Brass Beard Comb

Mike_Morgan · Sep 12, 2016

I have developed a fascination with beard combs recently... Might be the fact that I have a bead... but I digress... I searched hign and low for a solid brass comb, because I like brass patina. My search has led me to several brass plated and brass colored versions, but nothing in solid brass... yet.

Well, I own a darned machine shop, and I decided to have one of my guys program up a comb of my design, based on the best features of others I have purchased that didn't quite fit the bill... and VOILA... He's what I came up with... The Sold Brass Beard Comb... I'm most likely going to mass produce these. They are milled out of 1/8" Half-Hard 360 brass sheet.

I decided to take the first one and do a quick bit of free-hand engraving on it... here are the results.

speeedy6 · Sep 12, 2016

That's very nice. Being you designed it, does it perform like you expected ? You do nice scroll design and cutting considering how long you've been at it. I was still cutting scribbles at 6 months.

Big-Un · Sep 12, 2016

I want one!

Eugene Carkoski · Sep 12, 2016

looking good, the comb I mean

Mike_Morgan · Sep 12, 2016

speeedy6 said:
That's very nice. Being you designed it, does it perform like you expected ? You do nice scroll design and cutting considering how long you've been at it. I was still cutting scribbles at 6 months.

The comb works really well, once I figured out how to deburr it, up until that point it could double as a torture device. I ended up putting in in a vibratory polisher with walnut shells for two days, that cleaned it up nicely and it no longer snags.

Thanks for the compliments on the scroll design and cutting, but I see every flaw. As I said, it's a free-hand engraving, no planning, drawing, layout... Just a couple lines with a sharpie to break up the space into fields of scrolls. The leaf cutting was done absolutely unplanned. I just went with the flow... More or less.

While it's true that I've only been doing this a little over 6 months, I have a lot of bench time invested. While most people are working, I'm cutting. When most people only have a few hours a week to dedicate to a hobby, I probably spend 2-3 hours a day studying watching videos, and at least 3-4 hours per day cutting and practicing. I have attacked this!

mitch · Sep 13, 2016

Mike_Morgan said:
The comb works really well, once I figured out how to deburr it, up until that point it could double as a torture device.

OUCH! i've had a moustache my entire adult life and one of my least favorite little surprises is when a whisker gets snagged in the pop tab of a beer or soda can...

DakotaDocMartin · Sep 13, 2016

I noticed that the teeth are wider on one end and narrower on the other. Is there a good reason for that? I don't have a beard so I'd think I would go with all teeth the same width. Anyway... just curious.

Mike_Morgan · Sep 13, 2016

DakotaDocMartin said:
I noticed that the teeth are wider on one end and narrower on the other. Is there a good reason for that? I don't have a beard so I'd think I would go with all teeth the same width. Anyway... just curious.

It's good to use the wide teeth on the beard, and narrower on the mustache and hair

Jkasal · Sep 13, 2016

Ceramic beads for the tumbler work well for me by way of deburring.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mike_Morgan · Sep 13, 2016

Jkasal said:
Ceramic beads for the tumbler work well for me by way of deburring.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm actually at the IMTS show in Chicago this week, exploring vibratory polishing setups for my shop, and looking at various media for the same.

I was disappointed that Glendo/GRS didn't have any engraving stuff at their booth. They had some cool sharpening stuff, though.

Jkasal · Sep 14, 2016

I get most of my stuff from Stuller or Rio Grande. ceramic by far has been most effective for me. They even semi polish most metals.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mike_Morgan · Sep 14, 2016

Are the beads small enough to get between the teeth?

DakotaDocMartin · Sep 14, 2016

I've used 600 mesh plastic triangles with water and burnishing compound to deburr followed by a mixture of about 5-6 shapes of mirror finished steel shot and burnishing compound with water to polish gold and silver castings. That might be worth a try.

mdengraver · Sep 14, 2016

A women might use this to make herself more comely! (yes pun intended) A comely hairstyle is flattering; especially when it resembles a nice scroll!

bswezey · Sep 14, 2016

I'd buy one for sure! My husband has a gorgeous full beard and is always brushing it smooth. I'd want to engrave it myself though!

Let me know when you get some ready for sale.

Mike_Morgan · Sep 14, 2016

bswezey said:
I'd buy one for sure! My husband has a gorgeous full beard and is always brushing it smooth. I'd want to engrave it myself though! Let me know when you get some ready for sale.

That's the plan, to sell them unengraved

Doc Mark · Sep 15, 2016

Just out of curiosity, what are the three holes for? They interfere with some engraving designs.

Mike_Morgan · Sep 15, 2016

Doc Mark said:
Just out of curiosity, what are the three holes for? They interfere with some engraving designs.

Milling them out of sheet, I needed a quick way to hold down the sheet, So I drilled them and held it to a backing plate for cutting. If I do a production run I will use only two holes towards the end. The other option is to waterjet them, or use a vacuum table, neither of which I happen to own. Honestly, I feel the two hole design will work out OK.

DakotaDocMartin · Sep 16, 2016

Standard Plastic Pyramid Media, Blue, Medium Cut

Stainless Steel Shot, Mixed

Super Sunsheen Burnishing Compound

Raytech AV-25SS Vibratory Finisher

Mike_Morgan · Sep 16, 2016

DakotaDocMartin said:
Standard Plastic Pyramid Media, Blue, Medium Cut

Stainless Steel Shot, Mixed

Super Sunsheen Burnishing Compound

Raytech AV-25SS Vibratory Finisher

Thanks for this, but one thing puzzles me... how is any of this stuff going to get between the teeth to polish in there? The surface stuff is pretty fast and easy to do by hand... the machining of the flats between the teeth is where I need to get it knocked down, and that media isn't going to get in there. I't can't be over .05" to fit in there.

Brass Beard Comb

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