2 band badger knot to fit a Vulfix 404 handle

mag

mag

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I recently steamed out the knot from my first decent shaving brush, the Vulfix bodger. It served me well but had started shedding hairs uncontrollably.

I'm after a 2 band knot to replace it. I'm thinking a TGN finest or something from Shavemac. I don't know of any other vendors.

My only experience with 2 bands are a New Forest and Simpson Classic. They both perform beautifully, but are a little too scritchy for comfort.

Could anyone recommend a 2 band knot with soft tips? Preferably not too dense with a sensible loft (not too short).

Many thanks.
 
I think you've mentioned two that are hard to beat: TGN 2-band finest and shavemac 2-band. I have brushes with these knots and they are damn good: soft tips, not too dense and not too much backbone. If you're prepared to look at other grades I'd strongly recommend the shavemac finest. I don't know the Virginia Sheng knots.
 
Cheers, just took a punt on a 22mm Virginia Sheng 2 band finest knot for under £13 delivered. Certainly cheaper than a Shavemac! Will post the results when the project is finished.
 
mag said:
Righto: The 22mm knot is listed with a 65mm loft. What loft would you recommend setting it at? I would be happy with 50mm ish.
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I think 50mm loft for a 22mm knot sounds about right. I wouldn't go higher or it could end up a being floppy.

You can always set the knot temporarily and try it out to see how it feels, then set it with two-part epoxy once you're happy. If the knot sits too high you'll need to drill the hole out with a Dremel. If it needs raising you can glue a coin or washer (or similar round object) in the handle followed by the knot on top.
 
Thanks, will do some experimenting before setting the knot properly. If it doesn't work out, at least I haven't spent a fortune.
 
Personally, I think 24mm is the minimum and preferably 26mm if you want something for a good multi pass lather. I assume you bought the 22mm becuase of the handle - but you could maybe consider re-boring to fit a bigger knot.
 
PartIy, but I get along fine with smaller size brushes. I can get a 2 pass head and face shave from a 22mm knot without reloading, so anything larger is overkill for me.
 
It should be possible to fit a 24mm knot into the beloved Bodger's 'andle. And what a handle it is! I'd go for a TGN 24mm 2-band fan as I use one of these knots regularly and find it excellent. I'm sure I read somewhere, sometime, that someone shoe-horned a 27mm Omega boar knot into a Bodger handle.
 
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I wouldn't set the loft any higher than 46mm on a 22mm knot, even though your brush is a two band it will be slightly stiffer hair I have a two band 24mm set at 46mm and that's perfect, here's a Shavemac two band 24mm knot set at 46mm.



 
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Rough rule of thumb - double the knot size and add between 0mm and 6mm, according to your preference for backbone vs a softer, more luxurious feel. The other variable is the knot itself but we know VS knots smaller than 26mm need a bit of stiffening up.

I like a softer feel, it's a VS 22mm so I agree with Jamie at 46mm. But that's us, not you.
 
Bechet said:
Rough rule of thumb - double the knot size and add between 0mm and 6mm, according to your preference for backbone vs a softer, more luxurious feel. The other variable is the knot itself but we know VS knots smaller than 26mm need a bit of stiffening up.

I like a softer feel, it's a VS 22mm so I agree with Jamie at 46mm. But that's us, not you.
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Just measured the knots on my New Forest and Simpson brushes: 21mm/51mm and 22mm/48mm. They both work well for me so I'll see if I can get away with as much loft as the knot will allow when it arrives. Thanks for the Virginia Sheng recommendation, I look forward to trying it out.

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Well the knot arrived a couple of days ago. First impressions are very nice, give it a wash and test lather without a handle attached. Very soft tips, decent density and plenty of backbone. The plug measures 22mm although the swell of hair above it is 24mm.

Got round to some amateur Dremel work today to deepen and widen the handle's opening. Here's how it looks at the moment, at snug fit at 24mmx49mm. I can still feel the glue bump a little a the base of the knot where it meets the handle, so I suppose that a couple of mm less or more loft would not make much difference. Just got to get some epoxy now and the 404 will be back in action!

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