Unusual Opal Brush

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Irate45
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Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2022 6:33 pm

Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

This Opal brush was my fathers. I didn't know he had it until my mother gave it to me after his passing many years ago. I have never been able to find any info on it. The removable lower portion is hollow, but considering its small capacity, I don't know what you would put in it, or what was originally in it to make up the four in one configuration. It's 2¼" deep and 1½" wide. Any thoughts?
Opal Brush [attachment=1]Opal Brush 1.JPG
1.JPG[/attachment]
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Opal Brush 2.JPG
Opal Brush 2.JPG (2.3 MiB) Viewed 4708 times
Opal Brush 1.JPG
Opal Brush 1.JPG (1.19 MiB) Viewed 4708 times
CMur12
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by CMur12 »

Hi Irate45. Welcome to SMF!

That's a nice heirloom brush. I'm not familiar with it, but it is common practice among a number of manufacturers to make travel brushes with a detachable tube as part of the handle, to make it more compact. It most cases, the detachable tube is made to enclose and protect the badger/boar loft during storage or travel. Then you attach it to the bottom of the handle for shaving. Yours, however, doesn't appear to join the handle from the loft side.

- Murray
Irate45
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

Murray, I did try to put the brush in the hollow base. It will go in shy of about 3/16", and is not secure enough to leave it that way for travel.
CMur12
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by CMur12 »

Understood, Irate45.

It sounds like the concept wasn't fully developed at that point.

How does it work if you enclose the loft loosely in the tube and roll it up inside a baggie?

- Murray
Irate45
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

I suppose that could be done, but it doesn't answer the question of how it all worked.
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drmoss_ca
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by drmoss_ca »

Usually those reversing brushes would screw in at one one of the tubular handle, then when unscrewed the brush head was reversed, placed screw threads first into the other, bottom, end of the handle, and then the threads re-engaged from the underside. That takes care of the 3/16".
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Irate45
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

This is apparently not the usual reversing brush. The question still not answered is, what is Four-In-One? The inscription also includes the word kit. So, again, what was with the brush to make it a Four-In-One shaving kit, not just shaving brush?

Here's what it looks like with the brush reversed and put into the handle. No chance of the pieces being screwed together.
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drmoss_ca
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by drmoss_ca »

So the bottom of the handle is closed? Not wide open so the brush can be inserted from the bottom/'wrong' end?

C.
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
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Irate45
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

Correct.
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drmoss_ca
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by drmoss_ca »

Evidently it was not designed to be a travel brush then. I wonder what the four things were that it could do implied by the name.
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EL Alamein
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by EL Alamein »

Neat looking brush! Thanks for posting a picture of it.

I wonder if the handle wasn't supposed to hold a shaving soap stick in it. I imagine something is also missing from the whole set up, a tube that the whole brush fits in for travel, perhaps? I am thinking of something like the Simpson's shaving brush travel tubes they sell.

I'd be very interested to find out more.

Chris
Rufus
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Rufus »

EL Alamein wrote: Thu Feb 17, 2022 6:07 pm Neat looking brush! Thanks for posting a picture of it.

I wonder if the handle wasn't supposed to hold a shaving soap stick in it. I imagine something is also missing from the whole set up, a tube that the whole brush fits in for travel, perhaps? I am thinking of something like the Simpson's shaving brush travel tubes they sell.

I'd be very interested to find out more.

Chris
You could be on to solving the mystery. It’s called in “Four-In-One Shaving Kit”. Thus, brush and handle = 2 + shave stick stored in handle + storage tube = 4
Bryan
Irate45
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by Irate45 »

And the plot thickens!
gregory45M
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by gregory45M »

This is interesting information
Last edited by gregory45M on Wed Mar 09, 2022 12:44 am, edited 2 times in total.
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fallingwickets
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Re: Unusual Opal Brush

Post by fallingwickets »

welcome to smf :D
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