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[Rusty]

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[Mike Keville]

Michael's can be a good source for artists brushes.  Two one-inch brushes that I use in my paintings (example attached) are the M. Grumbacher 'Golden Edge' no. 4621, and the American Painter 'Wash' no. 4550.  I have also used these to apply thinned clear dope to a couple of Free Flights.  Neither has shown any shedding through several years of use.

[keith varley]

I have had the same experience as you and tried Michaels.I purchased two M GRUMBACHER  Golden Edge 4621 and they have quickly become my favorite  brushes for dope.I will certainly buy them again when the time comes.They seem to be synthetic ,rather than natural bristles, but work great and don't dissolve when exposed to lacquer thinners or gun wash or acetone , and never shed a hair. Keith Varley

[George]

To avoid "hairy" finishes, make sure you keep the brush well loaded with paint. It's usually when you try to drag it out that you get the hairs. It should level itself on the surface.

George

[Jim Kraft]

I use camel hair brushes from Sig. I always take a new brush and squeeze the bristle holder in a vice before use. They will still loose a few bristles for a while, but will quit after a while. I have tried the synthetic brushes, and they work OK for base coats, but I always get a mark when I put the brush down on the surface. The came hair brushes are softer, carry more dope, and don't leave that mark. Since I use my brushes for the final finish, I use a camel hair brush that has been used for a while, and try to keep it loaded with dope. I use a one two three stroke, and never brush over three times without loading the brush again with dope. If you do get a brush hair in the dope, many times you can just use the end of the brush to push it off on to the brush for removal. If the dope is to dry to do that, I just let it continue to dry a little more, and take a piece of 320 grit wet or dry paper dry, and swipe across it. That will take it off.

[Douglas Ames]

Hobby Lobby or a well stocked Art store. Good brushes are $$.

[Hoss Cain]

Wherever you find camel hair brushes, they are expensive. For the past 10 years the use of "Camel hair" has been substituted for "squirrel hair".  Many less expensive brushes will not hold to dope thinner, thus they shed lots of hair. Some after a considerable use will hold together after a lot of butyrate has stuck into the holder, but if you want brushes get the best you can find in a good provider.

For base coats, etc. those little sponge paint-sloppers do a great job. As they do deteriorate rather quickly you will need a bunch, but they are fairly cheap in $1 stores and in my experience those are the same as better store varieties. In addition that little plastic knob that holds the sponge to the handle can be used for fuel plugs, and such. The wood dowel handles I find many uses for, one being to plug up too-large muffler pipes. Drill a smaller hole, slop some epoxy into the hole and they last for a long time.

For finish coats, I find that the Preval Sprayer does very well. Mind you I am not a perfectionest for painting.    I don't care for the cleanup and care required for professional spray equipment.

[Avaiojet]

I made my living for a 45 years as a professional sign painter/pinstriper, Gallery artist and a career in painting graphics on just about everything, including the use of an airbrush, not to mention the actual painting of cars, mostly classics and show cars and custom show cars.

I can honestly say, I've seen the quality of brushes go down hill since the middle to late 80's.

As far as a brush to shape and cut in letters, sign guys would use the "quill." I can remember purchasing ten and only having three or four that felt good and worked well enough the to do a lettering task or pictorial with confidence.

Because money meant nothing, that is, you would think an expensive brush would be of quality, but they may or may not be, I found myself purchasing ALL my needed brushes, actually to make my living with, from a company called Mack Brush. I'm sure they are still in business. Just Google.

Brush drag, is generally what causes the hairs to be pulled out of the ferrules. When paint is put on to dry or if it tacks up quickly, hairs will be pulled because the paint actually gets tacky or sticky. Sign guys would use different oils or transmission fluid to oil their brushes.

The oil would be applied and worked deep into the ferrule. Brushes would never be allowed to get dry. After use, they would be oiled again and left wet from the oil.

Brush drag again. Very common, even when using a guill for truck lettering that two coats were needed. White over a red truck.

Here's a variety of my work. The last photo is art in progress, I'm working on it,. No brushes here, I'm using a palette knife.

[keith varley]

Wow    There's a bunch of talent here . I'm very impressed. Keith Varley

[Hoss Cain]

//snip//
I can honestly say, I've seen the quality of brushes go down hill since the middle to late 80's.

As far as a brush to shape and cut in letters, sign guys would use the "quill." I can remember purchasing ten and only having three or four that felt good and worked well enough the to do a lettering task or pictorial with confidence.
//snip//

WOW, Aviojet, Yes, all that is impressive. Given that I know less about ART than anything, let me say that "girldetail" is extremely impressive. Those eyes and those lips along with the shadowing do display a number of thoughts in her mind. IMO, that is another "Mona Lisa".

As far as airplane finishes. Man, there should be a rule that you have to use "money-Kote".   

[Jim Fruit]

Michael's can be a good source for artists brushes.  Two one-inch brushes that I use in my paintings (example attached) are the M. Grumbacher 'Golden Edge' no. 4621, and the American Painter 'Wash' no. 4550.  I have also used these to apply thinned clear dope to a couple of Free Flights.  Neither has shown any shedding through several years of use.

Mike:

Dang, that is one good looking Staggerwing. I like to do scratches of subjects that one does not see often. I have had the body of a Staggerwing framed up for years. I was thinking about getting back to it. I guess I will put it back on the back burner. Dang!

Jim Fruit

[Avaiojet]

Mike:
Dang, that is one good looking Staggerwing. I like to do scratches of subjects that one does not see often. I have had the body of a Staggerwing framed up for years. I was thinking about getting back to it. I guess I will put it back on the back burner. Dang!
Jim Fruit

Jim,

Please tell me about that Staggerwing body? Photos.

If It's something I may have interest in, I'll trade graphics or lettering for it.

What say?

CB

[Jim Fruit]

CB:

I have had a love affair with Staggerwings for about 50 years now. It started when one flew into a contest site at Dubuque in the late 60's. Over the years I drew up a set of plans at 1-1/2" to the foot. I planned to power it with a .90. I framed up the fuselage, but is consists only of a crutch, formers, cockpit floor, engine bearers, tank compartment, etc., etc. In comparing it to a completed model, I would say that it is less than 10% complete. I don't envision that it would be of any help to anyone else but me since it is based upon my information. Who knows, I may pick it up again. As I said to Mike, I like to do unusual subjects. I am doing a scratch of a Beechcraft C-45 now. When I complete that one, I will have to decide about the next subject. It is just that Mike's Staggerwing is so magnificant, it sort of blew out my candel.

Jim Fruit

[Avaiojet]

Jim,

Here's a match! Get that feeling back.

OK, tell me about yoyr Beech 45.

CB

[Jim Fruit]

CB

In this Stunt Hanger site, got to "Scale" / "My latest butcher job". There are about three postings there. I am going to do another post soon because I have the nose about finished and a lot of the wiring done. A real hornet's nest.

JHF

[George]

I bought some hobby paint brushes at my hobby shop and was shocked at how much they shed.  They were camel hair brushes.  I didn't pay too much for them and that was the best he had.  They are not worth using and I chucked them.
 
Thanks. 

 

Rusty, a few things you can try with "hobby" brushes.

a) Squeeze ferrule with vise or pliers. I have done this with mixed results...

b) Dip brush in clear dope and hold it bristles up for awhile so some dope can penetrate ferrule. Wash brush in thinner (I use cheap thinner for first wash, then proper thinner for final wash). Dry. Store bristles up so any remaining thinner will penetrate ferrule.

c) Before painting airplane, use dope-filled brush on something like cardboard to get out loose bristles. Then when painting airplane, make sure brush has plenty of dope and don't keep brushing over same surface. Don't dope too slow otherwise drying dope will pull out bristles.

d) Make sure the dope itself has enough thinner and, if necessary, enough retarder that it does not dry as you are applying it.

A very important DON'T do: I ONCE (years ago) tried running a small bead of CA where the ferrule meets the bristles in hope that it would glue the bristles in place. The result was that the CA wicked up the bristles leaving only half the bristle length to paint with.     

George

[Mike Keville]

You might also want to try the M. Grumbacher 'Academy' # 780-F, a splendid one-inch brush with a long handle.  Although I haven't yet used one to apply dope, this one was used extensively in the attached 16" x 20" oil painting with absolutely no shedding.

[Avaiojet]

I just removed the dust of this.