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| Segregate the brushes used for water-based paints from those used for oils by keeping them in a separate brush box. For lettering with Ronan water-based lettering enamels, many sign writers recommend Langnickel Nocturna brushes. |
By Jim Hingst @hingst_jim
For the longest time
I had adhered to the rule of thumb that when choosing paint brushes you used
natural hair brushes for oil paint and synthetic brushes for acrylic paint. You
won’t go wrong with that advice, but that may be an oversimplification. So much
for rules of thumb. That rule should be modified.
The reason that
synthetic brushes are often used for painting with acrylics is that the hairs are
not damaged after soaking in water. The synthetic fibers also are durable if
acrylic paint partially dries in the brush. Let’s face it, acrylic paint dries
really fast and can subject the brush to extremely damaging conditions. The
animal hair used in making natural hair brushes, on the other hand, can absorb
water. Soaking these brushes in water for a long period of time can ruin the
natural hairs.
There’s one type of natural hair brush that works great for either oil or acrylic paint. These are hog bristle brushes. If you are working with thick acrylic paint, hog bristle brushes are stiff enough to push the paint around the paint surface. Their coarseness will also impart a texture if you are painting in an impasto style. Or if you are employing a dry brush technique, the bristle brushes are great for scrubbing the paint into the surface.
While some artists will use other types of natural hair brushes, such as those made with squirrel or mink (sable) hair, when painting with acrylics, the brushes really do not hold up well. The acidic nature of acrylic paint gradually damages natural hairs. What’s more, these brushes are, for most people, too expensive for this application.
When painting with acrylics, you are better off using synthetic or bristle brushes.Synthetic brushes are not only more cost effective and more durable, but they are also easier to clean. Just as there are varying degrees of quality when selecting natural hair brushes, there is a wide assortment of synthetic brushes. Some of these brushes provide very good performance. Others are of lower quality. In purchasing brushes, the best advice is to buy the best brush that you can afford.
About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.
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