Refinishing burl wood brush handle

[brothers]

A few months ago I bought a hand turned burl handle from Bob Quinn. I mounted a large synthetic knot from Shave Revolution in the handle, and have used it quite a bit but the shiny finish has quickly worn away. That was disappointing because the price I paid for the handle was almost $70. I had naively assumed (never assume) that the finish would be CA (super glue). Now I've decided to refinish the handle and to do it right it'll be CA if all goes according to plan. I've watched several youtube instructional videos and am convinced I can do it. It'll involve an airbrush. I'm in the process of gathering all of the necessary components. Of course it'll end up costing maybe twice as much as I paid for the handle, but I've rationalized it by simply telling myself I can refinish dozens of wooden items of all descriptions and sizes over time. [Before/during/after photos will probably be posted at some point within the following weeks.]

[Rufus]

This is very disappointing. Have you informed Bob Quinn about the problem? I think he should refinish the handle for you with CA for no charge and cover the shipping costs both ways.

[brothers]

I'm looking at it as another woodworking/craft project for me to engage and enjoy. I take the blame for an erroneous assumption on my part.

[Rufus]

I'm looking at it as another woodworking/craft project for me to engage and enjoy. I take the blame for an erroneous assumption on my part.

I think you're being unnecessarily hard on yourself. I don't believe it's too much to assume that a wood item that is to be exposed to water would be finished in a manner befitting its use, be it CA or some other water resistant material, which your handle was evidently not.

[brothers]

Good point Bryan, however, I have always been looking for an excuse to learn how to properly apply the CA finish, and this is my golden opportunity to do so. I see this as a positive step forward. The handle was difficult to find, and when I saw it, I had to have it. Now that I've inserted the excellent Shave Revolution synthetic knot and the brush as a whole is great, I'm just looking forward to making it as perfect overall as I can. Maybe it'll be an heirloom when my shaving days eventually become a thing of the past.

[brothers]

Here's the brush handle when I received it and had just installed the synthetic knot.


Here's the brush handle with severe loss of finish, getting ready for the refinishing project.

[brothers]

This is the mesquite burl handle with all of the original finish removed, and ready for refinishing.

[brothers]

Project complete! Here are the photos showing 9 coats of CA (superglue). Planning what to do, how to do it, and gathering the necessary materials took up most of the time. Today, going slowly and making sure I did everything in the correct sequence without making stupid mistakes only took about 3 hours from start to finish. What a feeling of relief.

[pausted]

Beautiful, Gary!

[smoothshaver]

That's a gorgeous brush Gary. Use it in good health.

[mlb549]

That's about the most beautiful burl handle I have ever seen. Like you wanted, now it's perfect! Great job, Gary.