DIY - First Time Knot Replacement

EVERYONE knows you only cut bagels with Ninja swords!

EVERYONE knows you only cut bagels with Ninja swords!

Yeah, but I tried to cut one this morning with my Nodachi. . . no luck ;-)

I'm awaiting delivery of my monster Synbad synth knot, but as I have a couple days of stay-cation this week, I just finished grinding/sanding the base of the bore hole to remove the old epoxy & ensure it is level.  I do not anticipate needing to deepen the bore hole any further, but I'll know for sure when I test fit.  Hopefully the knot is delivered by end of this week.  I'll clean bore with rubbing alcohol before fitting the knot.

A small, simple project, but as someone who is normally good for diversified, skill-based trade, it is cool to not always buy a completely finished product.  I'll post sgain when complete.

Something like this should work as the adhesive, right?

The product I normally use for silicone setting knots is an RTV silicone/adhesive and is actually labeled as an adhesive where the product you show is not. I've never tried the standard waterproof silicone and it would for sure provide some holding power, but I believe the RTV silicone is better suited for this application. You should be able to find it at auto part stores and some big box stores carry it as well. I believe Loctite makes an RTV silicone adhesive.

I'm no silicone scientist, so can't tell you the exact chemical differences between them, but I know the RTV (room temperature vulcanization) has something to do with it, however, I'm unsure exactly how that affects the adhesive qualities. 

Turns out after some research that it probably won't matter much, the other silicone sealants are probably just a little diliuted. Closer to 100% silicone will mean better adhesion. If you already bought the other stuff, it'll probably work fine.

Received my APShaveCo. 30mm Synbad knot this morning:

I wiped down the handle bore as well as the plastic disc-thingy at the base of the knot with rubbing alcohol.  I then squeezed some of the silicone sealant onto an envelope & used a Q-tip to swab a little more than a pea-sized amount into the bore.  I spread it around a bit, put in the knot and jiggled the handle a bit.

I was most concerned about using too much silicone and having it creep up the knot, so it's possible I used too little.  If/when my knot comes flying off when I first give it a firm shake, whelp....

Behold:

You can always put a bit more in if it does come out. Had a knot come out, but just reset it with RTV silicone using a similar amount as you did. Your brush looks good!

Something like this should work as the adhesive, right?

I use silicone adhesive as well, and I’ve never had a knot fall out.  A little goes a long way - about the size of a chickpea on the bottom with a little twist of the knot upon setting to ensure proper coverage and adhesion across the bottom and slightly up the sides of the knot base. Over time I learned that using epoxy to set a knot is a bit of overkill - kinda like using a katana sword to cut a bagel. . .

What do you use to cut bagels?    I had to reglue the knot into my Envyshave DFS brush a while back.  It jumped off the shelf and hit the floor putting a small dent in the aluminum handle and knocking the knot out.  I used a two part marine epoxy because I cut bagels with a sword..and that was all I could think of at the time.  Honestly, I was looking for a permanent solution but if I was looking down the road and thinking I might want to reknot the brush at some point then the silicone would have probably been a better choice.

You can always put a bit more in if it does come out. Had a knot come out, but just reset it with RTV silicone using a similar amount as you did. Your brush looks good!

Thank you.  I have shaken this brush vigorously after 5 uses thus far, and zero indication that the knot is going anywhere.

Thus far, I am enjoying this brush, but as many experienced users here likely already know, you'd likely need to set this significantly deeper in the handle to get more than slightly below 'moderate' backbone.

I keep eyeing the Simpson Chubby 2 synthetic, and considered ordering a Shavemac synth, but I just can't get myself to spend >$80 on any synth brush, regardless of the handle or maker's pedigree.  Some days I miss my badgers, but tbh, usually not at all.