Troy Tools Custom Brush Handles

Gargravarr said:
Ooh. :love:

I was going to ask if you were planning on adding a coin to the base, but that last pic makes the question irrelevant. :unsure:
Click to expand...

I am near decided on a coin design (big decision, considering they cost over $5 for each coin:vomit:) Have to get it right before ordering.

Preserving the underside of that handle was a task, that's for sure. Squaring the bottom on the precision metal lathe, squaring and glueing another small sacrificial block to that end for gripping in the chuck (normally the bottom of every blank is waste) all to preserve a few mm of blank. Worth every second I reckon. It's beautiful!:love:
Wait till you see all the Candy coloured blanks I have been making. Wow!

Here are the blue one's brothers I made last week.
The thin one on the left was an unintended design change, after massive chunks flew off the middle (lucky for facemasks) when a forming the raised feature belt around the centre.:inpain::banghead:
Waste not want not.
LN8cduA.jpg
 
Oh I'm going to enjoy making these candy brushes. Here is a candy red with black pearl hat, with a 2 band finest badger knot sitting on top (not glued in). Just beautiful.
Just one of the many two-piece candy blanks I have made up. Some samples pictured below, several different greens, reds, blues, orange, purples/lavender/violet, etc. The combination possibilities are almost endless.
PM if you want one.

YIvQS8Y.jpg



WvSFofs.jpg
 
Second photo, third from the left, looks very much like the famous Platypus ...
 
Errol said:
@TroyTools Like the different variations and your work is stating to show a personal trait. Keep up the good work. When I work out exactly what I want I will pm you but it will involve a piece of buffalo horn.
Click to expand...

Thanks @Errol, of course some colours and shapes come out differently than planned, but there is variety.
Some of these show that I'm willing to go beyond the safe place of "standard", for want of a better word, and will certainly go into oddball territory occasionally to stretch the imagination.

Buffalo horn eh? Hope that isn't too hard to procure where you live in the far north.
Haven't seen any buffalo running around Brisbane lately.:)
 
Some lovely work there Troy, a few brushes caught my eye there, particularly the middle brush of the bottom pic and the blue (lotus?) two pictures up... (y)

Maybe you need to provide reference numbers in your pics if you're going to pump them out at this rate :)
 
Im loving that pink and black middle knotted brush.
Wanted to ask, what kind of size material do you need to work with?
I found 2 pieces of purple heart from my knife making that id like to see made into a brush instead but no lathe to do it with, any chance youd dabble with some hard wood?
 
MrPeanut said:
Im loving that pink and black middle knotted brush.
Wanted to ask, what kind of size material do you need to work with?
I found 2 pieces of purple heart from my knife making that id like to see made into a brush instead but no lathe to do it with, any chance youd dabble with some hard wood?
Click to expand...

I use round molds that have an internal diameter of 43 - 44mm for handles of 24mm, 26mm & 28mm knots with at least 2mm clearance over knot diameter.
This size gives very little resin waste, and a large variety of shape options.

30mm knots can go in the 43mm molded blanks, but the handle shape options are quite limited by not having much diameter to work with after the knot socket is cut.
It can be done, but might not be an appealing proportional shape. A knot socket needs to be supported by a few mm of thickness if it is going to stay a one-piece brush.
I have 50mm molds too, but I would only use them to create a large handle to suit 30mm and above knots.
A lot more resin waste with these molds, and resin isn't exactly cheap, so I only use those when needed for the big brushes.

Purple heart is nice, and I have no objection to turning that into a handle. I mean, it is called "wood turning" for a reason.:)
Just know that wood in a wet application (i.e. hostile hot water submersion) can have some detrimental effects on it, and could result in a very nice, but temporary brush, no matter how well finished at the time of manufacture.
Stabilising the wood first (replacing air with resin under vacuum) does help, but isn't a guarantee against water ingress and cracks. Some members here can attest to that.:eek:
Plus stabilising would likely turn your nice piece of purple heart brown.
But do PM me if you want to pursue this, I know we can work something out.


Apologies for the poor photo skills and camera. That pink and black brush is actually clear resin with large purple glitter flake suspended in it.
The top appears very dark colour, but it is red and green candy colours that only become apparent in strong or direct sunlight.
Subtle built in hidden colour surprise when in the right light.:cool:

I think I'll now go turn a wood handle brush this afternoon!
 
TroyTools said:
I use round molds that have an internal diameter of 43 - 44mm for handles of 24mm, 26mm & 28mm knots with at least 2mm clearance over knot diameter.
This size gives very little resin waste, and a large variety of shape options.

30mm knots can go in the 43mm molded blanks, but the handle shape options are quite limited by not having much diameter to work with after the knot socket is cut.
It can be done, but might not be an appealing proportional shape. A knot socket needs to be supported by a few mm of thickness if it is going to stay a one-piece brush.
I have 50mm molds too, but I would only use them to create a large handle to suit 30mm and above knots.
A lot more resin waste with these molds, and resin isn't exactly cheap, so I only use those when needed for the big brushes.

Purple heart is nice, and I have no objection to turning that into a handle. I mean, it is called "wood turning" for a reason.:)
Just know that wood in a wet application (i.e. hostile hot water submersion) can have some detrimental effects on it, and could result in a very nice, but temporary brush, no matter how well finished at the time of manufacture.
Stabilising the wood first (replacing air with resin under vacuum) does help, but isn't a guarantee against water ingress and cracks. Some members here can attest to that.:eek:
Plus stabilising would likely turn your nice piece of purple heart brown.
But do PM me if you want to pursue this, I know we can work something out.


Apologies for the poor photo skills and camera. That pink and black brush is actually clear resin with large purple glitter flake suspended in it.
The top appears very dark colour, but it is red and green candy colours that only become apparent in strong or direct sunlight.
Subtle built in hidden colour surprise when in the right light.:cool:

I think I'll now go turn a wood handle brush this afternoon!
Click to expand...
Hmm some things to think about.
I got some pieces to play with let me see what i wanna do and let ya know
 
All this talk of wood handles inspired me to go make this today. 26mm, knot socket finished in CA Adhesive.
I believe it is Tasmanian Sassafras. That's what my brother was told at the mill in Tasmania where it came from when he was on holidays there.
Brought me back some nice pieces of Huon Pine, and a piece of Sassafras.

lkfJor5.jpg
 
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