Sable brush feel -- more friction than Golden Taklon?

[fieldarchy]

Mine last way longer than my synthetics ever did. I was doing so much painting that my synthetics would need to be replaced in a few months time. I have my sables for at least a year . . . I paint every night and they do take a lot of wear and tear. I do still have have sables that I use that are two years old. I use them for basecoats because the tip is less precise after being used so much. You have to take really good care of them though in order for them to last.

[vutpakdi]

Sables can wear out faster than a similarly used synthetic if you don't take care of them properly. If you don't wash the sable brush or use dish soap to wash the sable brush, then it will fritz out and splay faster than a synthetic will.

 

Ron

[PurityThruFire]

When I purchase my brushes and get them home I fist wash them with Masters brush soap.

Then I use some of my GF's fancy-schmancy hair conditioner on them and leave it in for about 2 minutes.

Then I rinse them out and work some Masters brush soap into the bristles, point them and leave them to dry.

 

Every day when I finish up painting I wash them out in the brush soap and again, work some into the bristles, point them and leave them to dry.

 

About every 3 weeks or so I take all my brushes (whether I've used them or not), clean them with Masters, do the whole conditioner thing like I do when I first get them, work th brush soap into the bristles, point and dry.

 

This has been quite effective for my natural hair brushes, it keeps them performing like new everytime. I find the conditioner really keeps them feeling like a new brush, I've also found that the conditioner really helps with some of my more sub-par brushes. I did the whole conditioner thing on my Vallejo sables every 2 days for about a month and slowly they transformed from brushes I hated into brushes that I use during every painting session.

 

Take care of your sables and they will take care of you.

I'll never go back to synthetics for anything but drybrushing and spreading glue...well...and terrain too but that's a whole other story.

[vutpakdi]

I've also found that the conditioner really helps with some of my more sub-par brushes. I did the whole conditioner thing on my Vallejo sables every 2 days for about a month and slowly they transformed from brushes I hated into brushes that I use during every painting session.

 

Hehe, I've had the same experience with my Reaper Kolisnky brushes. I hated them when I initially got them and switched to synthetics (before picking up W&N S7's). About 5 months ago, I started forcing myself to use them again on a lark (after doing the clean and condition routine), and, over time, they've become very well behaved. The point still isn't quite as good as the S7's, but they are quite usable.

 

Ron

[Joe Kutz]

 

(Picture Quality isn't the greatest...didn't feel like grabbing the tripod and setting up a holder for the brushes, so you have shaky brushes and a shaky camera in poor lighting)

 

Four brushes - 2 synthetic, one Kolinsky, one mixed sable. All well over 5 years old with probably close to 200 hours of painting on each brush (the mixed weasel butt hair brush is nearly 12 years old). Out of all of them, the Kolinsky is the next on the list to be replaced (another month or so I would guess).

 

I've really only had to replace brushes when I screw up/do something they are not meant to do. Let paint dry in the ferrule/bristles...use it for stabbing paint into crevices...painting over very heavily textured materials. Proper care and use is important with any brushes - and if you buy a cheap brush, don't expect it to last very long.

[eastman]

I bought 3 sizes but was using the Series 7 #0.

 

The difference in feel is using the same dollup of paint, so thickness shouldn't be an issue. And generally I don't want it so thin that I lose opacity; I want to cover in one coat, not make translucent layers. I would like to wet blend.

 

Maybe the sable fibers do need to be broken in before they get soft & smooth.

 

Lately, I've been using wet blending as one of my main techniques (along with tube watercolors for freehand, but that's another story). The consistency I use for wet blending is very similar to basecoating (only with more drying retarder). It certainly isn't "cover in one coat" thick.

 

(and my S7 brushes have outlasted any synthetics I've used by by at least a factor of 100 - they are over 3 years old and only the size 1 is in need of replacing)

[Enchantra]

I use both nylons and W&N 7's. I use my nylons for basecoating as per Anne's amazing recommendation. I save my W&N 7's for the detail work like layering, eyes, and freehand as thinned paint flows better off W&N 7's as they were originally designed for watercolors. Basecoat consistency paint won't flow as well off the sables and over time can wear them down. I aim to keep my W&N 7's in tip top shape for a while, and after each use I wash them with warm water and soap, reshape them with my fingers and make sure to replace the cap and then place them into my tacklebox full of paint supplies.

[aquila]

i know exactly what you mean and i tend to prefer the feel of a synthetic over a sable although i'll never trade my sable for the point. can't beat the point. i think painters appreciate a sable brush more if they use very thin layers of paint to build colors up. there's where the sable's ability to hold a good amount of paint comes into play but since i prefer to wet blend more i tend to like the firmer feel of a synthetic.

[Cerridwyn1st]

Whether sable or synthetic, I find a difference in shape as well. I really like cat's tounge, AKA filberts for basecoating. I often end up using rounds, though, since I have a lot more rounds than filberts.

 

If you are not familiar with this shape, it is a flat that comes to a point. This allows the brush to hold a lot of paint but still give you precision in applying it.

Edited September 12, 2007 by Cerridwyn1st

[Arkblade]

I have both the Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes as well as the Winsor & Newton Series 7 Miniature brushes. Basically they are the same brushes only the miniatures are shorter bristles. Both perform extremely well and last a long time if you take care of them properly. Synthetics also perform well if you use and take care of them properly. I haven't noticed either expiring any sooner or later than any other brushes...but I will say that the kolinsky brushes offer better control, for me personally.