HAIR TYPES

The most important part of an artists' brush is the hair that picks up and spreads the paint onto the surface. Keeping this in mind, Grumbacher carefully selects the hairs and bristles that will work the best for the artist. Every Grumbacher brush is handmade for a specific purpose. "Hair" is very different from bristle - its soft texture and shape enable it to hold fluid color. The main types of hair used in Grumbacher's artists' brushes are listed below.

Kolinsky red sable is the prized hair because it has a needle sharp point, responds to the hand with resilience and snap, and holds paint generously. Its soft texture, sharp taper and responsiveness makes it ideal for all fluid applications and detail. Weasel hair is an alternative to the Kolinsky hair. It is usually reddish-brown in color compared to the Kolinsky which is golden brown. Weasel hair has good points and full bellies but is shorter than Kolinsky hair.

Badger hair is conic shaped and has a thick belly high near the point with the root section being relatively thin. It has traditionally been used for malting the blending brushes used in oil painting.

Squirrel hair is very fine and relatively thin with a conic shape and thick belly. It possesses a good point but has very little snap because the hair is not very resilient. However, the hair is very absorbent and works very well with liquid paints, inks and dyes. Grumbacher uses three kinds of squirrel hair in their brushes; blue (talaoutky), black and brown.

Sabeline is made with natural, light ox hair. It has great tensile strength and is springy and soft but lacks the sharp taper of sable. It is a good choice for fluid paint.

Camel hair is a trade term for squirrel, goat and/or pony hair.
Bristle is generally the best choice for oil and acrylic painters who work with heavy bodied paint and need a strong brush. It is durable, strong, manipulates heavy paint easily and has a unique taper not found in natural hair. It develops its flow action from the flags (split ends) characteristic to bristle. This is what grabs the heavy paint and holds it in the brush.

Synthetic (manufactured) hairs and bristles are not all alike. They are currently available in many different colors: white, sable brown, orange-brown and black. Grumbacher currently manufactures synthetic hair brushes in all of these colors. Synthetic hair has no flags, but are grooved or ridged to provide flow. Our synthetic bristle, Bristlette is widely accepted by artists as ideal for acrylics. It has just the right strength and spring and stands up to vigorous painting. Oil painters prefer Bristlette because it saves on the wear and tear of natural bristle. Bristlette is preferable to natural hair for mural and large scale painting because it does not wear out as fast as natural hair brushes.

Synthetic sable, Erminette, and Golden Edge is softer, working well in fluid paint. The Control Plus synthetic is ideal for decorative acrylics in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Blended hairs are a mixture of natural and synthetic hair. This type of brush gives the artist more control with a better point. Our Sable Essence brushes which contain red sable can be used for oils, acrylics and watercolor techniques. Others, like Keepsake have been crafted specifically for liquid acrylics and are soft enough to work well with the viscosity of these paints.

HANDLES

The handles of Grumbacher brushes are made of well-seasoned wood, neatly finished, decorated with colorful lacquers and securely fastened to the ferrule. Many of our student grade brushes are Imported. Each shipment received from abroad, regardless of the color of the handles, is sent to an independent laboratory for testing of lead and other heavy metals. If any brushes are above the threshold limitations, they are immediately rejected.

FERRULES

Ferrules of the better grade brushes are seamless, avoiding unevenness in the hair and the possible opening of seams. Those which are chromium or nickel plated are not made of tin, but of seamless brass or copper, and will not rust.
Great care is taken in all these brushes to have the ferrules tightly filled with the hair, in order to get the ml effect of the elasticity of the hair used. At the same time, the setting compound, which holds the hair together, is not permitted to extend quite to the top of the ferrule, so that the brush will yield to the required degree when in use. This makes it necessary to use somewhat longer hair, but the difference in cost is more than counterbalanced by the greater efficiency of the brush.

Due to present market conditions, it may prove impossible for us always to provide the metal ferrules exactly as described in this catalog, but every effort will be made to do so. In the event substitutions are made, we want you to know it is necessary due to causes beyond our control.