Brush (tool)

“ There is no economy in using a half worn out body brush for trimming colors. A good trimming brush is just as essential as a good body brush, as it is impossible to cut in on cornices, corner boards and window and sash frames with a ragged edged brush, a good chiseled sash tool or a 1 inch or 1+1⁄2 inch chiseled varnish brush for brackets or mouldings, also a 1⁄2 inch flat chiseled varnish brush for sash colors, a good duster and putty and scraping knife. This completes an ordinary kit of tools and is sufficient to do good work. It is not economy to attempt to work with less. ”

“ The stubby brush is a useless sort of thing for most work. There are men who use them and like them, but most painters prefer the more flexible and springy brush, if it is not weak. So, too, the brush should not be too thick. A thick brush [Pg 27] takes up too much paint into itself, and does not change its tint so readily. For rubbing over large surfaces where a good deal of the same color is thickly spread on the canvas, the thick, strong brush is a very proper tool. ”

“ Small brushes called tools are numbered from 1 up to 10, the latter being the largest. Brushes are generally used in sets, as, for example, in painting a body or gear, a large brush for laying the paint would be used, and a small tool for cleaning up around the moldings, nuts and bolt-heads. It would be an almost endless task to illustrate and describe all of the many varieties of paint and varnish brushes, and a few of the principal ones only will receive attention here. Russia is the great bristle growing country, and her exports reach as high as 5,000 tons of this commodity every year. ”

“ It is seldom that we so readily commend a new tool as, in this instance, we do the patent varnish brush of Messrs. John L. Whiting & Son Co., Boston, Mass., which they are now supplying under the name of 'The King.' It consists of an oval brush bound with brass, and having its centre well filled with bristles. The latter is a new and certainly very desirable feature, as no accumulation of dirt or varnish gum can find a resting place. ”

“ A clean edge to the design is obtained with more certainty if the flat masses are outlined with a fine brush or preferably with a tjanting, before being filled in with the larger brushes. Where the work is done with a tjanting, it is difficult to have the fabric stretched on a frame as this tool is used with the palm of the hand resting on a steady surface. ”

“ For instance, if we are applying a broad wash of colour we should hold the brush with freedom, and fairly high on the shaft. One with a fair point, full and firm, will be necessary for drawing, A long hairy point will give a feeble line, and one too short and blunt no line at all.
A brush that is at its thickest the size of an ordinary lead pencil is a useful tool. A very small brush will prove inefficient, for in drawing with a brush a fairly bold drawing is aimed at. ”

“ To trace the pattern on to the material the following articles may be required: Indian ink, a small finely-pointed sable brush, a tube of oil paint, flake white or light red, according to the colour of the ground material, turpentine, powdered charcoal or white chalk for pounce, tracing paper, drawing-pins, and a pricker. This last-mentioned tool is shown in fig. 5. It is about 5 inches long, and is like a needle with the blunt end fitted into a handle. For [Pg 43] rubbing on the pounce some soft clinging material rolled into a ball is necessary. ”

“ It is scarcely requisite to remind the collector of brasses, that he should never sally forth unprovided with some pointed tool, to clear out such lines as may be filled up, the most serviceable implement being a blunt etching-needle, and also a small brush, moderately stiff, which is very useful in cleaning the plate, an operation which ought always to be carefully performed, previously to the paper being laid down. ”

“ This is supposed to have been already done by the carpenter, and if it has not, a tool different from the stopping knife should be used.
The dusting brush, generally called the duster, must be freely used during this process so that all the particles scraped off may be removed. The largest of the brushes used for painting is sometimes employed as a duster previously to being devoted to its proper purpose, in order that it may be rendered softer ”

“ The smaller kinds of brushes are called tools or fitches, and are used for small surfaces, such as ornaments and mouldings round panels, when the colour is generally taken from a palette—a round slab of wood, with a hole through which the thumb of the left hand passes in order to hold it. The brushes must never be allowed to get dry, but when not in use must be kept in water: it is always best to keep a brush for each colour. Another part of the Painter’s business which requires more skill, is graining and marbling ”

“ It is scarcely necessary to say that it is presumed the workman will know what brushes he will require according to the work he has in hand. His large ground paint brush, called a “pound-brush;” [Pg 9] his half-size, for smaller work; his fitch and sash tools, duster, pallet, putty and hasp knives; oval and flat varnish brushes, varnish-pot, step-ladders and long ladders, mahl-stick, pallet-board, gilding-knife, camel and sable hair-pencils, whitewash brushes, jack for window work, cushion, tip-pole, etc., etc. ”

“ The care of the brushes is an important part of the work of those who use them, as neglect or carelessness may destroy a valuable brush overnight. Unless a brush is going to be used again the next day, it is always best to clean it thoroughly. If a stain, filling, paint, or varnish brush, use gasolene or turpentine, but if a shellac brush, use wood alcohol, cleaning off all the small particles. ”

“ Should paint, varnish, leather-bound whitewash or wall brush be found that has become loose from shrinkage, take a tablespoonful or so of water, open the brush and pour the water into the center. This will swell the parts and make the brush as firm as when first made.
New brushes when first put in work are apt to shed any loose bristles that have not been fastened when made, and while such loose bristles are always cleaned out before the goods are put up for market, not all such loose bristles or hair can be cleaned out, and such are sure to come loose when the brush is first used. ”

“ Useful and extensive as is its use, the broom does not compare in variety and wide application to the brush. The human body, cloth, leather, metals, wood and grains, everything that needs rubbing, cleaning, painting and polishing, meets the acquaintance of the brush. Nearly a hundred species of brushes might be enumerated, each having an especial construction for a particular use. ”

“ In drawn-brushes, of which those for shoes, teeth, nails and clothes are examples, the holes are more neatly bored, and have smaller ones at the top communicating with the back of the brush, through which a bight or loop of wire passes from the back of the stock. Half the number of hairs of fibres needed for the tufts to fill the holes are passed into the bight of the wire, which is then pulled smartly so as to double the hairs and force them into the loop-hole as far as possible. ”

“ We recommend a brush made of bristles or badger hair and set in hard vulcanized rubber. A brush so constructed, with wood, bone or ivory handle, and hard rubber ferule, will not shed the bristles or crack open, and with proper care will last for years. ”

“ It will be unnecessary to describe in detail how every brush is made, but an ordinary ground brush will serve as an example. The actual manufacture is not difficult. First the bristles are carefully weighed out so that every brush of the same grade has exactly the same quantity of bristle in it as a corresponding brush; great care being taken not to disturb the way in which the bristles lie. ”

“ The painter needs a set of at least three brushes, 1 in., 1 1/2 in., and 2 1/2 in. in size, for varnishing the inside surfaces of bodies, these to be used for no other purpose. Then, properly, he should have a set of brushes for putting on first rubbing varnish coats, consisting of a 1-inch chiseled badger hair brush, and a 2 1/2 in. and one 3-in. bristle brush. ”

“ For this reason, the intelligent, practical and thoughtful workman will always look for the best tools. Good bristle brushes cannot be made of any substitute for imported bristles, and cheaper grades are always produced by adulteration and mixtures. The cheapening of goods is generally done so that
Fig. 2. Badger Hair Flowing Brush.
it shows least to the eye, in the center of the brush, and covered by good quality to make the goods as marketable as possible. Such goods cannot be expected to be durable or give satisfaction. ”

“ The best bristles come from the wild hog of Russia and Poland. The whitest and finest are used for paint, tooth, hat, hair, and clothes brushes. Some brushes are made with one tuft only, like the paint brush, others with many. ”

“ Pick out a brush that has a good even edge. A “ragged” brush is useless for heavy strokes. And when you find a brush that will work well, leaving the perpendicular and ends of the vertical lines even and neat, KEEP SUCH A BRUSH FOR THIS STYLE LETTERING, and use it for nothing else. In contrast to the “Egyptian”—a brush for the Roman alphabets must be pliable and of a “texture” to permit of light and heavy lines being made alternately.
In forming the “Egyptian” the brush must hold its “chisel” edge, and keep an even stroke; therefore the necessity of using the right brush. ”

“ You all know what is the province of a dress maker, therefore it requires no explanation."
"I am in want of some hair-brushes," said Mrs. Durnford, "therefore if you please we must stop a few minutes at the
BRUSH MAKER'S."
Brush Maker
[Pg 135]
"That gentleman seems afraid of taking the nap off his coat, papa," said Theodore, smilingly. "Did you not tell me that brushes were made of hog's bristles?"
"Yes, and we import them from Russia in vast quantities. There is a great art in brush making, for if not done by a good workman, the bristles will fall out, before the brush is half worn out." ”

“ Fig. 244. Shellac Utensils.
Varnish brushes need to be cleaned thoroly after each using. If they get dry they become too hard to be cleaned without great difficulty.
[page 150]
Brushes for water stains are easily taken care of by washing with water and then laying them flat in a box. Cups in which the water stains have been used can also be easily rinsed with water.
Brushes for oil stains are most easily kept in good condition, by being hung in a brush-keeper, Fig. 245, (sold by Devoe & Reynolds, 101 Fulton St., N. Y. C.) partly filled with turpentine. ”

“ It is so constructed that the tension on the individual brush can be adjusted without lifting the brush from the commutator and without the use of tools. The brush can be removed while the machine is running, without moving the holder on the stud and without disturbing any other brush. Removal of the brushes for inspection can be accomplished without permanent change in the adjustment of the tension of the brush holder spring. ”

“ Brushes of various sizes are employed, by means of which the workman can paint the fine mouldings, beading, &c., as well as the broader surfaces. The more skilful the workman is in the use of his tools, the less do the marks of the brush remain visible when the work is done.
As each coat of paint dries, another is laid on, until sufficient has been applied. ”

“ As in hand-making and before subjected to the action of the machine, the bristles are sorted as to length and color. A brush-back, bored with holes by a gang of bits, which holes do not extend, however, all the way through the back, is placed in the machine under a cone-jointed plunger, adapted to enter the hole in the brush-back. A comb-shaped slitted plate in the machine has then each slit filled with bristles, sufficient in number to form a single tuft. ”

“ The paint should be deep enough to nearly bury the bristles. Pour a little boiled linseed oil over the top to form a skin to keep the air out. It is cheaper to buy a new brush than to clean the paint out of one that has been used. ”

“ At least two brushes per ring are always provided so that one can be removed for inspection without interrupting the exciting current. In large machines the brush holder studs are mounted on a stand supported from the base ”

“ A film of paint can be applied in one operation equal to two hand-brush coats, as it is not necessary to reduce paints by thinning as much for air brush application, in a great many instances, as is the usual practice for hand-brushing. ”

“ Unless the above precautions have been taken, care should be taken that shellac and varnish brushes are not changed from one to the other. Never allow a brush to stand on its side for more than a few minutes at a time, as a wrong direction is easily given the bristles, and the brushes may be quickly destroyed by a little carelessness or negligence. ”

“ No one should be without a finger-brush, and to none is it more indispensable than to those who have the most of the family work to do. Wet the brush and rub soap on it; then brush the nails and inside of the hands with it before you finish washing them. Nothing more effectually removes the stains and dirt, which will of course settle on the inside of the hands when handling pots and kettles or working over the stove; and even if your hands are roughened by no such labor, the nail-brush is of great service. ”