Sources for small pan brush knot

I’d like to make an antler handled pan brush, but I’m not sure where to get the actual brush knot. Can anyone recommend a source?

Don't know if you are trying to be historically correct, but I have taken a brush from a Dremel set and drilled a hole in a piece of antler and epoxied it in place to make a very serviceable pan brush.

Boar bristle paint brush bought at Lowes or any hardware store, piece of antler tine with a hole drilled in the end and some epoxy glue.

I've been cramming horse hair into sockets for a few decades. My process:

Warm the epoxy, so it's nice and runny. I use a heating pad set to medium and wrap the bottles. That helps it flow between the hairs.

Bind the bundle a little further from the end going in than the depth of the socket.

Trim the end so it tapers.

Cut a square of paper.

Pour the epoxy into the handle. Don't over fill it.

Form the paper into a cone, and place it in the hole.

Use that to guide the hair in.

Pull the paper out.

Wiggle the bundle around to make sure it's bottomed out.

When the epoxy is firm enough that the hair isn't going to fall out, mix a bit more epoxy and drip it from a toothpick to fill any gap.

Pull the binding off, to let the hairs spread out.

If desired, you can colour epoxy with Testor's model paint. It doesn't take much; just a drop in each of quarter sized blobs of the resin and hardener. It doesn't seem to affect set time or strength, but I've only ever used it as the second application when filling the final gap.

Thanks guys... I guess a trip to Home Depot's Dremel and Painting aisles is in order!

Is this what you need? Close to 1/8" at the butts.
Dave

Personally, I prefer brass wire to a hair or bristle brush. Its off to Harbor Freight to buy a cheap set of brass brushes to cut the wires off. Bundle them as shown and mount to the antler.

You can use the bristles to make the brush and shorten them to get stiffness to clean the fouling out of the pan and off the face of the frizzen. Too many of these brushes have bristles that are too long and are too flexible to clean the fouling away.

Grenadier1758 said:

Personally, I prefer brass wire to a hair or bristle brush. Its off to Harbor Freight to buy a cheap set of brass brushes to cut the wires off. Bundle them as shown and mount to the antler.

You can use the bristles to make the brush and shorten them to get stiffness to clean the fouling out of the pan and off the face of the frizzen. Too many of these brushes have bristles that are too long and are too flexible to clean the fouling away.

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Yup, I've generally found hog bristle/hair bristle, brushes, to be about useless for cleaning a dirty pan. About the only thing they are good for is whisking away dry, unused powder from a clean pan after a fruitless day hunting.

Grenadier1758 said:

Personally, I prefer brass wire to a hair or bristle brush. Its off to Harbor Freight to buy a cheap set of brass brushes to cut the wires off. Bundle them as shown and mount to the antler.

You can use the bristles to make the brush and shorten them to get stiffness to clean the fouling out of the pan and off the face of the frizzen. Too many of these brushes have bristles that are too long and are too flexible to clean the fouling away.

Click to expand...

While I think this is a great idea, I wonder if brass wire brushes can be documented to the second half of the 18th century? If not, that doesn't mean people can't use them, of course.

I had just about given up on the idea of a "Whisk and Prick" or a "Wire and Brush" for period civilian use, but if brass wire brushes can be documented, that changes things greatly.

Gus

Brokennock, I always thought that shirt tails was invented for cleaning a dirty pan and frizzen face.

Ive made small brushes and used them, however I think they don’t work too well, especially when it’s really cold or the humidity is high, After a few shots the pan gets dampish and needs a good wiping... for that I use a piece of cloth or as some said my shirt.. whichever is handy.

In general, the cloth will work better than the hair brush.

I need to find a reference to my brass bristled brush. I found my brush on a trade blanket many years ago.

Grenadier1758 said:

In general, the cloth will work better than the hair brush.

I need to find a reference to my brass bristled brush. I found my brush on a trade blanket many years ago.

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They had brass wire and they could have cut short lengths, bent it in half and wrapped another wire around it to form the brush. However, just because something was possible doesn't mean it was done.

Still, I wonder if German Gunsmiths or even Military Artificers/Armorers may have had such a brush? I'll have to go over the Artificer/Armorers lists to see if they mention anything like that.

Gus

1950DAVE said:

View attachment 25394 Is this what you need? Close to 1/8" at the butts.
Dave

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Yes.. though I might cut the bristles shorter if they’re too floppy/soft. How did you make those?

TX, old paint brush, scissors, fly tying bobbin, strong thread. Cut bristles off brush in a clump, keeping them between thumb and forefinger, wrap tightly with thread, whip finish to secure thread, cut between fingers and wraps, a drop of super glue keep things together, trim to any length you want. Make em any size you like, bind several bundles if you need larger.

1950DAVE said:

View attachment 25713 TX, old paint brush, scissors, fly tying bobbin, strong thread. Cut bristles off brush in a clump, keeping them between thumb and forefinger, wrap tightly with thread, whip finish to secure thread, cut between fingers and wraps, a drop of super glue keep things together, trim to any length you want. Make em any size you like, bind several bundles if you need larger.

Click to expand...

1950DAVE said:

View attachment 25713 TX, old paint brush, scissors, fly tying bobbin, strong thread. Cut bristles off brush in a clump, keeping them between thumb and forefinger, wrap tightly with thread, whip finish to secure thread, cut between fingers and wraps, a drop of super glue keep things together, trim to any length you want. Make em any size you like, bind several bundles if you need larger.

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Well shucks, why didn't I think of that! I used to tie flies years ago, and still have all that fly tying equipment! Thanks for the ah-huh moment Dave!

Artificer said:

While I think this is a great idea, I wonder if brass wire brushes can be documented to the second half of the 18th century? If not, that doesn't mean people can't use them, of course.

I had just about given up on the idea of a "Whisk and Prick" or a "Wire and Brush" for period civilian use, but if brass wire brushes can be documented, that changes things greatly.

Gus

Click to expand...

Also, a linen rag makes a far better pan cleaner than a bristle brush. I would use a whisk if I had a British military impression, but for practical purposes they are useless in my opinion. A brass brush would be effective, no doubt.

Back when I got my first flint gun I made up a pick & brush set which I still have and use. I cut some straw bristles from a broom, soaked them, bent them double an bound them with fine brass wire. They are stiff enough to remove fouling unlike the softer "paint brush" whisks I have tried.

I have also heard of using long needled pine in the manner described by hawkeye2

I just plucked a few sections out of a boar bristle hair brush.