Shaving brushes for Dummies

SoapAlchemist

SoapAlchemist

Joined
Sunday September 6, 2009
I refuse to believe I'm the only member who doesn't know what a knot is. Lots of people join saying they have only just taken up wet shaving...surely they are not born knowing what a knot is?
Would it not be very helpful if some knowledgable person were to do a brief guide on here, which could be 'locked' at the top of the forum? Not just about knots of course, but all the main attributes -type of bristle, length, shape, handles and anything else relevent.
 
That certainly sounds like a good idea, a job for Chris or Henk, perhaps? In the meantime, a look at this:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5_9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.thegoldennib.com/index.php?m ... &cPath=5_9</a><!-- m -->
will provide some information on knots.
 
Thanks Arrowhead.....I've read the link and am still none the wiser as to what the different sized knots mean. When I say 'for dummies', I'm not joking. Presume zero knowledge, apart from the ability to read. :)
 
I'm not going to pretend to knowledge I don't have: there are quite a few brush gurus here (Chris, Henk, Tony, Fozz et al) so no doubt they'll chip in soon. The sizes given are diameter at the handle end, and "loft" is the length of the bristles. A large diameter means more hair, and therefore the brush will hold a lot of water and retain plenty of lather, and vice versa. A short loft brush will be stiffer and "scrubbier", all other things being equal, than one with long bristles. Boar seems to hold less water than badger for a given size. Wait a while and I predict that you'll have a lot of information to process. ;)
 
The knot, in shaving brush parlance, is basically just the hair part of the brush, or the brush 'proper'. It is called a 'knot' because it is (preferably) made by gathering a bunch of (boar or) badger hair, pushing it tips first in a barrel with a domed floor (not unlike the hair stacker used in fly tying, only that has a flat floor), the dome defining the shape of the business end of the brush to be. The base of the hairs is then surrounded by a string, which is pulled tight and knotted (hence the name...). Next the excess hair at the base (i.e. just below the string -- or just above if you're still looking at the inverted hairs stacked in the shaper) is cut, and the base of the knot is soaked with glue, usually an epoxy resin, which when cured forms a plug at the base of the knot.

Once cured, you have a knot ready to be set in a handle.

The knot size is the diameter of the resin plug. Barring changes in hair density (some knots have extra hair for their size, and those are usually more expensive than standard knots of the same size), the knot size defines the amount of hair in the brush and the diameter of the business end of the brush. Larger knot means wider brush and more expensive brush (not necessarily a better brush).

Knots are usually available in one or two lengths. Brushes are available in many more 'loft' sizes, meaning the length of the knot ON the brush. Loft is set by burying the knot deeper or shallower in the handle. A chubby e.g. is a small loft brush.

Standard knot sizes are 20 and 22 mm. I find a 20 mm knot plenty large enough.
 
A few pictures of Henks excellent explanation. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.emsplace.com/bristles.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.emsplace.com/bristles.htm</a><!-- m -->.

An explanation of different bristle types. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.emsplace.com/bcprod/brushesinfo.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.emsplace.com/bcprod/brushesinfo.htm</a><!-- m -->.

I strongly disagree with the description in B) hog bristles.
 
Great, I think I've now got the hang of knots and loft.
So would all brushes be the same density unless they specify that they have extra hair?

Pig Cat....I suspect the story ends in tragedy.
 
Well, there is some sort of standard density. This hovers around ca. 10000 hairs in a 20mm knot or about 3200 hairs per cm^2. Companies make brushes denser (and/or decrease loft) to make a stiffer brush, or less dense (or increase loft) to make a floppier brush, but this is a nice average. SIgnificantly less than this density, and you get a loose, floppy brush that is quite useless as a shaving brush. And since badger hair is not compressible (its solid hair), there's not a lot of room for increasing the density either.

3200 hairs per cm^2 would mean that an individual badger hair has a diameter of 0.2 mm, IF the hairs took up the entire thickness. SInce hairs are round, they would cover only about 67% of the total cross section of a bundle, so the actual hair diameter would be 0.16 mm. That is about what those hairs look like when you pull them out of the knot. THere is some leeway towards a denser knot but not a whole lot.

Henk
 
Henk has an amazing knack for making me feel somewhat un-educated!!

Science aside the sheer scope of choice when it comes to knots can be a real nightmare for those buying/making their first brushes. The factors of grade, loft, density, knot diameter all have an impact of the overall 'feel' of a brush - and even with all that taken into account, sometimes the shape and weight of the handle can change the experience too!

For example: I made myself a brush from silvertip badger (the best grade available) using a 26mm knot of medium density. Many people would instantly point out that such a knot would be floppy and overly soft, but I set the knot at a short loft, creating a brush that (once broken in) has a loft height shorter than the overall diameter of the hair. This created a very luxurious, but not at all floppy brush.

In contrast, the Wilkinson Sword boar bristle sold in most supermarkets is what many would think to be the epitome of a scrubby boar brush, and yet it's thin knot diameter and high loft make it far floppier and less scrubby than my badger brush.

Probably the second most important factor (to my mind) is whether you intend to you soaps or creams exclusively or a mixture of both - generally a stiffer or denser brush will make the best lather in soap and a softer brush likewise with cream. For someone using both, either a dense packed (or short loft), soft hair brush or an average loft medium grade, medium density knot. I've made successful brushes for people who love the feel of a certain grade but want to use it for a less-than ideal soap/cream combo, within reason of course!

The single most important factor in any brush purchase/project is this: you should choose a brush that you like! If you're buying your first brush and you follow the vast amounts of advice on here and the other forums, you will undoubtedly come away with a brush that practically suits your needs, but if you hate the feel in your hand or the look on the shelf, you'll eventually stick the brush in a cupboard or sell it over here! I've gone back to brushes that weren't exactly correct at the time I bought them, only to find that they're suitable for something new later on - and if you genuinely enjoy owning something, you'll find a use for it!

The other thing to bear in mind - if you enjoy using a brush, you'll end up acquiring more... and more... so don't dwell too much on the "you have to have this to do this" type comments and find one that suits you :mrgreen:

Sorry what was the original question...? :lol:
 
The thing that kills me about Henk is his English - take note, ye Scots!

I do find the end of the hairs makes a difference: I bought a BNIB NOS badger brush from ebay but it had been trimmed, so the hair ends were sharp and spiky. Horrible.

On the other hand, silvertip seems to taper away and gives a very soft point of contact.

HTH

P.S. Henk: I am loving the no. 4 - my wife and kids all had to feel my face this morning (also used a Fatboy, three day old Feather, 1 x WTG, 1 x ATG). Keep up the good work!
 
Rev-O said:
P.S. Henk: I am loving the no. 4 - my wife and kids all had to feel my face this morning (also used a Fatboy, three day old Feather, 1 x WTG, 1 x ATG). Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...

Good to hear ;-) #5 (with the same scent) is actually for sale now at the Dutch barbershop (Paul Kox). Now that I know that the basic soap formula is at least OK, I'm ready to turn back to experimenting with scents. Any requests (reasonable, that is)?

My first experiment will be cedar and bergamot, with added tea tree, juniper, and a little musk...

I also have sandalwood (Amyris), vetiver, and some other musky bases.
 
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