Removing a knot

isaiah53

isaiah53

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5,121
Location
british west hartlepool
Just received a new ap shaveco brush in the post today, and was gutted when I opened it to find out that it looked like it had been stamped on and the handle is wrecked.
The knot has come straight out, so I'm thinking of putting it in another handle that I don't use. Never done this before so I'm wanting to know how to remove a knot from another brush, and fix a new one in.
Any help greatly appreciated
 
Damn! What a shame!

Several ways, but the one I've had most success with is to simply chop the old knot off as low as you can. I use a large/heavy kitchen knife, taking care not to score the top of the ferrule. Cut it as low as you can which should be into the glue knot, which you can often carve flat. Now, get your drill and a spade bit that is a bit (or a lot) smaller than the knot and drill into it to chew up the knot. Usually, the rest just falls out, but you can use a Dremel type tool or carefully pry with a screwdriver to get the rest of the knot out. Careful where you apply any leverage, as the top of the ferrule can get damaged.

Voila! One hole ready for your knot.

Use a Dremel or sanding wheel/band on a drill to enlarge the hole if necessary. I use pennies to get the right height, mark off and fill to line with epoxy, let that set and then set the knot itself into a dot of fresh epoxy, pushing down to get it to flow around the base of the knot and up the sides a little. Just a dot is usually enough as you're fitting what is hopefully a good/tight fit anyway.

Folks talk about steaming them out, but it's not something I've had much success with and you can ruin the handle - butterscotch, particularly.

Sometimes you just get lucky and can give the old knot a firm grip and twist/pull. Depends how strong a handshake you have! I've also had a knot come straight out by clicking some mole grips onto the knot about 5mm up from the ferrule and giving it a twist. That method has also cracked a handle.

Good luck!
 
Did my reknot today. Was a bit squeamish about taking power tools to a brush so investigated steaming. I had a whipped dog brush in butterscotch which I've always liked the handle but the knot never really did it for me. I steamed it gently for between five and ten minutes, then got a pair of pliers near the base of the knot and with a bit of gentle force it popped out. Cleaned the remaining resin out with a Stanley knife and a small flat blade screwdriver.
To refit my new knot I went for silicone sealant, as I thought it may be a bit more forgiving than epoxy seen as it was my first time doing it.

IMG20210113162537.jpgIMG20210115130534.jpg
Before and after shots, the knot plug at the base looked slightly squashed from the damage but I'm hoping it holds up. I'll leave the silicon to cure for a few days then see how it performs.

I'm quite pleased with myself
 
isaiah53 said:
Did my reknot today. Was a bit squeamish about taking power tools to a brush so investigated steaming. I had a whipped dog brush in butterscotch which I've always liked the handle but the knot never really did it for me. I steamed it gently for between five and ten minutes, then got a pair of pliers near the base of the knot and with a bit of gentle force it popped out. Cleaned the remaining resin out with a Stanley knife and a small flat blade screwdriver.
To refit my new knot I went for silicone sealant, as I thought it may be a bit more forgiving than epoxy seen as it was my first time doing it.

View attachment 63272View attachment 63273
Before and after shots, the knot plug at the base looked slightly squashed from the damage but I'm hoping it holds up. I'll leave the silicon to cure for a few days then see how it performs.

I'm quite pleased with myself
Click to expand...
Good job! It's looking great. :)

Paul.
 
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