Fine detail brushes.

[Guest]

What make and type of brushes do you use for fine detail work. I have Windsor & Newton 000, 00 , 0 but find them to flexible when applying very small amounts of paint eg 1/35 figures etc. To paint detail and highlites into a face is almost impossible as the bristles just flex instead of deploying the small quantity of paint on the brush tip.


Any thoughts please

[dave]

I always use a Windsor and Newton Series 7 size 0, for nearly all my fine work. which includes 28mm figures.  I do use smaller brushes most notably a 00 but generally find no need to go smaller.  A big problem with the smaller brushes is that they do not hold the paint as well and the flow to the tip can be erratic.


I know there are some issues with quality reported on the W&N series 7 but I have had no trouble, I also have a Raphael which is  good, but have had splitting issues with Da Vinci brushes.

[Guest]

I use a Daler Rowney spotter brush 10/0, it keeps its shape very well and does not flex to much

[monica]

I find the trick for me is with a fine brush is ,not to get one with long bristles,on it,but shortish,medium or short,


at the moment,I,m using a Vallejo 0/5 and its doing a good job,or if not that,some think in my price range

[Guest]

A good tip for using detail brushes.


Dip the brush in water first then blot it on a piece of tissue paper so that you have a small amount of water in the brush,then load the brush with paint and away you go.


I do this often because it does stop the flexing of the brush(which is caused by the paint drying quickly) and also slightly thins the paint.


The above is for using acrylics.


For enamels use white spirit etc instead of the water.

[stona]

I use Pro Arte brushes, 2/0 down to 5/0 for detail painting. I find they last well if you look after them, but once they've had it, they've had it


I too moisten the brush with some thinners (white spirits in my case) before picking up the paint, I find it helps the paint to fill the brush, the last thing you want is a bead of paint on the brush tip!


Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

I only have one 000, and mostly use 0 and 00 for detailing, and, like Steve, I use ProArte. This is mainly because when there are so few hairs on a brush of this size, any sort of firmness is very important to me, only the very best sable can compete, but here we see the law of diminishing returns! This all being said, I don't do ultra-fine detailing like, say, Ralph, and I suspect that this would require top drawer sable. The beauty of Pro Arte to me is that they are very high quality (if, like me, you go through every one in the rack  ) at a really affordable price, and if you have a really robust cleaning regime*, they'll go for a long while. I also have a large collection of W&N Cotman brushes, which are pretty decent too. One final tip though (see what I did there?) is that if you have a series 7 W&N sable brush at size 2 or 3, the tip will be of an extra high quality and is therefore very suitable for really fine detailing - requires a different technique, but it works!


*after using a size 00 to paint road tyres on 1/35 tank wheels, I'll spend a minimum of 10 minutes cleaning that brush

[Guest]

And to add to that, never mix your colours with your best brushes, it'll only ensure that you get a build-up of paint at the ferrule, which will quickly ruin the springiness. Get a few packs of these:





cheap as chips and perfect for mixing, and great for washes etc too!

[Guest]

I have a lot of old cheap 0000 Brushes from various unknown Manufacturers which have relinquished a lot of their Bristles over the years.  





I accidentally left one of my age-old Brushes over-night without cleaning it after applying an Ultra-Thin Acrylic Clear Varnish. (Humbrol’s “Clear” to be exact) It was not entirely rigid the following day but was perfect for just getting tiny amounts of Paint on it. Serendipity perhaps?

[zuludog]

I have found that synthetic bristles are not quite as flexible as sable. Try a few makes to get the one that suits you

Trim back ie shorten the bristles carefully

Extent the ferrule by wrapping it with a strip of masking tape

[Tom Rigg]

When cleaning sable brushes, I occasionally rub hair conditioner into the bristles after a thorough cleaning and then give them a good rinse after about a minute.
Tom

[Guest]

I read the review of this brush in Tamiya Model Magazine and just arrived from the UK today. Haven't try them out though, but read many positive reviews about them.
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[Thorbrand]

Ive used a thinly shaved cocktail stick before for really fine detail. I use the Tamiya brushes with the tri sided handle for my detail work but i am thinking about getting some better quality ones.

[Peter]

There are a lot of good tips here. I like the pre-moist the brush first and using a shorter length bristles.
There is another approach too, similar to glazing. It requires more solvent than pigment to make the paint flow easier. But you may need to apply more than one coat.