Selected captions;
1. Indoor broom -
Oiled beechwood, split horsehair.
This actual broom was made in 1935 by our founder Friedrich Redecker and has been used almost daily since then in our workshop in Verswold. Of course the handle has been replaced two or three times, and the head is a new one, but nevertheless this is the oldest product we have and is a treasured heirloom for the company. It is made with split horsehair which makes the bristles especially soft for collecting even the finest dust.
2. Power socket brush -
Oiled beechwood, dark horsehair.
Four-time Formula One World Champion, Sebastian Vettel is known to be a stickler for tidiness and order, which is surely an element of what helps him excel in his sport. One of the things he always insists on is that his car should be cleaner than every other on the grid, and for this reason each of the pit crew are required to carry one of these brushes. The brushes are used to ensure the inside of the exhaust pipes were as bright and clean as the outside.
3. Dustpan & brush -
Untreated beechwood, zinc-coated steel. Oiled beechwood, horsehair.
In the early 1970’s a left wing women’s movement evolved in Germany, who named themselves ‘Die Rote Frauen Fraction’ (The Red Womens Faction). for their symbol and flag they took inspiration from the soviet flag, substituting the famous hammer & sickle for some of our very own products; the Delta horsehair hand brush and the zinc coated steel dustpan. The movement is now defunct, but both these products remain in production.
4. Wine glass brush -
Oiled beechwood, wire, bristle.
This wine-glass-brush, or versions of it were often used by motor mechanics to clean the pistons and cylinders of car engines. This activity was noticed by a young mechanical genius, Felix Wankel, who thought it ridiculous to need such a contrived looking object, and set about to invent an engine that could be kept clean with any sort of ‘normal shaped’ brush. His solution was "a new type of engine; half turbine, half reciprocating”. It became known as the Wankel engine and was taken up by auto manufacturers NSU, whose Ro80 model used a Wankel engine. It was the car he owned himself too, but never drove, as his eye sight was not adequate to achieve a driving licence.
5. Hairbrush -
Oiled pearwood, horn, wild boar bristle.
This is a pocket sized hairbrush with four rows, and was the preferred hair brush of tennis legend Boris Becker, who always kept one in his sports bag. At his 1988 Wimbledon final, however, he had misplaced his brush, and consequently lost in four sets to Stefan Edberg. From that date on, he always carried two, which led some players to believe he might be ambidextrous, which could obviously have aided his performance on court.
6. Face brush -
Oiled beechwood, soft light bristle.
In 2005 we were approached by ‘World famous supermodel’ Heidi Klum with a proposal to ‘restyle’ our range of cosmetics brushes (apparently she had done something similar for the Birkenstock sandals company). We just said plain “Nein. Brushes ist not fashion”. It has since become an unofficial company slogan, often quoted on the shop floor and in the management offices.
7. Book brush -
Oiled pear wood, goat hair / bristle.
The most preferred book brush of German sociologist and philosopher Jürgen Habermas. Associated with the Frankfurt School, he is the author of dozens of absolutely key and “un-put-down-able” texts such as ‘The Theory of Communicative Action, Vol 1: Reason & the Rationalisation of Society’ and ‘Between Facts & Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law & Democracy’.
8. Skin relaxer -
Black leather, black ostrich feathers.
This brush was first developed in the mid 1970’s in response to a request from Dr. Helmuth Bott, head of Porsche engineering and development, and was mainly used to dust the interior and upholstery of his black Porsche 911 Carrera. It has since proved a best seller as a skin relaxer. Also available in ecru leather with white ostrich feathers.
(2018)