what's your method of reknotting?

I'm not too concerned about the knot coming out of my ever-ready 100t handle as well.

For vintage or other delicate handles like wood I would only cut the hair and drill out the rest carefully.

With modern resin handles boiling hot water in a coffee cup works. It won't get as hot as steam can. It might ruin the knot you're removing though and make it a shedder but it won't singe or curl the hair.

I have removed knots from three newer handles this way and replaced them. The handle was unharmed all three times.

I just kept replacing the boiling water in a coffee cup until I could rock and yank the knot out with bar towels around my hands.

I had to clean up the old glue or epoxy before putting a different knot in.

All I did was set a small pot of water to boil and soaked the brush in a mug halfway up the handle. Every two or three minutes I dumped the water out of the mug and added water from the stove that was rolling boil.

At about 10 minutes I tried to pull the knot out. I shook most of the water out of the knot holding the handle with a towel. With another towel I grabbed the knot. If it didn't come out I kept soaking it and replacing the water and waiting and trying again.

I would not try this with a vintage brush. I would not try it on a brush I couldn't live with damaging either. I wouldn't count on reusing the knot being removed this way but I have. It's a heck of a lot easier and less messy than drilling.

For vintage stuff and wood, you have to play it safe and drill out the knot though.

sounds like the steam method will probably suffice with my ever-ready 100T.

Steaming can be tricky as it will also loosen not only the epoxy/glue holding the knot it place, but also the epoxy/glue in the glue plug holding the hair in place.  You then have a knot that sheds like crazy.  The safest way is to destroy the knot.
Cut the hair as close to the handle as possible, then progressively drill out the hole.  Use a dremel with a sanding or grinding attachment to remove any left over epoxy, set the new knot.

What if you don't care about the old knot? I'm gonna remove one soon and was planning to use the steam process but I can just as easily drill it if you think that is best.

If you have the means, drill and dremel, if not, try the steam

I have reknotted over 25 brushes with every kind of knot you can purchase, in about every grade and type of hair and I have never steamed any one of them or boiled them. I have used a cheap Harbor freight drill press with dremel bits and most of all the cheap $10 forstner bit set from Harbor Freight. And, I have had great success. I first cut off the old brush hairs close to the handle. Then from small to near the hole size drilling with forstner bits I get close to the full hole size. Then use a sharp pick and needle nose liars and care remove the rest of the Glued in rubber hair from the knots. Clean up and hole sizing is done with dremel bits. I use epoxy for the new knot and especially the 5 minute variety in two separate tubes. Anyone can do this if they use a little care. I clean and polish the handle before knotting with Lava hand soap and sometimes some 1500 grit wet sand paper being careful not to remove any letter engraving. My success rate is impressive(to me) and I learned a lot as I went along. I can tell you that I have bought expensive badger brushes that are as good as the ones I have created myself. I like badger, horse and boar for a shaving brush. They all work wonderfully and are all different in feel, but the new synthetic hair knots are impossibleIMHO to beat. They are uniform, dry quickly, lather very well, etc., etc..The big problem for me is the cheap crappy handles provided with already ready to go main stream synthetic knots. I know of several brush builders on E-bay and Etsy that make the best re-knotted and new custom brushes that I have seen--- other than my own, which I feel are on a par. They do reflect my own likes. Something to do and I do have the time to putter. I shave every day. IT is now my favorite activity each and every day. Something that was drudgery for so many years and now a hobby and enjoyable! I say figure what you like and if you are so inclined get a good dremel and learn to do any re-knot yourself!!.

I made a few brushes so far and they sell well.

I made a few brushes so far and they sell well.

Ahhh... @"gregkw1" and stemwad ...I see you decided to change your username, in an effort to hide who you really are, and maybe get yourself some more free product you aren't entitled to...

Interesting how some people operate...

I made a few brushes so far and they sell well.

Ahhh... @"gregkw1" and stemwad ...I see you decided to change your username, in an effort to hide who you really are, and maybe get yourself some more free product you aren't entitled to...

Interesting how some people operate...

ROTFL


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BadDad ,
I hear those gearshift brushes from stemwad can eat like half a tub of Nuavia Rossa in about 3 weeks. I guess instead of "grabbing a gear" they really "grab some soap"!

BadDad ,
I hear those gearshift brushes from stemwad can eat like half a tub of Nuavia Rossa in about 3 weeks. I guess instead of "grabbing a gear" they really "grab some soap"!

Is that where the term "lather hog" comes from?



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