Tufting a Beard Brush - Part 4 of 5

The tufting process is when the wooden handles are assembled with the bristles and the parts finally become a brush. The finished brush handles are placed in the tufting machine which drills the holes, takes the right amount of bristles and inserts them with a steel wire.

It’s then a question of the right amount of pressure depending on the bristles, too much and the bristles snap, too little and they get loose and come off after a few days of use.

Holes are drilled

The brush handles are loaded in the tufting machine. Each handle is loaded one by one and clamped in place. A drill then makes small holes where the tufts will be placed.

Special attention is put to ensure the holes are placed drilled at the correct angle so the bristles aren’t all at a 45 degree angle.

Slight angular variations are designed so the plugs of bristles have the best possible slant for a beard brush.

Boar bristles are tufted

The boar bristles are then inserted using steel wire. Somewhat like a very large staple the bristles are folded and inserted into the brush.

To get this process right the power of the tufting needs to be monitored carefully based on the bristles to ensure it doesn’t snap the bristles or leave them loose.

Shaving the Stray Bristles

There are always some stray bristles when they have been inserted into the brush. These are then run through a shaver which removes the bristles which are too long.

For hair and specifically beard brushes these bristles are not shaved to an even length. This is specifically so the bristles can more easily penetrate the beard or hair and reach the scalp.

A totally flat beard brush will not get into the beard but rather push the hairs down.

Brushes are Ready for Quality Control

Brushes are now ready to for the final step which is quality control and packaging.