Brush brands

Julie Deane · 07-09-2006, 07:55 AM

That's okay, Richard. That's not what I meant.

Escoda brushes are luscious too and appear to be of very high quality. Wish I could afford more of them.

Sharon Knettell · 07-09-2006, 12:54 PM

Richard,

Thank-you again for your valuable technical information. You are a gem.

However you make me feel guilty about how I treat my brushes, I should be brought up on cruelty charges.

I am also a brush junkie. There are brushes you have not mentioned. The Raphaels.

They have a series 8772 filbert brush, which they call Kevrin. I think it is mongoose, whatever. It is not as soft as a sable, which is too floppy, and not as rough as a bristle. It can make quite a sharp edge and is really great for the more delicate facial areas. They are quite reasonable as well.

The second brush in my repertoire is the fabulous bristle series 3577. It is a short filbert. It is a straightened bristle, no curves on the end. It gives you great control on the larger areas.

For more swishy areas, I love the 3577, also a straightened bristle filbert but longer. It also has great control, but filled with paint it is great for those dashing and virtuoso effects we long for.

They are great and reliable workhorses.

I get them at the www.italianartstore.com

Marcus Lim · 07-10-2006, 03:13 AM

I was just wondering if anyone use the "Ferrari of paintbrushes" - the Da Vinci brand brushes? I came across them while travelling Down Under, and they cost a whopping 50 bucks for a large size 12 brush!

I wonder if they are really as good as the price hyped up to be...

Gary Hoff · 07-11-2006, 04:16 PM

I got similar information as Michelle did from Bill Whitaker years ago, and I've happily used Trekkel sables. The bristle brushes I've had from them are serviceable but tend to deform rather more than I'd expect.

In my experience Silver Brush makes good bristles--I've been using those for perhaps 5 years and have never had a problem with splaying, loss of hairs, or deformity. But I hasten to add that I've not purchased new bristles from them in a long while. Instead I've used their Ruby Satin line of synthetics--they're smooth to use, easier to clean than natural hair, and wear down very slowly.

Dunno much about da Vinci or Raphael brushes.

I was taught the same brush care tips as Rich was, btw.

Sharon Knettell · 07-11-2006, 04:54 PM

I wasn't aware that DaVinci was considered the Ferrari of paint brushes. They do not seem to have an extensive line of bristles.

I have both the Silver Brush and the Raphaels. I prefer the Raphaels as they give me more control and their bristle filberts come in long and short.

I don't like the dratted curvy ends of the Silver Brushes, the Raphaels are boiled and straightened.

Try the Raphael Kevrins for skin, it is the best for that purpose that I have found.

Richard Bingham · 08-21-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

I wasn't aware that DaVinci was considered the Ferrari of paint brushes . . .

I just received three "experimental" series 5026 DaVinci's, (extra long 24" handles) and now I'm not only not aware, but unconvinced . . . unless Ferraris have slipped to the quality level of a used Chevrolet while my back was turned. (!)

Once again, as I've found European-made brushes, the bristle seems to be good quality, two of the three brushes I ordered show the hairs were cupped from curving bristle, and are interlocking. Then they trim off the flags, squaring up the end of the brush, ruining the hairs !!! (dammit!)

Although the handles are "raw", they are nicely shaped, and the ferrules and crimp are above reproach. Why don't the Euros seem to understand the value of flagged hairs ??

I may attempt to rectify this problem, experimenting on the near-unusable brushes from other sources . . . more anon.

Marcus Lim · 08-21-2006, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Bingham

I just received three "experimental" series 5026 DaVinci's, (extra long 24" handles) and now I'm not only not aware, but unconvinced . . . unless Ferraris have slipped to the quality level of a used Chevrolet while my back was turned. (!)

*Faint*
Good god! So Da Vinci's aren't exactly what they're hyped up to be then!

Richard Bingham · 07-11-2006, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Hoff

I was taught the same brush care tips as Rich was, btw.

Yeah, but I learned 'em even though I was in the "slow" group!

Re/ Raphael . . . are those Frenchies? Several years ago, I ordered some French made brushes from NY Central, on the recommendation of a friend. They cost about half again as much as top-tier brushes I was buying at the time . . . when I received 'em, I was appalled to see that while they seemed well made, the bristles had been trimmed at the tips! They were next to useless, except perhaps for daubing paint remover, or at the lathe for a chip brush. (We're still friends, in spite of this . . .)

Good natural bristle brushes use carefully selected hairs that have "split ends", i.e., they are "flagged". The hairs have a slight natural curve, and it's the master brush-maker's craft to assemble (cup) an amount of hair properly arranging them to form the tip of the brush before tying off and hafting.

Recently, in a vainglorious quest for brushes with longer handles, I ordered some brushes represented to be hand-made (there's really no other way) in the UK in a sort of "cottage industry" situation, presumeably to ensure very high quality. Same thing . . . clipped ends.
Is this a European "thing", or what?

Gary Hoff · 07-11-2006, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Bingham

:...natural bristle brushes use carefully selected hairs that have "split ends", i.e., they are "flagged". The hairs have a slight natural curve, and it's the master brush-maker's craft to assemble (cup) an amount of hair properly...

I've had similar experiences, Rich. I don't know why that clipping business happens but my hunch is that its because they either use a lower quality bristle, or perhaps they're using the cut ends of other bristles (the tips already having been used), or they simply don't know any better.

As I understand it, the reason why the flags are so desireable is because they add to the volume of paint the bristles will hold when the brush is charged.

Richard Bingham · 07-11-2006, 08:15 PM

That's just so, Gary. Even more, each hair is a "tool" of special shape. From the flag through the shaft, the hair tapers, which makes it possible to manipulate the brush with accuracy and tact. Trying to paint with a brush which has been clipped is like trying to drive an 18 wheeler through a BMX course.