Brush re-knotting

[steve_keyte]

I have a Rolls Razor shaving brush but the knot has seen better days, is there anyone in the UK that you could recommend to fit a new knot? The hole in the brush handle is about 23.5mm diameter

Steve

 

[pjgh]

Damn it! I have an absolute stack of Rolls Razor gear, including the mirror and the soaps (both dish and stick) but the brush has eluded me.

If the hole is 23.5mm ish, I'd say go for a 22mm knot.

It is actually pretty easy to do yourself with minimal tools. What I do is use a sharp kitchen knife or a single edge blade to cut the bristles off as close to the handle as possible. From there, I Dremel out the knot. Take the new knot and drop it into the hole. Look at it from all angles and go deeper if need be, or pad it out with a single penny to raise the knot up. Happy? Drop from epoxy in, the optional penny and the knot. The excess epoxy should be enough to just go up the sides of the knot but not spill out over the top. Make sure it's level all around and let it set. Enjoy the next day or the day after ...

What kind of knot are you after? Badger? Boar? Synthetic? I have some white boar surplus to my requirement, but I think they're 20mm and would look a little skinny in the hole as well as leaving a bit of a gap.

 

[Sconehead]

+1 on replacing the knot yourself. I think Shavemac, in Germany, will supply knots, or they can be bought a lot cheaper from China. I've been well pleased with those from a supplier called Ace Shaving. The epoxy to look for is two [art 10 minute epoxy, available from B&Q and the like.
Before you start working to Dremel out the knot, it would be worth soaking the brush in hot (not boiling) water for a while and then trying to pull the knot out. Sometimes this works, other times not.

 

[pjgh]

If the brush is Butterscotch colour (I gather the Rolls Razor brushes came in both butterscotch and brown) then DO NOT steam or boil or soak it. It will remove the colour and bleach it. Otherwise, indeed! Give it 10 minutes in the steamer, get a good grip and pull! The knot might just come out.

 

[steve_keyte]

If the brush is Butterscotch colour (I gather the Rolls Razor brushes came in both butterscotch and brown) then DO NOT steam or boil or soak it. It will remove the colour and bleach it. Otherwise, indeed! Give it 10 minutes in the steamer, get a good grip and pull! The knot might just come out.

The one that needs the new knot is a deep red / brown handle, I also have a butterscotch coloured one which is brand new
I'll give it a go at replacing the knot in the red one - one thing is that the knot is loose in the handle, it does not rotate in the handle, but it does wobble about in the handle, I assume that whatever holds the knot in place within the handle has broken loose in the handle, hence the movement

Steve

 

[pjgh]

Ah, good stuff ... so a good soak in hot water or a steam for a few minutes should loosen up the glue knot and let to give it a good heave. Another method I've used is to gently hammer a flathead screwdriver into the middle of the knot and then give it a twist. Some knots broke up, others just twisted out.

 

[steve_keyte]

Ah, good stuff ... so a good soak in hot water or a steam for a few minutes should loosen up the glue knot and let to give it a good heave. Another method I've used is to gently hammer a flathead screwdriver into the middle of the knot and then give it a twist. Some knots broke up, others just twisted out.

OK Paul, I might have a go at soaking it in hot water tomorrow and see what happens!

Steve

 

[steve_keyte]

Well that was easy - just got a tight grip on the knot and twisted it from side to side and the whole thing crumbled and pulled out of the handle, whatever was used to secure the bristle just crumbled to dust.
The plastic / Bakelite handle socket is 23.5mm diameter by 40mm deep, so obviously I'm going to have to clean the residue of the old adhesive from the socket using a Dremel and then partially fill the socket with resin to provide a platform for the new knot to sit on, allow that to set and then fix the new knot into the handle with epoxy resin

Steve

 

[pjgh]

Fantastic! Your procedure for the next stage sounds fine ... carry on.

When you get the new knot, do take some time setting it up by eye first. By that, I mean do everything dry (no epoxy) and drop the knot in. Look at the brush from all angles. Drop a penny in to see how it looks raised up slightly. From that you'll know how much to fill up beforehand and then the knot will be perfect for you when you want to set it with epoxy.

Good luck! Smashing brush. Enjoy! Definitely crack open the soap you got with the kit.

 

[Glen_Lee]

Well that was easy - just got a tight grip on the knot and twisted it from side to side and the whole thing crumbled and pulled out of the handle, whatever was used to secure the bristle just crumbled to dust.
The plastic / Bakelite handle socket is 23.5mm diameter by 40mm deep, so obviously I'm going to have to clean the residue of the old adhesive from the socket using a Dremel and then partially fill the socket with resin to provide a platform for the new knot to sit on, allow that to set and then fix the new knot into the handle with epoxy resin

Steve


View attachment 50032 View attachment 50033 View attachment 50034

@steve_keyte - will you be posting more photos as the project progresses? I find this sort of thing fascinating and love the idea of undertaking such a refurb but lack the knowledge and the skills

 

[steve_keyte]

@steve_keyte - will you be posting more photos as the project progresses? I find this sort of thing fascinating and love the idea of undertaking such a refurb but lack the knowledge and the skills

I will do!

Steve