really nice brush set as a gift, are they safe to use with my paints?

[MrMiles]

my wife got me a really nice paint brush set as a gift this year, but im a bit concerned the brush might get destroyed with what paint i use.  the brushes are kolinsky sable. i use tamiya, model master metallizer, vallejo and ak interactive.  i also just ordered a set of the ak interactive metal xtreme paints, but they havent arrived yet

i typically use brush painting for the metal stuff like exhaust, or manifolds, transmission, etc.

are kolinsky sable brushes safe to use with these brands of paint? i dont want to destroy them, but i really would like to use them for my car models, since this is what i typically build. in the past all of my brushes were like 1 dollar each

 

i tried google and it said kolinsky sable are good for oil paints and water paints, but i dont know what that means for acrylic vs enamel vs laquer, is it the same thing?

Edited October 28, 2021 by MrMiles

[Paul Payne]

I have used natural bristle (animal hair) brushes for years. Some of my brushes are 35 years old and good as new. I have used them for Testors enamels, laquers, water based craft paints, and have cleaned them with brush cleaner and even acetone with no problems. Enjoy your nice brushes- you will be using them for years!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

These are great brushes, and should last years for our model purposes if cared for properly. 

[MrMiles]

Thank you. The set comes with brush soap, a brush cleaner for stuck on paint, and a brush conditioner. 

 

It has a nice box to protect them. Its really a nice set. 

[Oldcarfan27]

Take care of them and hug your wife, that's a nice gift!

[TransAmMike]

 

2 hours ago, MrMiles said:

my wife got me a really nice paint brush set as a gift this year, but im a bit concerned the brush might get destroyed with what paint i use.  the brushes are kolinsky sable. i use tamiya, model master metallizer, vallejo and ak interactive.  i also just ordered a set of the ak interactive metal xtreme paints, but they havent arrived yet

i typically use brush painting for the metal stuff like exhaust, or manifolds, transmission, etc.

are kolinsky sable brushes safe to use with these brands of paint? i dont want to destroy them, but i really would like to use them for my car models, since this is what i typically build. in the past all of my brushes were like 1 dollar each

 

i tried google and it said kolinsky sable are good for oil paints and water paints, but i dont know what that means for acrylic vs enamel vs laquer, is it the same thing?

How 'bout a picture Miles.

[Mark]

The main killer of paint brushes IMO, is dipping them too far into the paint.  No more than the first 1/3 of the bristle makes them much easier to keep clean. 

[Skip]

Quick answer, yes, for the enamels and lacquers.   Although for water base acrylics I prefer a synthetic brush (they call them a synthetic Sable and other catchy names to let you know they are fake fur).   For me being a pin striper and sign writer, my feeling is that the synthetic fiber brushes have more snap to them than a natural hair brush does, even the Kolinsky, that's just my opinion.  I also don't use a brush for both solvent base paint and water based paints, it's a one or the other use.  While on the subject of Acrylics, we are talking water base acrylic paint not Acrylic Enamel or Urethane.  

Water base and Acrylic paints especially acrylics are very hard on natural hair brushes, they perform well but they are hard on the hair behind the ferrule.   Kolinsky brushes first and foremost are a high end water color brush so they are going to perform amazingly with water colors.  Acrylic paint wicks under the ferrule and begins breaking down the natural hair fibers in time the individual hairs will snap at the ferrule.   If you want to use them with water base acrylic paints then periodically deep clean them with an ultrasonic cleaner, the paint residue just seems to boil out from under the ferrule!  Clean and dry the brush by dipping in clean water and gently drawing it through a clean dry cloth until the brush is dry, shape with your fingers and either lay flat or stand it on its handle end.  Water color brushes can be stored with a light coating of brush soap in them to retain their shape, just wash it out before use.

Enamels, Enamel / lacquer thinner, Lacquers, as long as the brush is properly cleaned it should last you for years.  I have a few in my sign kit that were given to me as an 18 year old apprentice sign writer.  They are fast approaching fifty years old, still as limber and snappy as they were when I got them!  They have always been cleaned using a three pot cleaning system, (dirty, sorta dirty, clean).  The natural bristles have never had their hair pulled hard either, a light tug is all that it takes as you draw the cleaned brush through a soft cloth.  Paper towels are for wiping up spills and messes not cleaning brushes. They will leave lint behind in the brush that will adhere the the hair only to come out the next time you are using the brush. 

This is optional for modeling but helps the brush fight against paint build up under the ferrule.  Once the brush is cleaned, dip the brush in either pure Neatsfoot oil or (most common) mineral oil, then draw it through a soft cloth, shape the brush with your fingers store either laying flat or standing on the end of the handle.  Never, ever, stand any brush on its bristle end, it will pick  up a bend that although you can work out you'll wish you hadn't!

If you oiled the brush, clean it before use by dipping into lacquer thinner and lightly drawing it through a soft cloth until it looks like it just got a shampoo when dry.  You may hear some pin stripers and sigh writers mention using transmission fluid as a brush oil.  It works but most transmission fluid now days have detergents in them that are hard on the brush.  Most of the older sign guys like myself are of the opinion that the detergents harm the brush.  (Read that experience tells us, leave the transmission fluid in the automatic transmission not your brush!)