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Building Tips and technical articles. => Paint and finishing => Topic started by: Dick Pacini on March 30, 2014, 11:11:19 AM
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Looking for advice on what type of discount store (cheap) paint brush is OK for clear doping and covering. I have a couple of goat hair brushes on the way but would like to get started today.
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A decent quality artist brush will do the job, as will a decent quality house paint brush. A short bristle artist brush from any craft store will probably be fine. Boar, sable, badger, synthetic...won't matter much so ling as it doesn't shed (or melt). Finer fiber is a better finish.
A long bristle house paint brush will hold more paint, which may be wasteful.
If it is a shedder, it will be a pain.
Phil
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Hi Dick. If you intend to do more than two planes, I'd get the very best one inch brush you can afford. The better the brush, the better the finish all else being equal. Nothing more aggravating than hairs in the paint. H^^
Ty,
You nailed it!
I found out the hard way how correct you are. When I started to dope my silk I used bottom end artist brushes. Issues with hairs pulling out and another brush fell apart totally at the ferrule.
I had to use a high end red sable brush. All I had was this 1.5" Loew Cornell. Did the Flite Streak and the New American with it without issues. the Mig-3 is next and I'll use this same brush.
The brush is key.
Charles
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Dick, have used foam brush's from wally world, but I don't try to clean them, when I get thru using them I just insert them in a zip lock bag for the next time, however they will get stiff and non usable in time...
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Dick, have used foam brush's from wally world, but I don't try to clean them, when I get thru using them I just insert them in a zip lock bag for the next time, however they will get stiff and non usable in time...
I've got a bunch of foam brushes but thought the thinner would attack the foam.
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I tried foam brushes and never again. Spend your money on decent brushes. Yes my brushes get stiff after using no matter how many times I dip in the thinner or acetone(mostly) and put them away. When I get ready for using again, I hang them in a jar of acetone to loosen them up again. I have even used the Harbor Freight ship brushes they are called with fair results when putting on the dope and talc filler coats. Yes some of the hair/bristles come out on the surface, but I usually catch that. Of course I usually spray the color coats and final clear on most planes.
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I brush all my planes all the way including the clear coats. I have found that the old Camel har brushes work the best for me. Every other brush I have used leaves a mark where you put the brush down. Yes, the camel hair will shed a bit till it has been used a while, but these are easily removed by just touching with 320 grit wet or dry paper after the dope has dried. If you get good like me, LOL, you can sometimes use the end of the brush to pick them off while the dope is still wet, and then go back with a full loaded brush to cover the mark you left.