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Resetting a knot

dangerousdon

dangerousdon

"I am Udderly Insufferable”
Veteran
Concierge Emeritus
Okay guys, I know it has likely been posted here already, but I am too lazy to search for it. That and it looks like this forum needs another thread anyway. One of my beloved brushes has a natural hair (badger and boar) knot that fell out. It seems to be fairly clean...maybe a little "glue" on the end of the knot and maybe a little in the handle...but overall...pretty clean. I need one or two or many of you to give me instructions to fix it. I have a pretty good idea...but thought that I would defer to the knowledgeable ones. Any help provided is much appreciated!
 
dangerousdon said:
Okay guys, I know it has likely been posted here already, but I am too lazy to search for it. That and it looks like this forum needs another thread anyway. One of my beloved brushes has a natural hair (badger and boar) knot that fell out. It seems to be fairly clean...maybe a little "glue" on the end of the knot and maybe a little in the handle...but overall...pretty clean. I need one or two or many of you to give me instructions to fix it. I have a pretty good idea...but thought that I would defer to the knowledgeable ones. Any help provided is much appreciated!
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I'm absolutely a rookie still but i've been on a brush building spree recently. Perhaps I can help... or at least garner a few tips from other posts.

I use a silicone based adhesive, such as this one pictured. It works well, is waterproof, but not permanent. You can typically pull the knot for future use, if needed.

I think the 'according to hoyle' method would be to measure the hole all the way to the bottom, as well as you're not (at the widest part, as some are known to bloom out past the base). This way you know for sure that if it's all the way in and doesn't have a gap. Since yours was previously set, I'd imagine it's a good fit. Still if you have calipers, it might be worth a quick check.

If using a spacer (thanks to DaveinKY, I use rubber hose gaskets), set that in place first. Basically same as you will with the knot. I do them separate so that I know I get it right before I insert the knot (and two items are shifting around in there on their own). I try my hardest to center it, for what it's worth.

For the knot, I apply a little silicone adhesive to the bottom, as well as around the sides. You have to make sure you don't use a lot, especially if the not fits snug into the hole. Otherwise you'll have the glue pushing up the sides and into your bristles. That's a mess to try... TRY... to clean up. I use a thin layer, covering the bottom and making sure I get just a bit on the edge of the sides. I think this creates the best seal.

I don't know if it's necessary or helps any, but if I have a spacer in there, I'll use you put a little extra into the handle, to fill in the gaps.

I always let them dry for a full 24-48 hours.

Hope that helps!
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Spacers may or may not be a good idea. Mostly the use would come from setting a new knot in a pre existing hole where you wanted to change the loft. If the brush was good the way it was and you are using the same knot, I wouldn't use a spacer.
I would however second the recommendation of using silicone adhesive. It is way more forging than epoxy and makes it easier to replace the knot down the road.
 
If you're ok with a permanent solution, then epoxy is fine, but I've recently switched to silicone to make knot replacements easier in the future. I've never used rubber washers as spacers because I was nervous that I might get uneven compression with one and end up with a crooked knot. Might not be a problem, but I figured plastic washers were safer.
 
Thanks for all the information guys. I guess I should have been more specific in my original post. I am super happy with the way the brush was. Other than a little bit of adhesive stuck to the bottom of the knot, it is almost as if the knot came loose from the brush the way it was set in. There is a quarter in the brush handle that the knot sits on and I am wondering if there just was only enough adhesive in the brush to connect the knot to the quarter. Anyway, the information here is most helpful!
 
ED3054 said:
Sometimes I will use a Quarter as a spacer. I always know where my pocket change is. Lol.


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NurseDave said:
Look at Mr Money Bags here ;)
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I mention in the video a very good reason for not using metal spacers. I can't take credit for it, as it came from none other than Rudy Vey. He said he's done some knot replacements on handles that used spacers. He didn't know they were there, so when the big drill bit caught the metal spacer, it ended up taking a chunk out of the handle...
 
My little butterscotch handle is one of the ones that Rudy had a chunk come out of because neither of us knew there was a coin used as a spacer. Never a good idea.

Since handles normally last longer than bristles, there is always a good chance you will end up re-knotting a good brush down the road. The silicone eliminates the need for drilling and it's inherent chances of damaging the handle.

@dangerousdon In your case, I would leave the coin in there if it is still stuck. Just lightly scuff it with some sandpaper and gently clean/scuff the glue bump on the knot and just use a small bit of silicone to adhere it back in place.
If the coin is still stuck, you could damage the handle trying to remove it. Since you already like the loft etc... as is, just go with it. Don't overdo the silicone. To little is an easy fix by pulling it out and re-setting it. Too much is hard to clean out of the bristles.
 
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