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SUGGESTIONS for a Brush Knot replacement companies or people

Luecke3262

Luecke3262

“I am the Grail Razor Hunter”
Hobbyist
HI everyone! I purchased one of the very first Alpha T-400 shaving brushes, when they first came out. Unfortunately, the brush I own has a silvertip knot in it that was set way too high and is SUPER floppy, with zero backbone. It has been relegated to Talc duty for the last year or two. I'm finally ready to have it re-knotted and would like a really nice premium knot dropped in. ACTUALLY, I have three ferrules that could be re-knotted for this one brush, to be honest. I have a High Mountain white(ULTRA floppy), silvertip badger(Really Floppy), and a boar(has a huge glue bump, makes it unusable). I'm looking to only have one of them filled with very dense a premium badger knot(with lots of backbone), one with a nice flat-top boar, and the last one with a premium synthetic(with lots of backbone).

With all that said, who would be the person or the company to help me with my task? If you have experience with them, please share.

1610118135268.png
Not my photo, as these knots appear to be set deeper than mine. Thanks GENTS!

Matt
 
If you’re trying to have the knot extracted and replaced, I sent a brush with an improperly set knot to Razor Emporium. They have a brush revamp service and the cost isn’t horrible especially if you supply your own knot.


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Spider said:
Got Epoxy? Do it yourself, and you can play with the loft to get it right where you want it.
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KJ, I don't mind doing this my self, but I'll need suggestions on where to get the best knots for the job.

Suggestions??
1610121832352.png
 
Luecke3262 said:
KJ, I don't mind doing this my self, but I'll need suggestions on where to get the best knots for the job.

Suggestions??
View attachment 44594
Click to expand...

I’m a huge fan of SHD knots from Maggard if you’re going for a Badger knot. Truth be told you can get knots from lots of places. West Coast Shave, Handlebar Supply, endless sellers on Etsy [emoji2371] pick your poison.


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If you just need to set a new knot, then I agree with KJ, you should look up some YouTube tutorials and do it yourself. If you need a knot removed, it depends on how much effort you're willing to put in. I watched a Matthew Marting (Brushguy) video a few years ago where he stepped through the entire process. It looked like a huge pain. If I ever need a knot removed, I think it will be well worth the money to pay someone. A few people come to mind that I'm pretty sure do this, although I haven't used any of them yet.

Razor Emporium
JR Reyes of Reyes Restores
Rudy Vey
Strike Gold Shave
 
gwsmallwood said:
If you just need to set a new knot, then I agree with KJ, you should look up some YouTube tutorials and do it yourself. If you need a knot removed, it depends on how much effort you're willing to put in. I watched a Matthew Marting (Brushguy) video a few years ago where he stepped through the entire process. It looked like a huge pain. If I ever need a knot removed, I think it will be well worth the money to pay someone. A few people come to mind that I'm pretty sure do this, although I haven't used any of them yet.

Razor Emporium
JR Reyes of Reyes Restores
Rudy Vey
Strike Gold Shave
Click to expand...
I have drilled many brushes out and have replaced knots in the past, but not for about 6-7 years. Back then, the only place you could go for a new knot was The Golden Nib or Ebay and they had about the same moderate quality. Do Rudy Vey or any of those other locations provide just knots for sale?

I'm really looking for just about the nicest knots I can find. Do you have experience with these folks?

Thanks
 
Spider said:
Got Epoxy? Do it yourself, and you can play with the loft to get it right where you want it.
Click to expand...

I’ve tried setting my own knots with varying success. I’ve always used clear silicone sealant. So when I set it wrong, I just throw it in the vegetable steamer and pull it out again (I don’t recommend doing that with a wood handle) If it’s a handle I feel I can’t afford to screw it up, I’ll just put it on a box and send it to a “subject matter expert” and have them do it. Your thoughts?


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Spider said:
Oh, I didn't see that you were looking for knot suggestions, only replacement companies. My bad.
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if I do it myself, the biggest problem I'm going to have is removing the knot and the Aluminum base plate. The knot is no problem, but the base plate is epoxied in and I'll have to either try to soften the epoxy with acetone or heat it up with a blow torch. I don't want to damage the threads, trying to drill out the plate.
 
I got this Knothead brush in from Razor Emporium just now. I got the handle by itself and put a synthetic knot in it too low. Had an SHD badger laying around so I sent it to RE. Cost me $30 plus shipping [emoji2371]. Maybe somebody will stumble across this thread and find it useful.

100202205621341c29b160753b646f79.jpg



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Luecke3262 said:
Do Rudy Vey or any of those other locations provide just knots for sale?

I'm really looking for just about the nicest knots I can find. Do you have experience with these folks?
Click to expand...

I have experience with Rudy Vey. He's built 5 brushes for me with Shavemac knots. He's real easy to contact and discuss what you want. I'd contact him and see if he'll do what you're asking. BTW, my experience is that Shavemac provides excellent knots, my favorite. YMMV. I asked him about boar one time and I know he had some boar knots and some synthetic knots at that time. His email address is Ultimate Pen Designs <ultimatependesigns@comcast.net>. Here are the brushes he's made for me. Good luck on your quest.

rudyvey.jpg
 
I’ve got a couple really nice (dense) badger knots on hand. One is 24mm bulb the other is 26mm fan...both very dense. The fan would need to be set to proper depth to get the feel you want but the 24mm bulb is pretty self explanatory. I can take a couple photos and/or send them/one to you to see if it’s what you are looking for. Otherwise Maggard’s is a good place to look, they often have some nice knots on hand. Or TGN. One problem you will run in to right now is that pretty much all badger knots regardless of who is selling the, come from one of a couple factories in China and the one(s) I trust and they probably use have just been put on lockdown to curtail a Covid outbreak. Next up, their February New Years holiday. It may be some time before you can buy direct from any of the factories via Aliexpress (as an individual) or have orders filled as a regular customer. Knots are going to become a little more difficult to source on our end for a while.

Edit: this applies to the good synthetics as well
 
As far as removing the knot. Most often, if the epoxy used is going to be able to be “softened” or come loose in anyway you would steam the ferrule not torch it. I usually wrap my knots in foil to provide some protection so I can reuse them if I like, then place the whole shooting match in a pot with water. I keep the brush part out of the water by placing it in a bowl floating in the water then steam away. With metal (what kind of metal you did not say) ferrule you may find the epoxy comes loose from the metal as the metal expands slightly when hot and you can push the knot down through the base past the threads (probably not past the threads but maybe the metal base plate will wiggle out). I have never seen a ferrule with base plate so this is where my input becomes pure guess. In any case I don’t see torches as the source of heat. If you are willing to break out flame I would choose instead to cut the knot and drill a smaller hole from the top down then you will find the epoxy easier to break away or Dremmel out (leaving the base plate intact I assume) that is how I get most of my knots out. ...fold the knot down around the edges and tape so I have some protection from my oafish handy work then drill down. Only recently was I able to figure out I can rig up my lathe to do the dirty work with less chance of damage, so I just cut the knots off flush now and tape around the top of the brush.
 
CBLindsay said:
As far as removing the knot. Most often, if the epoxy used is going to be able to be “softened” or come loose in anyway you would steam the ferrule not torch it. I usually wrap my knots in foil to provide some protection so I can reuse them if I like, then place the whole shooting match in a pot with water. I keep the brush part out of the water by placing it in a bowl floating in the water then steam away. With metal (what kind of metal you did not say) ferrule you may find the epoxy comes loose from the metal as the metal expands slightly when hot and you can push the knot down through the base past the threads (probably not past the threads but maybe the metal base plate will wiggle out). I have never seen a ferrule with base plate so this is where my input becomes pure guess. In any case I don’t see torches as the source of heat. If you are willing to break out flame I would choose instead to cut the knot and drill a smaller hole from the top down then you will find the epoxy easier to break away or Dremmel out (leaving the base plate intact I assume) that is how I get most of my knots out. ...fold the knot down around the edges and tape so I have some protection from my oafish handy work then drill down. Only recently was I able to figure out I can rig up my lathe to do the dirty work with less chance of damage, so I just cut the knots off flush now and tape around the top of the brush.
Click to expand...
@CBLindsay Not to butt in but I think he said it was a Alpha T-400 shaving brush so whatever metal the rubberset 400 tribute brush was made out of is what he was talking about...
 
I really like the SHD fan knot from Maggards. Soft tips, very dense, just the right amount of backbone for me.
 
CBLindsay said:
place the whole shooting match in a pot with water. I keep the brush part out of the water by placing it in a bowl floating in the water then steam away.
Click to expand...
Now that is a very handy tip indeed.(y)
 
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