Annoying Little Problem

I picked up a couple of ShaveMac made brush handles recently from apshavecoand I’m pretty happy with them. They’re ver nice as you can see below. I was wondering what the loft adjustment feature mentioned at the AP Shave website was about and if you look at the second picture you can see the top of a Phillips screw - I’m assuming that by dialing the screw up or down you can achieve the adjustment to your loft. Great idea!  Now on to the annoying little problem, which I emphasize, has nothing to do with AP Shave or the handles. You can see in the first image a couple of boar knots which I was planning to install in the AP Shave/ ShaveMac handles (emphasis on “was”). I love boar knots and I got these on a member’s recommendation a while back. They’re Stoat knots that I think I got from an Etsy merchant. They look pretty nice and I was excited to try them out. As you can see, they’re marked 26mm so I figured they’d fit into the handles which have a 26mm hole. The annoying little problem is that only the plastic base disc is 26mm, the bristles bulge out a little. That’s not normally a problem. I’ve done this before and usually the bristles can squeeze into the hole. It makes for a snug fit which is what you want. In the case of these Etsy Stoat knots, however, it appears that the glue used to adhere the bristles to the base has also bulged out with the bristles so there is no way the bristles are compressing to allow the knot to sit in the brush beyond the thickness of the base disc. That’s just not acceptable. It’s not sufficient gluing surface and I don’t want that much loft. They’re basically defective knots. I will probably be able to glue them into a larger diameter hole if I were inclined to get a couple more handles. I’m not going to enlarge the holes in these handles. I’ll just try to find some knots that are the actual diameter they’re sold as. Annoying. 

That's the same problem I ran into with the two most recent APShaveCo knot batches I bought... Twice purchased, twice defective.

I don't think Andrew actually makes his own, so my guess is whoever the source is has an issue with quality control (most are from the same 1 or 2 Chinese manufacturers).

Now that you mention another vendor, I get the sinking feeling we may be seeing this more often from many retailers.

These aren’t APShaveCo knots though. 
OP mentioned being from an Etsy vendor, I’m pretty sure Turn n Shave is the seller on the shoat knots.

Yep, I got that. I forgot T&S did the Shoat, but I knew it wasn't ApSCo he was referring to. I was just commenting how it appears more prevalent than before (possibly from everyone).

Fwiw, I don't think either of them (nor Maggards nor West Coast Shaving nor...) Make their own knots. So, it could be a supplier overseas having issues. That was my point.

All of that said, I apologize. I was once told, by my boss at the time, "At first I didn't know where you were going there. You sure took an odd way to get to the same point everyone else did". So, I know I'm difficult to follow sometime.

I was thinking that bulge in the knot was just how some knots are.  Maybe it's just the knots I end up with, mostly.
 Sure stops a guys plans in action of a certain handle/knot combo.

I was thinking that bulge in the knot was just how some knots are.  Maybe it's just the knots I end up with, mostly.
 Sure stops a guys plans in action of a certain handle/knot combo.

Sure does. Also makes it hard to even plan a project if there’s no way of knowing what the actual dimensions of the components will be. I guess I’ll just stick with my Semogue boar brushes.

Two things! 1) the Phillips screw will not allow you to adjust the loft - please leave it as is. To adjust the loft you’ll need a washer or a quarter which is 25mm in diameter.

2) (this applies to my knots, hopefully helps your situation, but can’t be certain as it isn’t my knot) The “knot too big for my handle” problem is actually solvable. You just need to hammer around the base LIGHTLY (don’t go full force, no need to crack the base, we’re just loosening up the excess here) where the excess glue joins with the hair of the knot. Attaching a video here that should help. In the future though, it is always better to get the knot first, then get a handle that will work with it second in my opinion (similar to what Rudy said)

Video: https://streamable.com/wj4bs2

Two things! 1) the Phillips screw will not allow you to adjust the loft - please leave it as is. To adjust the loft you’ll need a washer or a quarter which is 25mm in diameter.

2) (this applies to my knots, hopefully helps your situation, but can’t be certain as it isn’t my knot) The “knot too big for my handle” problem is actually solvable. You just need to hammer around the base LIGHTLY (don’t go full force, no need to crack the base, we’re just loosening up the excess here) where the excess glue joins with the hair of the knot. Attaching a video here that should help. In the future though, it is always better to get the knot first, then get a handle that will work with it second in my opinion (similar to what Rudy said)

Video: https://streamable.com/wj4bs2

This is a great idea. As I have a few spare knots which didn't fit well... I'll definitely give it a try. They just sit around gathering dust anyway. No real loss if it doesn't work. However, it's a game changer if I can get my "hammering skills" right.

I agree with you, it makes total sense to get the knot first. However, in my opinion that's usually not how most people approach it. In fact, in my case, I'm often replacing a knot that I originally had in a handle. I'd definitely do better if I didn't keep changing my mind. However, it would definitely hurt sales for some vendors. Lol.

Oh yes, this is totally fair. In that particular scenario you could reach out to the knot vendor to confirm the specs. Most of us are happy to provide additional information to ensure it will 100% work for you!

As a retired engineer, I learned to deal with both metric and Imperial systems of measurement. I can easily deal with pints vs liters, pounds vs kilograms, short tons vs metric tons, inches vs millimeters, etc. However, one unit still in use today dates back thousands of years. When Roman legions marched across Europe and Asia, they constructed roads wherever they went. Those roads were marked starting in Rome and radiating outward with distances marked in Roman miles. A mile (or mille passuum) was identified as the distance the Roman army could march in 1000 paces or 5000 Roman feet. Emperor Agrippa established that standard in 29 BC. There was even a law that stated that a Roman soldier could command a bystander to carry his pack for one mile. By our best estimates, that mile was around 4860 Imperial feet by today's accounting. British Parliament established the current 5280 ft mile based on the length of 8 furlongs, a term still used today in horse racing circles. Thus, the current mile is about 9% greater than a Roman mile. What messes me up, however, is the nautical mile which is app/ 6076 ft.

Currently, the meter is defined as the distance light will travel in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 of a second. However, that definition is of little use unless you know the definition of a second. That is defined as the time required for 9 192 631 770 vibrations of the Caesium 133 atom. I do not know about you, but I find the concept of 1000 paces per mile to be much easier to wrap my head around. Atomic physicists might need the precision of SI units, but most of us can get by with the concept of 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour and 24 hours per day.

Oh yes, this is totally fair. In that particular scenario you could reach out to the knot vendor to confirm the specs. Most of us are happy to provide additional information to ensure it will 100% work for you!

That's another great idea. Definitely useful for many of us going forward.

Fwiw, Marko , I can confirm that Milton is a highly approachable guy. I've had several conversations with him, right through the Etsy App (the first one was about the Shoat, way back when Eric started our 'NovemBoar'). Andrew's advice of reaching out should also work with him.

I love the fact that we have vendors here who actively participate and help. Thanks apshaveco !

mrdoug if you get your hammer out on a knot bulge let us know how it goes. Something tells me a bigger Hammer doesn't apply in this case. Haha

Two things! 1) the Phillips screw will not allow you to adjust the loft - please leave it as is. To adjust the loft you’ll need a washer or a quarter which is 25mm in diameter.

2) (this applies to my knots, hopefully helps your situation, but can’t be certain as it isn’t my knot) The “knot too big for my handle” problem is actually solvable. You just need to hammer around the base LIGHTLY (don’t go full force, no need to crack the base, we’re just loosening up the excess here) where the excess glue joins with the hair of the knot. Attaching a video here that should help. In the future though, it is always better to get the knot first, then get a handle that will work with it second in my opinion (similar to what Rudy said)

Video: https://streamable.com/wj4bs2

Ok, so what is the point of the screw? I’m familiar with the traditional way of adjusting the loft using washers. It sort of goes without saying which is why I assumed your reference to loft adjustability was something other than that like that now mysterious screw. Thanks for the hammer tip. I’ll give it a try. Please don’t take anything I’ve said as a critique of the handles, your service or you. That wasn’t my intent with this thread. No, I’m annoyed at the makers of the stoat knots I have, which I did but before I bought the handles. My mistake was assuming they were the diameter they were sold to me as and marked in the base as. I should have measured them myself. Although even if I had measured them it’s quite possible that based on my prior experience I would have assumed the bristles would squeeze in. The real lesson here for me is that I already have more than enough brushes!