The eternal blooming discussion again. Duration of soak matters?

halvor

a most elusive fish
Gents,

I just had a strange (positive) experience yesterday. My usual routine in the morning is to place the brush (or knot, more like) in warm water before entering the shower. In other words, it soaks or blooms for five to ten minutes. Yesterday I opted for a bath and also ended up doing some laundry etc between putting it to soak and actually getting into the bath. The brush must have been soaking for the better part of half an hour. And what a difference that made! I felt it immediately when picking it up and squeezing the water out before starting to load from my MdC Fougere. It had taken on a volume and density hitherto unknown, and it's already well broken in. It's a three band Manchurian bulb from Brad Sears, btw.

Now, I've read that badger hair actually doesn't absorb water like boar hairs do, so some choose soaking only for the latter. I always feel that I get better results when blooming badgers too. I've also read that the hairs are less likely to break when wet, so starting from a wet brush is better also as a maintenance measure and ensuring the brush will last longer. But the fact that such a long soak rendered such an effect, this was news to me.

Has anyone experienced the same wrt duration of the bloom?
 

Godfather

Forum GOD!
Halvor, I have had mixed results from duration however, my Shavemac 2 bands do like a good soaking, usually for 20 mins as it takes me that long to shower, brush teeth, pontificate and then getting ready to shave.. I have found that the denser the knot the more I soak but that could just be me!
 
S

Steve Bowles

Guest
I always soak the knot in warm water while showering, and put a bit of hot water on the soap to bloom - both for about 10-15 minutes. I've never used a dry brush to build lather or to apply it to my face. It just makes sense that wet bristles are better than dry.
 
Well this technique works wonders with boar brushes..really softens them up and helps the bristles split. However, I am glad to hear it has an excellent result with badgers also!:cool::thumbsup:
 

R181

Grumpy old man
I'm the total opposite when it comes to blooming a shave brush be it badger, boar or synthetic. I simply swirl the tips of the brush in cold water and start loading the brush on the soap puck. Haven't had any problems with the brushes so far.

Bob
 

Driftwood

Forum GOD!
I have two badger brushes - D01 2band and silvertip 2 band. I wet them under a running warm water tap, shake out the excess water and proceed to lather
 

Grarea

Forum Plod
Well, this is interesting.
I used to soak my boar while showering but was led to believe it made no difference with a badger.
So it only gets a few minutes while I faff at the sink.
I shall try giving it a soak.
Thanks for bringing this up.
 

The Gentleman

Forum GOD!
I always soak my badgers while I shower (about 10 minutes), but maybe I should try to soak them a little longer. I have a few quite dense badgers.
 

wazza

a dog got personality
Funny this, as I've recently been pondering this.
Normally I soak a boar for 30mins and a badger under 2 mins. Recently I've just been using my boars, a small knkt an a '49. I've not been soaking them at all, quick dip and lather. Been working perfectly which took me to the thought of, does a brush need soaking.
Not tried the same for a badger.
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Halvor 2 things here. Firstly with regards to soaking, I like to soak my badgers for a good 20mins at least and find they perform better. YMMV.

Secondly MdC Fougere. Having used this beast of a soap for a month, I found it to work best with large or dense brushes that have been soaked for a longer duration, around 30mins. I don't bloom the soap. The soap worked best with my 30mm MS brush. A decent load time of around a minute does wonders.
 

R181

Grumpy old man
Funny this, as I've recently been pondering this.
Normally I soak a boar for 30mins and a badger under 2 mins. Recently I've just been using my boars, a small knkt an a '49. I've not been soaking them at all, quick dip and lather. Been working perfectly which took me to the thought of, does a brush need soaking.
Not tried the same for a badger.
From my perspective a brush does not need soaking be it boar, badger or synthetic. OTH soaking can't hurt any unless the water is hot enough and you soak it long enough to eventually soften the glue enough and the knot falls out. Just another personal choice thing.

Bob
 

daveinsweethome

Forum GOD!
i will try this today. i only soak for about 1 minute and find myself chomping at the bit to go. dont mind the stiffer brush at the start. softens up as i keep adding water. so many of these soaps are really thirsty now.
 

ESBrushmaker

Forum GOD!
Artisan
That's a great question! I don't know that there's a right or wrong answer, but from the testing we've done--and all else being equal--the denser badgers tend to benefit from a longer soak time as do those with more free loft. Basically, it has to do with the amount of water left in the brush, the relative hardness (or softness) of the water, loading time & technique, etc. I don't mean to over-complicate things, but the bottom line, at least for me, is to experiment--change it up, if you will--from time to time. Many of us tend to get into ruts and it sometimes helps to break out. Not all experiments work (i.e., produce better results), of course; but I think that sometimes we learn more from our failures than from our successes.

That's what makes this hobby so enjoyable!
 

ESBrushmaker

Forum GOD!
Artisan
From my perspective a brush does not need soaking be it boar, badger or synthetic. OTH soaking can't hurt any unless the water is hot enough and you soak it long enough to eventually soften the glue enough and the knot falls out. Just another personal choice thing.

Bob
That's a good point! According to the tech support guru at our adhesive manufacturer, most epoxies start to break down at ~160-170 degrees Fahrenheit (~70-75 Celsius.) Personally, I don't like to soak brushes in water hotter than my hand can tolerate for more than about 10 seconds.
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
I haven't had hot water near my shave for the last 2 and a half years. Stubble is soft enough for a razor blade to slice through, with a pre shave, post shower or no shower. It will never be harder than a razor blade. The cold water just reduces any possible irritation. I also with regards to DE blades, use a new blade each shave to prevent possible tugging.
 
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