Paint brushes info

The importance of buying only the best grade of paint brush cannot be overstressed. A poor quality brush will not only deteriorate quickly and have to be replaced, but practically precludes any good work while the brush is still in usable condition. A good brush and one that is properly cared for is like any other good tool. It will last through many jobs and always give excellent results.

Testing bristles fos shape

An experienced painter can tell a good brush by the feel of the bristles, their length, the manner in which the bristles are set into the brush, and by numerous other methods that are only acquired by years of experience. A good brush is made of hog bristles set in vulcanised rubber. The bristles come from hogs found in China and in other foreign countries where the bristles grow particularly long. Bristles from hogs raised in this country are not satisfactory for paint brushes. The inexperienced painter is generally forced to rely on the integrity of his dealer when purchasing paint brushes. In most cases, the dealer will see to it that you are sold a good quality brush ; but if you should get a poor quality brush after paying for a good one, take your business to another concern. In many other fields besides painting, the home mechanic will have to depend upon the honesty of his local dealer.

Find one that you can trust always to give you the best quality merchandise. Remember, however, that even the best quality brush will have a few loose bristles when new; do not assume from this that the brush is poor.

Types of brushes

There is a paint brush for almost every kind of job, but it is not necessary to have a full collection to get good results from your work. A good brush, neither too large nor too small, can be used for many jobs. A painter uses many different brushes to save himself time and work. He uses a wide brush on large surfaces rather than a small brush which would require many more strokes to cover the same area. Have at least one small brush for getting into corners and avoid using a wide brush for this kind of work. Forcing the edge of the brush into cracks and corners bends the bristles and tends to make them lose their shape.

A paint brush should never be used for varnish, although a brush that has been used for varnish can be used for paint. The reason is that it is almost impossible to remove every trace of paint from a brush. If a brush containing a small amount of paint is dipped into varnish, the paint will discolour the clear varnish enough to spoil the effect. It is a good plan to keep one brush for varnish only. There are special brushes for varnishing -which have a tapered end, permitting the varnish to flow easily.

• For house painting or for other large surfaces, a flat wall brush is the best. These come in several sizes, but a brush 4 inches wide with bristles 4 or more inches long is excellent for most jobs.
• Small woodwork, such as interior trim and exterior work, requires a flat trim or sash brush. These vary from 1 to 3 inches in width and are similar in shape to the flat wall brush.
• An oval sash brush with a chisel end is excellent for working around windows and other difficult places.
• For varnishing floors and trim, a 3- or 4-inch varnish brush should be used.
• A small, good quality brush is very important for painting furniture. These brushes range in width from 1/2 inch.
• Calcimine is applied with either a flat calcimine brush or a Dutch calcimine brush. These come in widths up to 8 inches.
• Whitewash should be applied with a special whitewash brush. Do not use a good calcimine brush for whitewash, as it will be ruined by the lime in this finish.
• A dust brush is extremely useful in removing dirt from the surface before painting.

Do not throw away old brushes that can no longer be used for painting. They are useful in many ways, such as brushing on a bleaching solution or putting a coat of oil rust-preventive over metal. Keep a serviceable brush for painting metal.

A, flat wall brush. B, end view of same brush. C, a section of same brush showing contour of bristles. D, end view of inferior brush showing flat, coarse contour of bristles. E, seamless ferrule varnish brush.

Care of brushes

Once you have purchased a good brush, take proper care of it. Never place a brush in water under any circumstances. Some experienced painters do this, but water is deleterious to the wood portion of the brush and to the bristles. Always make sure that the bristles of the brush are straight and never bent except when painting. A brush should always be laid flat or suspended by the handle so that the tips of the bristles are clear of any object.

Storing brushes

The best and safest way of storing a brush for any period of time is first to clean it thoroughly. Wipe the excess paint on a board and soak the brush in the proper cleaning liquid. Remove the brush from the liquid and slap out the fluid and the paint, repeating this operation until most of the paint has been removed. Clean the metal ferrule with a small, stiff brush. Flush out the brush by pouring liquid through the bristles, shake it to remove the excess liquid, and hang it up to dry.

A brush used in oil paint can be stored overnight by rinsing it with a little turpentine and wrapping it in newspapers. Make certain that the bristles are straight and place the brush flat after it has been wrapped. A somewhat easier method for temporarily storing a brush is to drill a small hole in the handle and put a piece of wire through the hole. Now the brush can be suspended in a can of linseed oil or some equally good solvent with the wire resting on the edges of the container. Have the brush high enough so that the tips of the bristles do not touch the bottom of the container.

Solvents

Brushes used in oil paints can be cleaned -with linseed oil, non-leaded gasoline, kerosene, or turpentine. Varnish brushes should be cleaned with petrol or turpentine. Shellac brushes can only be cleaned in denatured alcohol. Enamel brushes should be cleaned with the same solvents used for varnish brushes. Brushes used for lacquer can only be cleaned with a special lacquer thinner, and nothing else should be used. Water-paint brushes can be cleaned by washing them in warm water.

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