work involved in getting these brushes into their new homes.  So let's get to it.

When creating larger numbers of the same brush, we take a production line approach in which the same—or several closely related—operation(s) are performed before moving on to the next step.  This “staging” process allows us to develop a rhythm that results in both a higher degree of brush-to-brush uniformity along with improved production throughput.  (You can see the examples of the first four stages in the “Evolution” photo below.)

1. For the DFS 2018 L.E. handle, we begin by cutting 50mm diameter cast polyester rods, as received from our supplier, into handle-length segments.  We start with a larger diameter rod because cast polyester rods typically warp when curing and rarely come out of the mold perfectly round and straight.  For the same reason, we cut these segments about 2mm longer than the “finished” length to allow for “wiggle room” during lathe turning and finishing (Stages 2—4.) (Yes, there is a LOT of waste!)
   
   
2. During the second stage, we transform the handle segment into a rough-turned “blank.”  
      a. After mounting the rod segment on the lathe, we
      b. Reduce the segment to a diameter ~1-2mm larger than the largest part of the finished handle.  (This slight excess will be removed during
          Finish Turning.)
      c. We then trim the top of the handle segment “squaring” the top to the handle sides.
      d. Next, we drill the socket to the precise depth needed to ensure the correct bristle loft.  This is always done on the lathe to ensure proper knot
          alignment.
      e. We then form the collar (the “ring” at the top) and the shoulder (the curved section just below the collar.)
      f.  Finally, we sand the collar and shoulder through five progressively finer “grits” of sandpaper.  Sanding removes any tool marks and leaves a
          semi-gloss finish that will be buffed to the mirror finish we all expect.  
          After all blanks have been "prepped," it's on to Stage 3, which is where we are right now.
   
   
3. In the third stage (“Finish Turning”), we transform the prepped blank into its final shape and dimensions, and make it ready for polishing in Stage
       4.   (We combine Stages 3 & 4 for reasons we'll explain in a moment.)
       a. We again fix the blank to the lathe, but now the blank is held by the socket.
       b. Next, we fine-tune the handle length and mark the key cuts in pencil.
       c. With the lathe running at full speed (~3,250rpm), we turn the handle blank to its final shape.  
       d. Once the final shape has been established, we sand the entire handle through the same progressively finer grits used in step 2.f. removing all
           tool marks, leaving a semi-gloss finish ready for buffing.
       e. After inspecting our work, it’s on to Stage 4.
   
   
4. Stage 4 involves buffing the finish-turned handle on four different cloth “wheels.” Each wheel has a different composition and is coated with
       progressively finer buffing compounds.  Our handle is carefully buffed, being inspected after each step and either re-buffed or returned to the
       lathe for touch-up sanding until all marks/scratches have been removed—and our handle reflects a mirror finish.  
   
       At the end of Stage 4, the handle is carefully examined under different lighting conditions both by eye and under 10x magnification before being
       turned over to Nancy, my wife, who double-checks my work.  If (when!) she finds anything I’ve missed, she gives the handle back to me—often
       with a “ya missed something” remark. ? )
   
   
5. In Stage 5 we imprint the logo(s) and provenance.  Imprinting is done using state of the art pad printing technology where a laser-etched 2-D
       image is transferred to our 3-D handle.   The laser-etched image is created at extremely high 2,400dpi (dots per inch) resolution so as to ensure
       the crispest possible handle image.  We use the same specialty inks used by large manufacturers to imprint medical instruments, stainless steel
       insulated mugs, and other difficult substrates.  
   
       After imprinting, the handles are baked in an oven for a fixed period of time at carefully controlled temperatures.  Baking cures the ink, bonding it
       to the underlying plastic (“substraight”) at the molecular level through a process chemists call, “chemical cross-linking.”  Another inspection then
       on to Stage 7. (That’s not a typo.  Read on!)
   
   
6. Stage 6 (no, we don’t get off that easily!) is where the knots are prepared.
       a. We start by inspecting each knot for proper shape and density, then
       b. Rough-up each knot plug base with a Fordham tool (think oversized Dentist’s drill) fitted with a carbide burr to give the epoxy plenty to
           grab onto.
       c. Next we sanitize and shampoo each knot through two cycles in a borax and shampoo solution with conditioner, each followed by a warm
           water rinse to remove the dirt and most of the “badger funk.”  It also jump-starts the break-in process--and lets us weed-out any
           obvious “shedders” before they’re set in the handle.   
      d.  A final inspection and the knots are set aside to dry in a humidity-controlled room.
   
   
7. Stage 7—It all comes together.
      a. At long last, we bring the sanitized, shampoo’d and conditioned knots together with the finished handle.  
      b. First, we “dry-set” each knot to double-check for correct bristle loft—making any necessary adjustments.
      c. We now set the knots using a high-tech epoxy engineered to stand up to water and chemical environments.
      d. The completed brushes are set aside for at least eight hours for the epoxy to completely cure.
      e. One final inspection and the now completed brushes are carefully packed into our logo boxes, labelled, and set aside before being packed and
         shipped.
   

A Disco Haze M&F 2XL handle being finish-Turned.  The lathe is spinning flat-out at 3,200+ rpm.

Thank you for staying with us! We'll try to provide briefer updates as work progresses.

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Read the first post. All of the details are there.

Read the first post. All of the details are there.

All the details are listed except the size of the knot only the loft is listed

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If you look at the pictures, it says "Socket Size: 28mm" at the bottom. andrewjs18 pretty much confirmed that in post #7. He did say he was going to double check though.

If you look at the pictures, it says "Socket Size: 28mm" at the bottom. andrewjs18 pretty much confirmed that in post #7. He did say he was going to double check though.

Socket size does not mean knot size but thanks for the info usually the knot size is a millimeter or two less

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If you look at the pictures, it says "Socket Size: 28mm" at the bottom. andrewjs18 pretty much confirmed that in post #7. He did say he was going to double check though.

Socket size does not mean knot size but thanks for the info usually the knot size is a millimeter or two less

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That's true. I'm sure someone will chime in with the answer.

If you look at the pictures, it says "Socket Size: 28mm" at the bottom. andrewjs18 pretty much confirmed that in post #7. He did say he was going to double check though.

Socket size does not mean knot size but thanks for the info usually the knot size is a millimeter or two less

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

That's true. I'm sure someone will chime in with the answer.

That's an interesting question, Gentlemen.  As Andrew mentioned earlier, the 2018 LE brushes will be filled with our 1804A2 knots in Bulb and Fan profiles (25 in each.)  To answer the specific question, their effective knot size is 28mm.  However, their "plug size"--the diameter of the base plug--is, as Rawfox1 and wyseOne suggest, approximately 26mm.  

What's going on?  

Simply this:  the amount of hair stuffed into these knots requires a 28mm socket.

We see the same thing with Shavemac, TGN and others.  Yet at the same time, WSP and still others sell knots based on their required socket diameter. Now, to make things even more interesting, our own knot inventory contains knots sized both ways!  The 1801A2, 1804A2, and a series still in testing require a socket ~2mm larger than the plug size.  But our 1503 and 1704 knots call for sockets equal to their plug diameters! (I hope you can see how things could become "real confusing real quick!" )

I'm not suggesting that either sizing method is good or bad.   They are what they are.  What I am saying is that "socket size" is the controlling factor. That's why we, along with one or two others, have come to favor that term.

I hope this answers the question.

Good afternoon, All.

Having obtained Andrew's blessing, I wanted to share a progress update on the 2018 DFS LE brushes--and to share some details of our manufacturing process.

First here's a quick photo of the 51 LE prepped handle blanks ready for Finish Turning, sanding and polishing.  These include the 50 in Ivory that will be offered for sale, plus one in Cobalt that will be donated to our 2018 Movember project.

To put this in perspective, I would like to share a high level view of what's going on to create these brushes.  The following might seem long-winded, but it's actually only about 40% of the work involved in getting these brushes into their new homes.  So let's get to it.

When creating larger numbers of the same brush, we take a production line approach in which the same—or several closely related—operation(s) are performed before moving on to the next step.  This “staging” process allows us to develop a rhythm that results in both a higher degree of brush-to-brush uniformity along with improved production throughput.  (You can see the examples of the first four stages in the “Evolution” photo below.)

1. For the DFS 2018 L.E. handle, we begin by cutting 50mm diameter cast polyester rods, as received from our supplier, into handle-length segments.  We start with a larger diameter rod because cast polyester rods typically warp when curing and rarely come out of the mold perfectly round and straight.  For the same reason, we cut these segments about 2mm longer than the “finished” length to allow for “wiggle room” during lathe turning and finishing (Stages 2—4.) (Yes, there is a LOT of waste!)
   
   
2. During the second stage, we transform the handle segment into a rough-turned “blank.”  
      a. After mounting the rod segment on the lathe, we
      b. Reduce the segment to a diameter ~1-2mm larger than the largest part of the finished handle.  (This slight excess will be removed during
          Finish Turning.)
      c. We then trim the top of the handle segment “squaring” the top to the handle sides.
      d. Next, we drill the socket to the precise depth needed to ensure the correct bristle loft.  This is always done on the lathe to ensure proper knot
          alignment.
      e. We then form the collar (the “ring” at the top) and the shoulder (the curved section just below the collar.)
      f.  Finally, we sand the collar and shoulder through five progressively finer “grits” of sandpaper.  Sanding removes any tool marks and leaves a
          semi-gloss finish that will be buffed to the mirror finish we all expect.  
          After all blanks have been "prepped," it's on to Stage 3, which is where we are right now.
   
   
3. In the third stage (“Finish Turning”), we transform the prepped blank into its final shape and dimensions, and make it ready for polishing in Stage
       4.   (We combine Stages 3 & 4 for reasons we'll explain in a moment.)
       a. We again fix the blank to the lathe, but now the blank is held by the socket.
       b. Next, we fine-tune the handle length and mark the key cuts in pencil.
       c. With the lathe running at full speed (~3,250rpm), we turn the handle blank to its final shape.  
       d. Once the final shape has been established, we sand the entire handle through the same progressively finer grits used in step 2.f. removing all
           tool marks, leaving a semi-gloss finish ready for buffing.
       e. After inspecting our work, it’s on to Stage 4.
   
   
4. Stage 4 involves buffing the finish-turned handle on four different cloth “wheels.” Each wheel has a different composition and is coated with
       progressively finer buffing compounds.  Our handle is carefully buffed, being inspected after each step and either re-buffed or returned to the
       lathe for touch-up sanding until all marks/scratches have been removed—and our handle reflects a mirror finish.  
   
       At the end of Stage 4, the handle is carefully examined under different lighting conditions both by eye and under magnification before being
       turned over to Nancy, my wife, who double-checks my work.  If (when!) she finds anything I’ve missed, she gives the handle back to me—often
       with a “ya missed something” remark. ? )
   
   
5. In Stage 5 we imprint the logo(s) and provenance.  Imprinting is done using state of the art pad printing technology where a laser-etched 2-D
       image is transferred to our 3-D handle.   The laser-etched image is created at extremely high 2,400dpi (dots per inch) resolution so as to ensure
       the crispest possible handle image.  We use the same specialty inks used by large manufacturers to imprint medical instruments, stainless steel
       insulated mugs, and other difficult substrates.  
   
       After imprinting, the handles are baked in an oven for a fixed period of time at carefully controlled temperatures.  Baking cures the ink, bonding it
       to the underlying plastic (“substrate”) at the molecular level through a process chemists call, “chemical cross-linking.”  Another inspection then
       on to Stage 7. (That’s not a typo.  Read on!)
   
   
6. Stage 6 (no, we don’t get off that easily!) is where the knots are prepared.
       a. We start by inspecting each knot for proper shape and density, then
       b. Rough-up each knot plug base with a Fordham tool (think oversized Dentist’s drill) fitted with a carbide burr to give the epoxy plenty to
           grab onto.
       c. Next we sanitize and shampoo each knot through two cycles in a borax and shampoo solution with conditioner, each followed by a warm
           water rinse to remove the dirt and most of the “badger funk.”  It also jump-starts the break-in process--and lets us weed-out any
           obvious “shedders” before they’re set in the handle.   
      d.  A final inspection and the knots are set aside to dry in a humidity-controlled room.
   
   
7. Stage 7—It all comes together.
      a. At long last, we bring the sanitized, shampoo’d and conditioned knots together with the finished handles.  
      b. First, we “dry-set” each knot to double-check for correct bristle loft—making any necessary adjustments.
      c. We now set the knots using a high-tech epoxy engineered to stand up to water and chemical environments.
      d. The completed brushes are set aside for at least eight hours for the epoxy to completely cure.
      e. One final inspection and the now completed brushes are carefully packed into our logo boxes, labelled, and set aside before being packed and
         shipped.
   

A Disco Haze M&F 2XL handle being finish-Turned.  The lathe is spinning flat-out at 3,200+ rpm.

Thank you for staying with us! We'll try to provide briefer updates as work progresses.

thanks for the update! now we need videos of you turning some of these handles!

Hah! That's one skill I've yet to master.