New Brushes

[J2FcM]

Just got a set of 3 Raphaels and a Series 7.

Few questions...

2 of the Raph\'s had about 1 or 2 \"stray hairs\"... If I just pluck those out with my fingers, or tweezers... everything should be OK? It won\'t somehow impact the ferrule?


Are the Raphael\'s good does anyone know? I\'ve heard people mention them... I got a size 2 which is like the base coat brush by GW, and then a size 0: 8408, and a size 2 which is quite odd to me. It has almost no belly, it is this very thin thin thin long brush...its the 8826, size 2.
http://www.dickblick.com/zz065/71/

its set 1

So, any real use in mini painting for a thin long brush?

Finally! If a Series 7 is the mini version, will it say mini??? Mine just has a hippogriph, and says finest balogny sable.

 

[DaN]

Sorry dude - can\'t help I didn\'t GET my SPECIFICALLY-REQUESTED Series 7 for Xmas :\'(

I wouldn\'t just pull out those stray hairs though... MIGHT be better to carefully snip them - hopefully somebody more knowledgable than myself will say...

 

[phael_minis]

Hey, the size 2 has nothing to see with GW, it\'s high quality!!
The 0 size 8408 is very good too, it\'s the one I use for almost everything.
I never heard about 8826, not sure it\'s so good for minis.
Maybe a 3/0 8404 or 8408 would add something.

 

[cdukino]

carefully snipping off stray hairs is better then plucking them out. You just use the tip of a brush so the snipped off hair won\'t bother you. Better then plucking it out with the risk of distorting the point (be it rare) or having it weaken and maybe loose more hairs in time automatically.

I use thin long brushes (liners) for harder to reach detail (and freehand) on insides of stuff and such. Though only use paint on the very tip or you\'ll likley get it on the wrong places on the mini by accidentaly tapping it with the side of the brush. I don\'t use it much though. The thin long brush for instance is perfect for pulling lines ) like thin twigs) on oil paintings and such... it\'s occasionally called a liner as you can drag more of the length over something without getting the line to wide. and more or less pressure the thickness of the line can be varied The use on miniatures with their small surfaces it more limited. They aren\'t designed for use like that... but more for 2d techniques.)
Also a good brush size 2 has a point as sharp as a good size 0. I do a load with size 2... details 2.

 

[Daleran]

long thin brushes are generally called \"riggers\" I think. Mostly used for thin lines on a flat surface like freehand, or a painting rather than a mini

 

[cdukino]

Originally posted by Daleran
long thin brushes are generally called \"riggers\" I think. Mostly used for thin lines on a flat surface like freehand, or a painting rather than a mini

Liners is one of the Dutch names that I just litterally translated. Did not know the proper english term

 

[Spittle72]

Brushes...

Yep, called \"Liners\" here in the US too.

 

[Modderrhu]

I think there\'s a difference between liners and riggers. Riggers being very long and thin - originally used to paint the rigging on model ships - so they are an extreme version of liners. I\'d expect that one would have zero-to-no point control for a rigger.

As Cindy said, it\'s better to cut the stray hairs off near the ferrule. Just use a pair of nail clippers for the job. And the Series 7 will say \"miniature\" if it is the miniature version. What you\'ve got is the usual Series 7, which I prefer for mini painting.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Rigger and Liner brushes are basically the same. I wouldn\'t worry too much.
And as Cindy says removing the stray hairs will be best.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by J2FcM
2 of the Raph\'s had about 1 or 2 \"stray hairs\"... If I just pluck those out with my fingers, or tweezers... everything should be OK?

Yes, this is fine. Grab them near the base with a good pair of tweezers (or even pliers) and sharply pull down - away from the point.

But this is a last resort, try dipping the brush head in hand-hot water (nothing hotter than that) for a short while, then roll the bristles in a weak solution of PVA glue or something similar and put it aside to dry. Leave it for a day or so, then rinse it out, you might find the strays have come back to where you want them.

Originally posted by J2FcM
Are the Raphael\'s good does anyone know?

Depends on the range. But yes, they do make some excellent brushes.

8404 is their top-of-the line range.

Originally posted by J2FcM
If a Series 7 is the mini version, will it say mini???

It should be sold specifically as a mini or not. I don\'t use them so I can\'t check if the handle says anything different but the heads are smaller and less full.

Einion

 

[skeeve]

Originally posted by J2FcM
Finally! If a Series 7 is the mini version, will it say mini??? Mine just has a hippogriph, and says finest balogny sable.

Mini 7 are labeled as \"mini\", and I wouldn\'t recommend them personally. They have shorter bristles and take much less paint, that at least at my temperature/humidity combo dries out way too fast

 

[J2FcM]

Thanks for the advice guys...
I jumped the gun and grabbed the stray hairs out with tweezers last night, with no ill effect yet, although I haven\'t used the brushes other than to paint water on my fingernails to see how they keep a point.

I think I\'ll keep the set, one day the long rigger brush may come in handy on a vehicle or some big chunk of armor.

I actually read a review that said the 8404 was very good, and compared to the Series 7. In addition to that, another brush (A Kersch 3000 or something?) was also said to be great, and made EXACTLY the same as the 8408 model.... which would make me think they are all of great quality.

thanks again for the advice!

 

[J2FcM]

BUMPING


So, after a day of painting... maybe a few hours total. I notice on the 0 Raphael brush, that when it dries the hairs kinda splay apart... although when wet it isn\'t a problem.. is this normal?

Also, what really spurred me into this post, is that I see a stray hair, that wasn\'t there before... Only occasioanlly does it pop out when the brush is wet, and it goes away if I re-form the brush, but should I cut, pull, ignore it? Is it something to be worried about?

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by J2FcM
I actually read a review that said the 8404 was very good, and compared to the Series 7.

Very likely. Series 7 brushes are no longer the gold standard that they once were; it\'s quite possible to get a complete dud.

Originally posted by J2FcM
I notice on the 0 Raphael brush, that when it dries the hairs kinda splay apart... although when wet it isn\'t a problem.. is this normal?

That\'s perfectly normal with some brushes. They do look a bit crap but as long as it goes to a point when wet you\'re fine. This is one reason if you\'re buying brushes in person to ask for water in the shop to check the pointing.

Originally posted by J2FcM
Also, what really spurred me into this post, is that I see a stray hair, that wasn\'t there before... Only occasioanlly does it pop out when the brush is wet, and it goes away if I re-form the brush, but should I cut, pull, ignore it?

I have one brush that does this; if it happens more often than not I\'d remove it. It\'s not what I\'d call normal but you do see it, just an example of the natural variation you get with brushes made by hand.

Einion

 

[JakeSh]

I just wanted to toss this out there...

Last time I was at my art shop I finally remembered to buy brush soap. This stuff is great. I used it on brushes I thought were clean and old dried up paint came out of the ferrule. I fully recommend the stuff to anyone.

 

[Einion]

Jake, you\'re probably not rinsing your brushes well enough during painting. Try a double-bath system with a few drops of dishwashing liquid in each jar of water:
rinse thoroughly periodically during painting in one (usually the larger one);
tap off the excess;
then rinse again in the second.

So you\'re cleaning dirty water from your brush - that \'dirt\' IS paint residue after all - and also provides your thinning water, which will stay clean for extended periods*.

As far as brush soaps go, it is worth actually washing brushes every now and then but I wouldn\'t recommend you do this after every painting session as it would tend to shorten their life, a lot.

*Weeks even.

Einion

 

[J2FcM]

Do you think something like \"The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver\" would cause a shortened brush life? It claims to keep brushes like new and also says to keep the brush in a clear lather for extra conditioning... And that\'s what I\'ve been using rather frequently on my new Kolinskys

 

[Beelzebrush]

I\'ve recently started using Pro Arte\'s prolene plus brushes... they\'re brilliant for mini painting. I still use series 7 but less and less as the prolene brushes seem to give me better results - weird really, I\'ve always been a firm believer in sable being better ???

 

[DaRat]

I\'ve been using Masters Brush Cleaner religiously (after every session), and my W&N Series 7 #2 is fine after a year of use. I do also use hair conditioner every other session or two to help restore the oils.

Dishwashing liquid is bad for the hair bristles since it is designed to remove oils and grease. Removing oils from the bristles is a bad thing.