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KOLINSKY The very best hair for artist brushes is from the tail of the
Kolinsky (Mustela siberica). This bushy-tailed weasel lives in
Siberia and Northern China, and is trapped in the wild as opposed
to raised on farms as Mink is today. The extremely cold climates of
Siberia provide the highest quality Kolinsky hair, which is taken
from the tail of the male, winter coat. It is quite expensive.
Brushes made with quality Kolinsky hair provide the artist with
control that surpasses all other brushes. Also, a well made Kolinsky
brush will consistently snap back to a point in use. Also see
What Is A Kolinsky.
SABLE Almost equivalent to the Kolinsky, Sable hair is used extensively in
artist brushes. (Sable and Kolinsky hair look similar but the Kolinsky
is darker at the tips, especially when wet.) A good Sable brush also
points and snaps well, and therefore is a good substitute for a Kolinsky
at a slightly lower price. Sable hair is a bit stiffer than Kolinsky hair
and so is preferable for some applications.
Our Pure Red Sable watercolor and oil-painting brushes are made with
the very finest red sable hair. However, the hair used in our Series 17A
and Series 17B Ceramist, and our Series 8B Short Chisel brushes is
'dressed' to produce a stiffer or firmer head. These brushes have greater
point support which is is so desirable in ceramic work (sculpturing teeth
in dental laboratories), and in the legendary short chisel brushes.
SYNTHETIC Synthetic 'hair' is not real hair, but polymer filaments made to look and
act like hair. These are available in a variety of diameters, lengths,
colors, stiffnesses, and qualities. All of our Synthetic brushes are made
with the topmost quality filaments, a mix of several diameters, and are
tapered at the tips.
Our Golden Synthetics (Series 2-) are made with soft filaments to feel
and perform like Sable hair. Our Firm White Synthetics (Series 7-) are
the same except that the filaments are a bit stiffer to satisfy preferences
of many artists. Our Strong White Synthetics (Series 3-) are long-handle
brushes with very stiff filaments intended for acrylic painting.
SABELINE Sabeline is OX hair dyed to resemble Sable. It is a bit stiffer and coarser
than Sable, and less expensive. In watercolor, Sabeline brushes can
be used in place of Sable, where suitable, to save 'wear and tear' of
the more costly Sable brushes.
HOG BRISTLE Hog Bristle is the traditional hair for oil-painting brushes. It is very
stiff and each hair divides into several 'flags' at its tip as opposed to
a fine point as Sable does. Because Hog hair has a natural curve, two
bundles, facing each other, are used to make a brush. The finest quality
Hog Bristle comes from Chungking China and can be identified, after
'dressing', by a beautiful sheen. For the finer work in a painting, an
artist usually turns to Sable brushes.
GOAT Goat hair is very soft, has minimal resilience, and is inexpensive. It
is most usually found in the classic Hake brushes made in the Orient.
PONY Pony hair is from the mane of young horses (ponies). It is very
fine and soft, and is the typical hair used in the traditional Cosmetic
Brush. The finest-quality pony hair is excellent for blending, such as
in our Series 80 Pony Blender. It is also used in the hair-mixtures
of inexpensive brushes, typically referred to as 'camel hair' brushes.
SQUIRREL Squirrel hair is extremely soft and more fragile than other hairs. Its
holding capacity (for water or color) is unsurpassed, and is so fine that
a stroke will leave no voids nor hair tracks. Unlike kolinsky hair,
however, squirrel hair has no 'spring'. The very best squirrel is
Kazan which is used for the finest brushes. Blue squirrel is almost
as fine, and is also used in fine brushes. Squirrel mops typically
use a 'squirrel mix' which is squirrel mixed with a small percentage
of other hairs to achieve the desired 'mop' performance.
OX Ox hair is taken from the ears of oxen. It is coarser and stiffer
than sable, and less costly. The coarser 'dark ox' hair is used for
stippler and stenciling brushes and the like. The finer 'light ox'
hair is used for fine varnish and mottler brushes. Also, dyed
'light ox' hair is used to make sabeline brushes.
BADGER Badger hair is available in many grades and of course,
corresponding costs. We use only the very top grade Badger hair. Top grade Badger
is very soft at the tips which makes it excellent for blending - especially in oil
painting. It is also used extensively in 'faux' painting , decorating walls or
furniture in homes.
SABLE-SYNTHETIC MIX This blend of high quality Red Sable hair and firmer Synthetic filaments
yields a unique brush that has the fine control of Sable with extra firmness.
It is useful in smaller sizes where a firmer point is desired.
MONGOOSE Mongoose fills the need for a hair that is stiffer than sable, but not as stiff
and coarse as hog bristle. The mongoose is found mainly in Africa and India
(and one species in the West Indies where a cute Calypso song tells of the
"Sly Mongoose"). We offer high quality Pure Mongoose Brushes for oil
painting (long-handle), but these fine brushes can also be useful for acrylic or
any medium.
 
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