Rainy day shaving brush

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Aug 13, 2016
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It was cool & rainy today and my supplies didn't arrive from Penn State as expected. Not having pens to make, I decided to make another shaving brush. I made one with the same colors for my brother's birthday gift and liked the colors a lot so I made one for myself, just with a little different shape. After much debating, I decided the cup was too big and took it down a bit. After looking at the pix, I realize the cup would've been just fine because now the base looks too big. You win some, you lose some. Since it's for me, I don't mind. Silmar 41 with a 3 color pour - green & violet mica and also green dye. 24mm two band finest badger knot I bought on the bay from a Chinese vendor. Sanded through 12K MM, Novus 3 & 2, then buffed with blue rouge. C&C always welcome.


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Joined
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Thanks for the compliments.

Looks great to me! Love the color!!


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Thank you. I made a Titan rollerbal with the same colors that I posted about a month ago. With it backpainted black the colors look nothing like this, more like very dark green with almost a mother of pearl color mixed in. Strange how backpainting can completely change the appearance.
 
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
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Location
Surprise, Arizona
Thanks for the added kind comments.

Curious, how does it feel in hand?

Beautiful blank, shape, and polish on that puppy.

Thank you! I'm 5'3" with hands to match, and this one is a bit smaller than I normally make for gifts. My index finger and thumb fit in the cove perfectly, with my middle finger resting against the upturned part of the base. It would be too small for the average size man, but a larger one would fit just as well. It's very comfortable for face lathering, which is great with the two band finest (lots of backbone) but not suited as well for bowl lathering due to the shape. That's ok though, I have other brushes for bowl lathering and a longer old school style I made for using with my deep scuttle.
 

Bikerdad

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Joined
Apr 4, 2009
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Utah Valley
Thanks for the added kind comments.

Curious, how does it feel in hand?

Beautiful blank, shape, and polish on that puppy.

Thank you! I'm 5'3" with hands to match, and this one is a bit smaller than I normally make for gifts. My index finger and thumb fit in the cove perfectly, with my middle finger resting against the upturned part of the base. It would be too small for the average size man, but a larger one would fit just as well. It's very comfortable for face lathering, which is great with the two band finest (lots of backbone) but not suited as well for bowl lathering due to the shape. That's ok though, I have other brushes for bowl lathering and a longer old school style I made for using with my deep scuttle.

It strikes me that you may have just opened up a whole can of cheap shaving foam here!! I'm a dedicated "as rarely as I can get away with it" shaver, so it's moderately unlikely I'll ever make myself a shaving brush. I have made two shaving sets for my sons though, and will be making some more in the future. I did what I could in modeling the shape of the brushes from pics of commercial brushes, but the WHY of the shapes I was seeing escapes me. If you would be so kind as to enlighten and inform us on the WHY of different brush shapes, that would be greatly appreciated. I know, from having used hand tools frequently, that little changes can make a big difference.
 
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
1,460
Location
Surprise, Arizona
It strikes me that you may have just opened up a whole can of cheap shaving foam here!! I'm a dedicated "as rarely as I can get away with it" shaver, so it's moderately unlikely I'll ever make myself a shaving brush. I have made two shaving sets for my sons though, and will be making some more in the future. I did what I could in modeling the shape of the brushes from pics of commercial brushes, but the WHY of the shapes I was seeing escapes me. If you would be so kind as to enlighten and inform us on the WHY of different brush shapes, that would be greatly appreciated. I know, from having used hand tools frequently, that little changes can make a big difference.

It's both length and shape really, but I don't think shape is a huge deal. If it's comfy in the hand that's all that matters. Years ago when men frequently went to a barber for a good shave, they used brushes with very long handles since they lathered with a puck of soap in a mug. They weren't fancy, the barber just needed to be able to get a grip and work up many lathers a day without much fuss, so they look similar to tool handles. New brushes in this style are very difficult to find because mug lathering just isn't nearly as common these days. This one would be fine for bowl or face lathering if it weren't for that upturned base. When holding the brush bristles down like lathering in a bowl there just isn't much real estate to grab ahold of. If the base were a nicely rounded over bead then it would be fine for both, so as you mentioned, even a little change has made a big difference in how this brush is best used. Most of my brushes are fine for bowl or face lathering, but I've found the few I've made with an upturned base just aren't all that great for whipping up a lather in a bowl.

Don't even get me started on knots!
 
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