Paint brushes

[coolhand]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone can recommend a decent set of flat paint brushes? I brush paint all my kits and I think changing to a better brush will help me improve the finish I get. Also any tips on achieving a good finish with a brush are most welcome. I currently use enamels but am starting to tamiya and model colour acrylics.

Cheers

Andy

[Hotel Papa]

but am starting to tamiya ... acrylics.

Bad idea if you want to brush paint. The consensus is that they spray great, but are awful with the brush. I certainly can back that from personal experience.

For flat brushes I use synthetic filament. I mostly use them for future, though, so not the full range of brush painting.

[Abacus]

Why not check google and youtube, there is a wealth of guidance and tutorials on the questions you ask, then you can make your informed decision. While a great paint for spraying and readily available, Tamiya are not worth the aggravation trying to brush. Aidan

[Mitch K]

Try Rosemary and Co (http://www.rosemaryandco.com/). I use her sable and Kolinsky rounds, but they carry a variety of flats as well.

[sean]

Try Daler Rowney Aquafine, they're for watercolours but I use them with Humbrol Enamels and found them to excellent,

Sean

[paul178]

Quick answer Tamiya is hopeless for brushing and on brushes get as selelection of flat ones

[georgeusa]

I am just learning to use an airbrush, but have used hairy sticks to paint models for decades. I prefer sable or camel hair. My best recommendation is get the highest quality brush you can afford. Taken care of properly they last for years. A high quality brush will make painting far easier. As far as paints go, I try to stick to enamels in the humbol, testor, model master line.

[John Laidlaw]

what sean and georgeusa said. I'd also add that good watercolour brushes, particularly flat ones, are great for acrylics - make sure the paint is thinned sufficiently, and consider using a flow improver/retarder.

[Max Headroom]

Another 'NO!' from me to brush paint Tamiya

My only other advice it not to load your brush with too much paint, so as to give a good thick wallop of paint. Acrylics tend in my experience not to be as opaque as enamels, so more but thinner coats is the order of the day. Acrylics dry much quicker meaning that more than one coat per evening may be possible.

Good luck and post your results!

Trevor

[JohnT]

I am just learning to use an airbrush, but have used hairy sticks to paint models for decades. I prefer sable or camel hair. My best recommendation is get the highest quality brush you can afford. Taken care of properly they last for years. A high quality brush will make painting far easier. As far as paints go, I try to stick to enamels in the humbol, testor, model master line.

Agree with George 100% - Being an old fud I pre date airbrushes in the hobby and had to use a hairy stick. There is a world of difference between a good quality - hence expensive - brush finish and that from a cheap one. Also as George says a quality one, if looked after and cleaned, will last ages.

[sean]

As John says, well cleaned brushes make a world of difference, I have three egg cups for this,

First clean the excess paint off, first cup with a paint cleaner of your choice to get rid of the paint

second cup with more paint cleaner to get rid of the dirty stuff from the first cup

and then a cup of water with a small amount of Fairy liquid, just a tiny bit

and your brushes should be as good as new

Sean

[oggy4624]

a drop of washing up liquid in the Tamiya bottle helps if you have to brush paint .