Bit of research

Be careful with Bubinga. It's a lovely wood, but quite splintery and difficult to get a smooth finish on. Also, it can be difficult to apply a finish on. The knots I bought are 21mm synthetic as they were reasonably priced but perfect for having a play about with. This one and the razor will probably end up in the lending stream at some point.

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Some other pictures
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And something else in Yew
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Just had a shave with these (I know, I should let the finish harden, but curiosity got the better of me!) The brush whipped up a storm with some MWF and lathered my face really nicely. The razor gave a DFS with 3 passes and is very mild, compared to the other kits I've used which are cheaply made, have lop sided to blade exposure and only really slice you up. I'll stick to using my Muhle R89 head in my handles, but at least I've found a head and kit that I'd happily sell, but would offer the muhle head as an optional extra as I feel that the kit head might be too mild for some.

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As previously stated, I've only gone with synthetics to have a play about with. When I start selling them properly, it'll be customers choice!

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Well you need to know your market and if they're too tight to buy a decent badger chances are they won't be indulging in a handcrafted brush and bowl set. Just a theory mind, now that oak handle have you deliberately left patches of open grain on it or is that supposed to be part of it's rustic charm?
 
They're not my main market. A lot of sales come through etsy or at craft markets, although shaving gear hasn't been added to my stand yet as I'm still playing about with it.

That's part of the oak. It's a very open grained timber to begin with and I have a lot sitting about. The rings are functional, extra grip and all that

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As far as bowls go, I prefer wide & shallow with Suribachi grooves. The Suribachi grooves in my large Steve Woodhead Suribachi scuttle are helpful not only when building a lather, but they are also excellent for pressing soap into to hold it steady in the bowl. Very useful.

Edit: just caught up with the rest of the thread - nice handles!
 
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Wood wise, I've got a bit of Padauk, Ash and possibly some Elm or Oak.
Otherwise, I can make an acrylic blank with a completely random pattern. My mould is 40mm in diameter, so shoul;d be big enough.

EDIT: My experience with waterproofing wood is hit and miss. The finishes I've tried work well under cold water, but as soon as it gets to shaving temperature and above, they start to strip. I have one last trick up my sleeve, otherwise it'll be a cases of getting a vacuum chamber and some impregnating resin to turn the wood into plastic...
 
I've not had great results with danish oil on pens that ended up going through the washing machine! I've got some acrylic lacquer to try, so hopefully that will work. Yacht varnish sort of works, but it takes a long time to prepare and cure. Each coat needs at least 24 hours to dry and then once 3 or 4 coats have been applied a full week to harden. That means making anything out of wood for shaving purposes will take the best part of 2 weeks...
 
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