Paint Brushes ???

[Zippi]

Ok fellows.  What quality paint brushes do you use for our hobby paints?  Hobby Lobby has a Big selection of oil paint brushes and in the model section they have the cheap stiff brushes.  I'm looking for a brush that will lay the paint down nice and smooth with no streaks.  Show me what you use.

[Biggu]

Good question, I would be interested in what everyone uses as well….

Jeff

[NOBLNG]

I prefer to buy ones that are meant for oil/solvent based paints rather than acrylic/water based paints. That said, I go more by the length and shape of the bristles than anything. The top two are my currently most-used brushes that I happened across at Marshalls. The next two red ones are from Micheals. The next was from Artists Emporium…and the rest I’m not sure where I got them? The wide one is also from Micheals, and I bought it specifically for painting headliners. I use lacquer thinner for cleaning them and abuse the heck out of them.?

[Mike 1017]

I use a brush that is the same size as the part that I want to paint. I load up the brush with enough paint too paint the primed part with one stroke. 

Greg has the same size paint brushes that I use. Just buy the best ones that you can afford.

Good Luck

Mike

[bobss396]

I have a couple of Mack brushes that pretty nice. 

My brother had a neighbor whose late husband worked in a place that sold brushes. She gave us a bunch of them. They were all sabels.

Edited September 26, 2024 by bobss396
jk

[Mike 1017]

13 minutes ago, Mike 1017 said:

I use a brush that is the same size as the part that I want to paint. I load up the brush with enough paint too paint the primed part with one stroke. 

Greg has the same size paint brushes that I use. Just buy the best ones that you can afford.

Good Luck

Mike

Here is my arsenal of paint brushes

[Ace-Garageguy]

Try this. It's kinda like using those fire-hose spray cans.

[Rich Chernosky]

Before you buy a good paint brush learn how to use it and clean it.  I sold art supplies and then hobby paints and brushes. I did countless paint demo's and was apalled at how many people  did not know this.  Some were very skilled and had been painting for years and still didn't  know this.   Sable and camel hair are good for solvent base paints.  Acrylics are a little stiffer and are better for water base. Not uncommon for a good brush to cost $6-7 or more.  A good brush can last a very long time if taken care of properly. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

13 minutes ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Before you buy a good paint brush learn how to use it and clean it.  I sold art supplies and then hobby paints and brushes. I did countless paint demo's and was apalled at how many people  did not know this.  Some were very skilled and had been painting for years and still didn't  know this.   Sable and camel hair are good for solvent base paints.  Acrylics are a little stiffer and are better for water base. Not uncommon for a good brush to cost $6-7 or more.  A good brush can last a very long time if taken care of properly. 

Amen.

AND...many paint brushes intended for use with oils and acrylics will shed their hair and become useless if cleaned with lacquer thinner.

Brushes used with acrylics are best cleaned with water before the paint starts to harden, and those used with oils or enamels should be OK if cleaned with turpentine or possibly mineral spirits or specially formulated "brush cleaner"...but as with many things, over-generalizing advice can be counter-productive.

[Zippi]

Thanks for all the info fellows.

[Mark]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this, so I will.  Cleaning the brush is a lot easier when you don't dip it too far into the paint.  No more than a third of the way up to the ferrule (metal part that holds the bristles in place).  Even less is preferable. 

If it's accidentally dipped in too far, the paint that has gotten too far up can't be properly removed and will dry in place, causing the bristles to fan out.  When that happens, the brush is ruined at that point.

[NOBLNG]

Some info on brush types here: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/an-introduction-to-art-paint-brushes-4086375

[Pierre Rivard]

Most interesting topic for me as I brush paint absolutely everything. I'm keeping it simple, water based paints for everything, synthetic bristle brushes that I clean with dishwasher soap and water after every use. 1/2 inch Privateer Press P3 for large surfaces (body) and a small assortment of AK Interactive brushes for all the other components. A lot can be said about brushes but my experience is that properly thinned paint and brushing technique play a larger role in the equation. This car has been 100% finished with brushes and acrylic paint materials.

 

[Dave G.]

I find that taklon synthetic brushes work well on models for both acrylics ( water borne or alcohol based). As well as for enamels. And I agree with the poster above, that paint prep and application outweigh brush selection, assuming you don't have a totally bogus brush for the job of course.

[Muncie]

Back in my hardware store days we sold paint, that was some time ago...  Latex house paint with water clean-up was a fairly new thing.  The rule was natural bristle for solvent base paints and nylon (synthetic) bristle if water would be used to clean the brush.  Cleaning in water would damage a good natural bristle brush.  Years later, all the brushes are much better so I wouldn't hesitate to use a good synthetic brush with oil base paint, but I still wouldn't clean a natural bristle brush with water.

[Zippi]

Ok fellows.  Lot of good information from everyone.  I appreciate all your input.

[Don Sikora II]

I mostly use brushes from Tamiya and Revell-Germany—in particular the blue-handled Revell Painta Luxus brushes are relatively inexpensive in the US. Heller brushes are excellent and inexpensive if you can source them easily, but I last saw them from Squadron ten or more years ago. Most of my Tamiya brushes are probably 25-30 years old....many were purchased at Pony Toy Go Round if anyone remembers that crazy toy shop!

Edited September 27, 2024 by Don Sikora II

[Zippi]

10 hours ago, Don Sikora II said:

I mostly use brushes from Tamiya and Revell-Germany—in particular the blue-handled Revell Painta Luxus brushes are relatively inexpensive in the US. Heller brushes are excellent and inexpensive if you can source them easily, but I last saw them from Squadron ten or more years ago. Most of my Tamiya brushes are probably 25-30 years old....many were purchased at Pony Toy Go Round if anyone remembers that crazy toy shop!

Thanks for all the Great info Don.

[Ulf]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:51 PM, Pierre Rivard said:

Most interesting topic for me as I brush paint absolutely everything. I'm keeping it simple, water based paints for everything, synthetic bristle brushes that I clean with dishwasher soap and water after every use. 1/2 inch Privateer Press P3 for large surfaces (body) and a small assortment of AK Interactive brushes for all the other components. A lot can be said about brushes but my experience is that properly thinned paint and brushing technique play a larger role in the equation. This car has been 100% finished with brushes and acrylic paint materials.

 

Hello Pierre

This thread and your post interests me a lot, are you able to share any tips?

For various reasons I have not been able to use my airbrush since the summer but the need to build is stronger than ever, in addition, the range of colors is not what it has been so I have bought a lot of Vallejo colors, read, watched Youtube, tested and tested again and a brief summary of the status today is that I'm starting to get a picture, a feeling for how to do and what materials are needed, the visits to the hobby shop were a bit like switching from 110 to 230 volts. Everything is new in the painting dep.

wetpalette, great so that you have some wet paint left to improve with hours later. Paint shaker, indispensable because the colors become absolutely wonderful by 20 seconds of shaking. Stainless steel balls to put in the paint cans. Vallejo primer, these are polyurethane based and much more durable than the colors, a thin layer is enough, these primers are available in colors which is good as the colors are a little transparent which in turn gives the opportunity to pre shade. Vallejo paint and clear coat. Vallejo clear coat polyurethane, these are just like the primer more durable. Vallejo airbrush thinner.

now, some parts are in soaking in the bath as the clearcoat could not be thinned with water, which was not visible until it dried, test test and test again ...

So to what was most difficult to understand without Youtube,

you do not brush out the color like Humbrol but rather apply quite fluidly with the brush so the color levels out and it dries quickly.
The brush is not as important as you might think, not like painting whit enamels.

There are more videos whit handpainting(not brush) gunpla’s(WHAT is that ??) than 1/25 cars on Youtube.

Next up for my training is a one colour tank model kit.

Yes, acrylics are fragile but it’s better after a few weeks drying and as always, if you want to remove the paint, it sit rockhard.

[Bugatti Fan]

Brushes...  Like anything else it is a case of horses for courses.

BUT....Investing in good quality artists brushes, although expensive, will pay dividends in the long run. Of course there are reasonably good brushes under hobby brand names like Tamiya, Humbrol/Airfix for example. I have an odd few of these in my brush armoury.

However, my go to quality brushes are made by well established artists brush manufacturers like Winsor & Newton, Kolinsky and Rowney for example. Good sable haired brushes and synthetic haired brushes by quality manufacturers will last for many years if well looked after.

Always store brushes with the bristles up in a jar of similar after cleaning. Many brushes have a protective plastic tube to slip down carefully over the hairs for protection.

The temptation to buy cheap brushes will only end in disappointment as they tend to shed hairs like a moulting dog! They do have their uses for applying liquid cements etc.

Edited October 1, 2024 by Bugatti Fan

[Dave G.]

The next time your wife is ready to toss out a bottle of OPI or ESSIE nail polish, grab the brush from it. These brushes brush smooth and have a great flare to them if pressed on a bit. The Revlon brushes are quite good too. Sally Hanson brushes not so much, at least not for broader areas, though probably good for small parts. If nothing else, these will give a feel for how a brush should behave with solvent paints.

[Pierre Rivard]

18 hours ago, Ulf said:

Hello Pierre

This thread and your post interests me a lot, are you able to share any tips?

For various reasons I have not been able to use my airbrush since the summer but the need to build is stronger than ever, in addition, the range of colors is not what it has been so I have bought a lot of Vallejo colors, read, watched Youtube, tested and tested again and a brief summary of the status today is that I'm starting to get a picture, a feeling for how to do and what materials are needed, the visits to the hobby shop were a bit like switching from 110 to 230 volts. Everything is new in the painting dep.

wetpalette, great so that you have some wet paint left to improve with hours later. Paint shaker, indispensable because the colors become absolutely wonderful by 20 seconds of shaking. Stainless steel balls to put in the paint cans. Vallejo primer, these are polyurethane based and much more durable than the colors, a thin layer is enough, these primers are available in colors which is good as the colors are a little transparent which in turn gives the opportunity to pre shade. Vallejo paint and clear coat. Vallejo clear coat polyurethane, these are just like the primer more durable. Vallejo airbrush thinner.

 

now, some parts are in soaking in the bath as the clearcoat could not be thinned with water, which was not visible until it dried, test test and test again ...

So to what was most difficult to understand without Youtube,

you do not brush out the color like Humbrol but rather apply quite fluidly with the brush so the color levels out and it dries quickly.
The brush is not as important as you might think, not like painting whit enamels.

There are more videos whit handpainting(not brush) gunpla’s(WHAT is that ??) than 1/25 cars on Youtube.

Next up for my training is a one colour tank model kit.

Yes, acrylics are fragile but it’s better after a few weeks drying and as always, if you want to remove the paint, it sit rockhard.

Hello Ulf,

   You are experimenting a lot and that is basically how I developed my method. I don't promote brush painting as the way to go but for me it was the only way because I live in a high rise flat and setting up a spray booth was just not possible. My best tip would be lots of thinning and multiple  thin coats are the way to go to avoid brush marks on large surfaces. Vallejo primer, thinned about 20-25% with water. 3 to four coats, a few days to dry and then moderate wet sanding with 2000-3000 grit. Vallejo model color, thinned with at least equal part acrylic thinner (my favorite is Green Stuff World 2102 acrylic thinner). Again 3-4 coats, no sanding. Vallejo gloss varnish 70.510, 5 drops clear and 3 drops water for thinning. Usually 2 thin coats. I let it cure a few days before polishing. After decals I add a layer of Holloway House Quick Shine to seal them and it also evens out the gloss level.