Another Successful Piggy Hair Transplant

[pjgh]

I have an Omega 10108 which was a wonderful gift from @donnie_arko and I have used it a LOT (capitalised) but something niggles me about the handle. We're probably all a pretty OCD bunch, so I think I'm in company here and that is understood. Love the knot, though. Thankfully, as luck would have it, the knot on this kind of handle pulls straight out with a little jiggle and a twist after immersion in hot water ... so whatever I do here can be reversed.

I've looked around for a suitable handle and found the Neon from DS Cosmetics looked nice to my eyes and came in a giant 30mm hole which appeared to be perfect for the exposed knot which roughly measures just that with a ruler.

The handle arrived ... and the knot did not quite fit. Yes, I've had to trim it down a little on the base but that's only empty plastic and I've not affected the resin. I also had to just ream out the handle every so slightly so that the knot would push in and stay put. Gently does it. Careful. Perfect fit. Perfect fit and no movement once the handle is warmed up.

... and I can still pull the knot and it fits back into the original handle without issue.

Results?

I am very pleased with the result. I like the feel and the weight of the handle and ... again, love the knot. Very pleased indeed!

 

[Sabre]

I need a piggy rehomed too. It's my second Omega where the plactic handle cracked...

 

[pjgh]

... then any handle with a 30mm stated hole should accept the knot, give or take @Sabre.

I used a junior hacksaw to trim off the empty plastic part from the base and then sanded it level and clean. On the handle, I used a drum sanding bit in my drill which only required a very light dusting before the knot could be pushed in. Wash the handle out for each test fitting. My goal was a push-fit but glue can be used if there's a little slop.

Finding something with a 30mm hole was quite a challenge but there are a small number of choices. There's Ali Express, obviously, AP Shave Co might have something suitable ... or approach one of our artisinal brush makers like @gile who will probably already know the precise dimensions of this kind of knot to make a suitable handle that you can push the knot straight into.

 

[gile]

@pjgh using the knot with plastic ferule is definitely easier way but limits the handle options. As yourself I also remove the plastic ferule from omega knots and set them directly into the handles. Omega professional 49 without ferule has the diameter of ~26mm and requires 27mm bore. Omega professional 48 is ~27mm in diameter and requires 28mm bore.

 

[pjgh]

For reference, this is how I modified the base of the knot to suit the handle - notice the longer tube as it comes is not filled with resin and I trimmed back to the base of the resin.

 

[pjgh]

@pjgh using the knot with plastic ferule is definitely easier way but limits the handle options. As yourself I also remove the plastic ferule from omega knots and set them directly into the handles. Omega professional 49 without ferule has the diameter of ~26mm and requires 27mm bore. Omega professional 48 is ~27mm in diameter and requires 28mm bore.

Very useful! Thank you.

While I didn't remove the ferrule entirely, I did trim it down. Not having a full and proper toolset and a clumsy caveman hands, I will often just get lucky but sometimes have to mask small imperfections somehow. The ferrule covers a lot of sins ... and I in this specific case, I think it adds to the overall look.

When ordering the handle, I had done little more than offer a ruler up to the bottom of the knot measuring the plastic edge to edge. On future projects, I might well pre-remove the entire ferrule and find a smaller bore handle. Dimensions are indeed very welcome.

 

[gile]

Very useful! Thank you.

While I didn't remove the ferrule entirely, I did trim it down. Not having a full and proper toolset and a clumsy caveman hands, I will often just get lucky but sometimes have to mask small imperfections somehow. The ferrule covers a lot of sins ... and I in this specific case, I think it adds to the overall look.

When ordering the handle, I had done little more than offer a ruler up to the bottom of the knot measuring the plastic edge to edge. On future projects, I might well pre-remove the entire ferrule and find a smaller bore handle. Dimensions are indeed very welcome.

You're welcome. I noticed that ferule widens a bit towards the top. You can get cheap digital calliper from AliExpress so you can precisely measure it.

 

[ATG]

Excellent result!

 

[Gairdner]

Man, I thought you were doing some bald therapy treatment with pig hair for a moment there! Whew…

Nice, I like it.

 

[gile]

Here are some photos from the workshop. Knot was pulled out from omega 49.

 

[pjgh]

That is so helpful @gile. Thank you!

So, guess the bore on the handle I bought was a tad over 30mm but not by much. It only took the briefest of sanding for the knot to slip in good and tight. If I were setting the raw knot (without ferrule) I'd usually source something with a bore 1-2mm wider than the widest part of the resin base of the knot and then vary depth as well to get the required behaviour from the knot.

I am pretty sure the 10108 is also 27mm on paper. I also have the shorter loft Goodfellas Smile, Shave Factory and Proraso brushes in the '48/'49 style handle. On paper, they're listed as either 26mm or 27mm but having pulled all three knots (and the 108), they are all absolutely interchangeable so presumably Omega use the same ferrule/collar regardless.

Calipers. I'll follow advice and get some in for more accurate measurements going forwards.

 

[gile]

For this red one I drilled 27mm hole and just touched the top of the hole with scraper so it sits nicely. If you are just drilling the hole then 28mm one would do the job.

 

[Gairdner]

I usually use a Forstner bit that’s 2mm bigger than the knot base. 28 for 26 and so on…

 

[gile]

I usually use a Forstner bit that’s 2mm bigger than the knot base. 28 for 26 and so on…

That's my common practice but sometimes I decide to go for just 1mm larger drill bit.

 

[TobyC]

I usually use a Forstner bit that’s 2mm bigger than the knot base. 28 for 26 and so on…

That's my common practice but sometimes I decide to go for just 1mm larger drill bit.

Some knots spread out quite a bit above the glue base, you have to assess each knot. There is no magic number that always works.

 

[gile]

Some knots spread out quite a bit above the glue base, you have to assess each knot. There is no magic number that always works.

This is the way I set the synthetic knots and it proved to be a good practice. I use 2mm wider bit to drill the hole and then set the knot to just sit naturally in it without giving any support to it. If its requested I can set it 1-2mm lower to give it some support but anything more would ruin the knot in my opinion. If there is need to have more backbone then you go for different knot with that characteristics.


Of course there are exceptions to this when you have the knot like the Oumo ST-1 which is handtied and requires almost 20mm deep hole.

Badger knots are somewhat different than synthetics and they usually require deeper holes which is dependant on the shape of the knot. Bulbs are set similar to the synthetics and fans require a bit deeper hole.