Ivory

churchilllafemme · Post by **churchilllafemme** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:19 am

I finally received my Christmas gift from my wife, two real ivory brushes from Rudy Vey. Both have Shavemac D01 knots. One is a Chubby 2 style, with a 23mm knot and 47mm loft, and the other is a Persian Jar 2 style with a 21mm knot and 51mm loft. I've been handling them with cotton gloves, and I'm almost afraid to shave with them!

SharpSpine · Post by **SharpSpine** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:21 am

Absolutely stunning!

How much do they weigh? I'd imagine a real ivory handle to be quite significant.

churchilllafemme · Post by **churchilllafemme** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:35 am

SharpSpine wrote:How much do they weigh?

They are hefty. The Chubby style is 144g, and the PJ is 85g. In contrast, an equivalent sized, actual Somerset Chubby 2 in my collection is 74g, and a Somerset PJ2 is 57g.

SharpSpine · Post by **SharpSpine** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:56 am

churchilllafemme wrote:
SharpSpine wrote:How much do they weigh?
They are hefty. The Chubby style is 144g, and the PJ is 85g. In contrast, an equivalent sized, actual Somerset Chubby 2 in my collection is 74g, and a Somerset PJ2 is 57g.

WOW!

drP · Post by **drP** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:48 pm

Ivory is the most desirable material for a shaving brush handle imo.
Beautiful brushes John, enjoy them to the full...

Sodapopjones · Post by **Sodapopjones** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:19 pm

Very nice, I bet Rudy was sweating turning those...

M6Classic · Post by **M6Classic** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:27 pm

drP wrote:Ivory is the most desirable material for a shaving brush handle imo.
Beautiful brushes John, enjoy them to the full...

Ivory does make a marvelous handle. I have a 1980 Simpson Chubby 3 in ivory...well, my son now has it...and it is both gorgeous and perfectly utile. That said, I find modern plexiglass and resin handles to be far preferable. They are more durable, easier to clean, exceptionally durable, do not crack or split, and do not raise the wrath of one's friends and family. Also, I don't know anyone other than my son who actually makes lather with a genuine ivory handled brush which is, at the end of the day, the whole point.

Buzz

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:23 pm

John, I've got an ivory handled Buck pocket knife that I carried and used like any other everyday tool for years and years until it became illegal to carry such a weapon into many places my work takes me to. It went from a soft white to a deep and rich buttery yellow color in about 6 years. I used it for everything and never gave a thought to keeping it clean. I'm not an expert on ivory, but I think one reason men have used it as handles in tools and weapons for all of history is that it is durable. (What's with the cotton gloves?

) If it's tough enough for a wild elephant, then it's tough enough for anbody. Treat it just as you'd treat any other material, use it with gusto and enjoy the subtle changes it will undergo in color and patina over time. Congratulations, by the way.

One other unsolicited piece of advice. Our tastes and preferences do change over time. If you become dissatisfied with the bristles/knots you have installed in these heirloom handles, have Rudy or someone of the same expertise as Rudy to change them out for you. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of thnking you have to stay with the same knot for as long as you own the handle.

churchilllafemme · Post by **churchilllafemme** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:08 am

brothers wrote:It went from a soft white to a deep and rich buttery yellow color in about 6 years.

Gary, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I guess the reason for the gloves is that I read online about ivory care, and there were statements that oils from our skin can darken the ivory, and I just haven't decided yet how much I want it to "yellow," and I was also concerned that it might start to discolor unevenly from the touching. But Rudy advised me just to wash my hands well before handling the brushes, so that's probably what I'll end up doing.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:35 am

With my knife, I used to rub it alongside my nose to get the facial oil that is plentiful in that area, and then I'd rub it with my hands a lot. Kind of a habit when it was with me all the time.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:07 am

John my rule is gloves if I'm handling items belonging to others but just keep my hands clean when using my own. Skin oil will turn rancid and some of us are more acidic than others. Those are stunning brushes.