Whats happened to my Simpson CH1 Best?...

[brothers]

Yes, same here, and I suspect everywhere. Maybe some guys just mash down as hard as they can, or something? Hmmm. . .

[blantyre]

I always swirl the brush, before I got into this brush acquisition lark I used a PJ2 best for about a decade with absolutely no problems.

[mikey]

I think this is where the problem lies.

Swirling and painting don't cause problems in and of themselves. Mashing and pumping do.

Thanks,
Mike

...some guys just mash down as hard as they can...

[Martin]

Do you mean mashing/pumping when loading or when lathering?

[jww]

Do you mean mashing/pumping when loading or when lathering?

Yes to both, I suspect.

[drmoss_ca]

Paint and swirl all you like, but remember that nothing lasts forever. When a brush does what the OP describes after long service it has behaved as expected. When it does it soon after purchase the manufacturer is at fault. Instructions as to how to use a brush are simply weasel words to diminish liability on the manufacturer's part. Obviously, the owner is under some obligation not to abuse the brush with egregiously aggressive use (eg 'mashing').

I have never seen an explanation from Gary Young (when he was here) as to what happened to Simpson brushes in their last two years in Somerset. They shed hairs horribly, even when treated very carefully. Those same 'shedders' have handles that haven't turned pink (I don't have any old enough to turn butterscotch - yet, but my non-shedding Simpsons have turned pink and the shedders have not changed at all). It might be that they are slightly younger, or it might mean there was some other change to the handle material. For certain there was a difference in either the knotting, the gluing, or the personnel performing these actions that made made the last Somerset Simpsons so unsatisfactory. I'm merely curious and not at all litigious, so I think the reason, if known, might be revealed.

Chris

[bernards66]

Chris, Well, it's true that we don't really know. Apparently they were down to just one woman doing the knots at the end ( who later had to seek employment as a clerk in some shop or chain store ) and I've heard that David Carter's son was more or less running the show in Somerset for awhile there and that he decided to order their glue from a different source than they'd always gotten it from before. Who knows?...perhaps he ordered different rods to turn the handles from as well. Then there was that batch of brushes that were sort of 'inbetween' models....during the period when the deal had been closed with Vulfix but before the whole Simpson operation had been fully moved and integrated into the Isle of Man facility. My D2 is one of these I think. The decal came off but it was never a shedder ( I got it in a trade from Murray ) and it is not as dense as other D2s and D3s I've seen. I think that this brush was actually knotted by the Vulfix folks but that the handle was leftover old 'Simpson' stock. It's been a stout performer if a tad 'scritchier' than Duke Bests usually were...or probably are now.
Regards,
Gordon

[jww]

My brand new D2 and Wee Scot are both shed-free at the moment. They are only a few weeks old, mind. I do fancy lathering with the dense knot, although must admit to them seeming to hold less lather than my other badger brushes. Still wanting to get a Kent 4 one of these days in horn -- it's so hard to find -- I suspect they are simply knot making them anymore (pun intended -- you can all groan collectively now and carry on with what you were doing ..... )

[fallingwickets]

groan collectively now and carry on

thanks for the permission

[brothers]

That was a good one!

[Gary Young]

Paint and swirl all you like, but remember that nothing lasts forever. When a brush does what the OP describes after long service it has behaved as expected. When it does it soon after purchase the manufacturer is at fault. Instructions as to how to use a brush are simply weasel words to diminish liability on the manufacturer's part. Obviously, the owner is under some obligation not to abuse the brush with egregiously aggressive use (eg 'mashing').

I have never seen an explanation from Gary Young (when he was here) as to what happened to Simpson brushes in their last two years in Somerset. They shed hairs horribly, even when treated very carefully. Those same 'shedders' have handles that haven't turned pink (I don't have any old enough to turn butterscotch - yet, but my non-shedding Simpsons have turned pink and the shedders have not changed at all). It might be that they are slightly younger, or it might mean there was some other change to the handle material. For certain there was a difference in either the knotting, the gluing, or the personnel performing these actions that made made the last Somerset Simpsons so unsatisfactory. I'm merely curious and not at all litigious, so I think the reason, if known, might be revealed.

Chris

Chris

I can only comment on remarks made by a couple of our old staff who worked for David Carter until the move to the IOM...

Lack of experienced staff knot forming mixed with a change in glue used for fixing.

Gary

[drmoss_ca]

Thanks, Gary. Seems like it was the last straw when they all started shedding. I still use my Somersets in rotation as they are the best I have!

Chris

[vtmax]

I have a few Somersets from that "in-between" period. The very late Somerset and Carter era brushes tend to be higher lofted and a bit floppy, at least in the Chubby range. I do find their handles and lamp black applications wonderful though. That lamp black gets me every time.

Max

[Arcadies]

I can't get enough lather up if I only paint -- scrubbing, swirling, etc. always promotes better lather production for me.

I agree, I am fairly aggressive with my lathering. I don't bottom out the brush but I do use medium pressure to get some splay and I use vigorous swirling/scrubbing motions, it not only builds better lather for me, it feels great as well!
It does take it's toll on brushes, though, and is one reason I've gone to almost exclusive synthetic use..those buggers can take a beating and they whip up some wonderfully creamy lather.