Determining brush size?

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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FrancisDeSales
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Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:52 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Determining brush size?

Post by FrancisDeSales »

I'm sure most of you can probably look at a brush and give a knot size +/- 2 mm.

For those of us who can't, how do I determine the size of a given unknown brush?

If that isn't too easily done, how do you remove the silk screening from a faux ivory handle, specifically the "Col. Conk" signature on their brushes? There's just something about having a make-believe Victorian officer on my brush that vexes me fiercely.
"The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar."
[GK Chesterton].
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Big Ren
The Toronto Kid
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Post by Big Ren »

Franklin,

Most of the knot sizes of the high end brushes are either posted by the manufacturers themselves or have been measured approximately by certain vendors (Em's Place for example) or by members on the shaving forums, most notably by Nathan and his trusty calipers.

As far as removing the undesired stamp on brush handles, you can try solvents of varying type and strength, but you must be careful because some may dull out the otherwise glossy finish of your brush. Try simple rubbing alcohol, mineral spirits or laquer thinner. The laquer thinner might be too strong.

Ren
"What I find ironic is the fact that we can talk wireless to a man on the moon but we can't talk to someone twenty feet away over a hard-wired intercom at a drive-thru!" - Pottydoctor
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dubes
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Location: New York, NY

Post by dubes »

My technique for measuring the knot size came from Em's Place: estimate the size by measuring where the badger (or boar or whatever) hair leaves the handle. If you need precision, I suppose you could use a calipers instead of a ruler.

Mike
FrancisDeSales
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Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by FrancisDeSales »

Yes, I did think he was a Limey, or rather a fictitious corporate mascot of English extraction, related to that ne'er-do-well ex-pat in the Carribean, Panama Jack. I based this assumption on the fact that Conk appears to be the brand of choice for internet cutlery retailers everywhere, not a group I am overly fond of. We're all entitled to some bias, after all.

If he was a real person who made soap or brushes at one time, especially here in the states, I am not so vexed. I am quite pleased with my brush, I must say. And no, if I were referring to that time period in American history I'd use "pre(post) civil war" or "the Gilded Age" in lieu of "Victorian" or "Edwardian".
"The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar."
[GK Chesterton].
FrancisDeSales
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:52 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by FrancisDeSales »

Oh, and thanks, Mike. I'll bring home a set of calipers from work one night next week to satisfy curiousity, but its moot. Thanks to Dr. Moss, I have no real desire for a new and similar brush any longer.
"The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar."
[GK Chesterton].
gruffydd3
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Location: Baltimore, Md.

Post by gruffydd3 »

Chris,
Yes, the period of Queen Victoria's reign is referred to as the Victorian era here in the U.S. We call the architectural styles of the period Victorian, we speak of Victorian morals, etc.

Rick
English

Post by English »

As a full blooded Limey, can I just express my amasement that a likeness of of one of my forefathers can stir such feelings.

Mind you, a fully trained British sodier frightens the shit out of me even today.
FrancisDeSales
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Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:52 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by FrancisDeSales »

Oh no, if Ichabod Conk were a Sandhurst grad who'd barely escaped the Mahdi, only to go on to develop an amazing glycerine shaving soap in later life, I'd not be bothered in the least. Not for a moment. Soldiers and sailors are not entirely the same thing, but when I was a sailor, we looked back on your jack tars as forefathers of naval tradition.

But it looks like a very phony, contrived corporate logo riding on the back of the reputations of many such honourable men. Call me so far to the right that I'm a leftist, but I don't need corporate logos staring out at me from my grooming tools first thing in the morning. Plain or fancy, let them be tools. I don't mind a maker's mark or some such, but keep it simple.and out of the way.
"The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar."
[GK Chesterton].
Ken
Posts: 840
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:05 pm

Post by Ken »

Chris,

The term "Victorian" is not confined to the U.S. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as "Of or belonging to, designating, or typical of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)." It doesn't distinguish between British and American Usage.

Ken
English

Post by English »

I agree, it's T shirt logo's that get my back up.

As I've got older the smaller logo doesn't offend, I can't see it. Damn it I have trouble reading the time on my watch as for the date that went last year.

If the abrasive roughs up the handle I suggest you try one of those nail buffing sticks. The black rubber side is great for polishing plastic.

Incidentally, the other side has two grades of of roughness. I've found that they can be used in sequence to outjust about any small scratch. For example from a ring, a straight razor blade or even the handle of a shaving brush. It'll probably only do the one job before you need to throw it away. My wife's not caught me using hers yet but I think its payback for when she's used my razor without telling me.

Hope this helps.
pew43
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:07 pm

Post by pew43 »

Here is a site with a story about the "real" Col. Ichabod Conk.


http://coolshaving.com/aboutourproducts.html




Phil
JackieMartling

Post by JackieMartling »

The best way to determine knot size of a brush in your possession is with calipers. Even this is somewhat subjective, however, as you can press in with the calipers and compress the knot so that you get a narrower measurement. I use my eye and stop when the calipers touch the hair, applying no pressure. I take several measurements, just to make sure my numbers are consistent. If you're trying to ascertain the measurement of a brush you don't have, you'll have to make do with various reports of sizes, which actually aren't all that ubiquitous. Em's Place has probably the most comprehensive collection of Simpson knot sizes, but those are limited to the models she sells, as she has taken the measurements herself. Simpson does not actually publish their knot sizes. Plisson does, however, and you can view their catalog on the Atkinsons web site. Classic Shaving posts full measurements for both their Vulfix and Rooney models. The Gentleman's Shop posts some knot sizes for some brushes, but not for all them, so it's a crap shoot there. Ditto Executive Shaving. It is also important to know that knot sizes vary a little from specimen to specimen, even though they are the same model, hair grade, and maker. Such is the nature of hand-made products. So, you can get a pretty good idea about a brush's size by posted measurements, but the brush you actually receive in the mail may not be exactly the same size.

FYI, guessing with a margin of error of +/- 2mm is worthless. 2mm is a pretty substantial variation in knot size, and is often the difference between sizes of a given model. For instance, nearly all of Plisson's size increments vary by 2mm in the knot (e.g., a size 18 has a 26mm knot; a size 16 has a 24mm knot). Likewise, a CH3 has a 30mm knot, whereas a CH2 has a 28mm knot.


Nathan
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