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Butterscotch handles.

Dale.Whiley

Dale.Whiley

Active Member
2017 Sabbatical
For myself and other new people here, what is so special about Butterscotch handles?
  1. Is Butterscotch a brand or just the colour?
  2. Can you buy these handles to put on your own brushes?
  3. Are they physically more sturdy/better shaped/ergonomically contoured?
  4. Is owning a Butterscotch handle an ego/pride thing only?
Looking forward to replies and discussions.
 
There are modern butterscotch coloured handles but the TRUE 'butterscotch' handles are relatively hard to come by these days and they are highly wanted collector's items.

True 'butterscotch' handles are old and made from the early 30ies to the mid-50ies from a plastic named Catalin. Catalin is a resin related to Bakelite. This Catalin has an interesting behaviour, the colour on the surface changes over the years under the influence of ultra-violet light. So what was originally an ivory coloured handle will turn into a kind of dark orange named by modern collectors as 'butterscotch'. Depending on the handle they come in all different shades. There is even a guy YKW who has a handle he bought as an ivory colour that has turned 'butterscotch'.

Today there are retro handles in butterscotch available, e.g. from Simpsons and from Mühle. But that's not the real stuff!

Physically they are prone to cracking, that Catalin material, but it is the age and history that makes them collectible. If you want to look at 69 pages of brushes check out this thread elsewhere.
 
Dale.Whiley said:
For myself and other new people here, what is so special about Butterscotch handles?
  1. Is Butterscotch a brand or just the colour?
  2. Can you buy these handles to put on your own brushes?
  3. Are they physically more sturdy/better shaped/ergonomically contoured?
  4. Is owning a Butterscotch handle an ego/pride thing only?
Looking forward to replies and discussions.
Click to expand...

1. It's a colour. Or more to the point it's a sort of patina in a true old butterscotch handle. It'll come off in a jiffy with a bit of sand paper and you'll end up with the standard faux ivory colour. When I had a load of Marks old BS handles to re-knot I asked him if he wanted me to do just that. Anything to wind him up a bit.
2. Yes you can and that's generally the way it goes as the bristles in a brush will deteriorate with age.
3. No, no and no. They're just older than new handles unless you buy a new butterscotch handle as Mark has outlined. Personally I think the new butterscotch looks a bit fake. Haven't seen one yet that looks like a proper aged one.
4. Well ego/pride is one way of putting it but I prefer to think of it as a confirmation of the fact that traditional shaving is pretty much a retro thing so why not have a retro brush.
 
Dale.Whiley said:
For myself and other new people here, what is so special about Butterscotch handles?
  1. Is Butterscotch a brand or just the colour?
  2. Can you buy these handles to put on your own brushes?
  3. Are they physically more sturdy/better shaped/ergonomically contoured?
  4. Is owning a Butterscotch handle an ego/pride thing only?
Looking forward to replies and discussions.
Click to expand...
AS @Mark1966 says the answer is number 4 :)
 
'cause this discussion really needed a picture -


... and to prove @gthomas04 right :)
 
How much would this collection of perished plastic handles be worth?
 
Nonick said:
How much would this collection of perished plastic handles be worth?
Click to expand...

$1,200 and they are yours mate :)

Sorry, to be clear - that is $US ;)
 
[sigh]

One I didn't win here - way beyond my bid :(

Nice brush

$_57.JPG
 
Mark1966 said:
Oh yeah - very nice. But at $US225 out of my league :(
Click to expand...
How often does something like this come along mate? Gotta say too that that Best Badger looks better than my Best.
 
Meh. Historical interest value to people who place that over practicality. I'd offer $35.

My PJ-66 BS TGN is a great thing. The original knot would have been kind of icky...
 
stillshunter said:
How often does something like this come along mate? Gotta say too that that Best Badger looks better than my Best.
Click to expand...

Not very often and especially in this condition. It is not an unreasonable price but too much for me on sabbatical and - I don't collect brushes, I use them!
 
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