Brushes and Their Maintenance

by Hobby Sensei:

Here’s a simple article on a subject that I often get asked about. What makes a good brush?  And how do I take care of it?  The Hobby Sensei has the answers!


Lets start off by addressing the first question, what does a good brush look like?

Well for starters, when choosing a good brush the first thing to look for is a natural hair brush. Natural hair has scales, which gives you better control of how you deposit your paint whereas synthetic brushes are smooth plastic, and lack the same level of control.

I always use the fountain pen analogy: a natural hair brush is like a working fountain pen. When you apply pressure it lets out its ink (paint).  Synthetic brushes are like a broken fountain pen, as soon as you place the tip on a surface it releases its entire load, and you are forced to push around a puddle of paint.

Not all natural hair brushes are equal though.

The best brushes are:

1) red sable hair

2) not cut to a point.

Kosinski red sable brushes are my personal favorite. Longevity and elasticity is achieved by only using the male, tail hair of the Kolinsky red sable (Mustela Sibirica), grown in the extreme cold of Siberian and Manchurian winters. Their fur is very fine and soft, yet very durable, all of which are desirable qualities in a brush. Even the largest brushes come to the finest points.

The best of these brushes are assembled in a way that utilizes the natural curvature of the hair to make a point, and are never cut to a point. The difference is the hair has a “memory” to it. Cut bushes tend to “split” after usage, as the hair reverts to its natural shape.  Another misnomer is that smaller brushes make finer points. This is not true, large KRS brushes make just as fine a point as any small brush, but are superior in the fact that they have larger reservoirs and hold much more paint. This means that you can work for longer periods without the paint drying out in your brush.

The amount of pressure you use when painting is what dictates how fine the line you paint is. A light touch, and you achieve the finest detail. Press harder and you can base coat large areas. Another benefit of a good KRS brush is that it “tells” you when it’s properly loaded to paint. After loading you brush, blot slightly on some tissue, and you know you have just the right amount of paint when the brush has returned to its fine tip.


My hair makes great brushes!
Some of the best KSR brushes on the market are Winsor & Newton, Raphaël, and DaVinici (which we sell here at Frontline! -ed). All of these factors result in a brush that tends to be much more expensive, but if properly maintained a $25 brush will last easily as long as 7, $5 brushes would. This brings us to the second point of this article: Brush  Maintenance.

Brush maintenance is extremely important if you want to consistently get good results. One does not simply treat their cars like crap and expect them to continue working like new, so why would you do the same for brushes?
Here are three simple steps to maintaining the life of your brush:
1) always clean your brush after every use.
2) never let your brush sit in water, and
3) monthly brush maintenance.
When you clean your brush after each use, you need to be careful that after you have rinsed it in water, when you drag it across the paper to dry it that there is no color coming off. If there is, repeat the process.  Soaking a brush in water for too long is bad for the hair. It will cause the hair to become overly dry and brittle, thus ruining your brush.
The last step is a “monthly” maintenance which consists of a rubbing alcohol or shampoo wash, and then a conditioning afterwards.  I use rubbing alcohol for the dirtier brushes because it eats the binders in most of the acrylic paint we use, but you have to be careful because it will dry out the hair as well.  I start by pouring a small amount of rubbing alcohol in to a shallow dish, I then put the brush into the dish at about a 45 degree angel, making sure that it is the ferrule (the metal band under the bristles) that contacts the dish. I will then begin to slowly spin the brush.  You know it’s working when you see color and chunks appear in the alcohol. If the alcohol gets too dirty, and the brush isn’t fully clean repeat the processes until no more color comes off your brush. Then rinse in warm water.
For brushes that are cleaner than that (you can’t actually see any paint) washing them with warm water and shampoo will suffice. Remember that this is real hair here, so treating it right will ensure that it lasts longer. After washing and drying your brushes  its important to condition the brush, using some sort of hair product. I personally like using axe pomade as its waxy consistency means that I can form the brush to a nice point and leave it that way (washing it out before using it next), but any type of conditioner/hair tonic works fine.
These products will help keep your brush elastic and supple, and prevent split ends and breakage, thus improving the life span of your brush. Remember, these brushes are natural hair, and should be treated them same. Would you go months without washing or conditioning your own? It is not uncommon for a good brush, with proper maintenance to last well over a year or longer.
I have a Sable brush I’ve had since high-school and with proper maintenance, it is still my most used brush! -Reece
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Posted on January 20, 2013 by Reecius in Modeling, Painting

CAG Bash is coming......

CAG Bash is coming up Friday March 1st thru Sunday March 3rd. This is probably the biggest 40k event in our local area. This year it's a 2 day event consisting of 5 games total. This year there is also a Banner making contest to support your store, gaming group, or just yourself. Go to http://cincycag.forumotion.com/t5069-store-and-personal-battle-standards#37082 for more details.

To register go to http://www.cincycon.org/.

For more info on particulars, go to our tourney section on the all access forum or go to 513CAG@gmail.com

Hope to see you there! I will be.... with gunz a blazin'!!!!!!

HoD out......

Airbrush tips 101

Dewen, one of ML crew had posted these tips in our club section and I thought it was worth passing on.


After seeing a nice start on painting my Flyrant, a gamer asked me the other day to give him some tips on airbrushing with regular paints. He has a gravity fed airbrush. I sent him this.

1. I know the pros use Vallejo, PPP, and GW paints. I do not recommend using metallic paints unless you purchase metallic paint for airbrushes. I highly recommend Vallejo Model Air for metallic paint. I have used them and they are fantastic.

2.I thin my paints and clean my airbrush with a mixture of 15% rubbing alcohol to 85% distilled water. Buy the most concentrated rubbing alcohol you can (90%+). Some of the stuff on the shelves is only 70%+. If you can only find the less concentrated, add less water in the mixture to get desired concentration.

3.Optional: You can also add drying retarder to help slow the drying process, which decreases the likelihood of some fast drying paints jamming your airbrush. I know a red that I use for my blood angels tends to dry faster than my other colors. With experience you get used to which paints need the drying retarder. I would not get to concerned with the drying retarder in the beginning. I mention it in case you notice. I use Slow-Dri by Liquitex. You can find it at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and art supply stores.

4.The rule of thumb is 5 part mixture to 1 part paint, but it depends on the paint you are using. Brands vary and the age of the paint can also effect the thickness. I mix mine in a plastic cup. Stir - do not shake the paint and mixture. Shaking adds creates air bubbles.

5.Keep cotton swabs (aka QTips) around your painting station. They are handy for cleaning deep in the paint well after rinsing and changing colors. Cotton swabs are also useful for wiping the nozzle.
Keep your needle clean. While painting, check the needle tip to see if dry paint is accumulating.

6.You can purchase cleaning kits that have tiny brushes for thorough cleanings.

GW's 2013 Release Schedule Rumors

Happy New Year everybody! I hope everyone has recovered from last night sufficiently. If not here is something that might help take your mind off that. This is the rumoured release schedule for 2013 from a couple of different sources.

from Faeit 212,

3 or 4 codices this year will be a good one, especially since we will be seeing Dark Angels here in just a few short days. That's starting the year off right. So its all good news from here on. Tau in May, and Eldar sometime later in the year.

I am posting up the release order that Hastings has put up (which is current cannon on what is coming atm), and the release dates we have seen listed for next year from Larry Vela.

I am going to add in one more that is still being whispered by a couple sources, but nothing is solid on.... and that is a 40k summer campaign (with new models for several armies and a supplement book)

Please remember that these are all rumors, and are very subject to change and move around a lot. So lets hope that Chaos Daemons are a codex, and that we really do see 4, but expect only 3 codex releases this year for 40k.

via Larry Vela over on Bols

JAN: Dark Angels
FEB: Daemons
MAR: Wave month (hobbit, warriors of chaos, 40k)
APR: High Elves
MAY: Tau
JUN: Summer wave (40k, supplement book for 40k)
JUL: Lizardmen
AUG: Mystery Box
SEP: Wave month
OCT: ???
NOV: Eldar
DEC: ???


via Hastings (release order)

Dark Angels
Chaos Daemons/Daemons of Chaos
Tau
High Elves
Eldar
Lizard Men