Humbrol brush packs

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So i need some new brushes for years ive bought rubbish brushes treated them badley then i bought an airbrush use it for almost everything so no ive decided to get so mabye mid line brushes for the bits i do brush paint ive been looking at the humbrol packs priced em up on amzon and can get all brush sets for £25 and then some brush restore to keep em nice my question is will they be good for what i need em for ??
 

papa 695

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There not the best brushes James but will do the job, but you must look after them.
I myself use Windsor and Newton brushes.
 
A

Awins

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So i need some new brushes for years ive bought rubbish brushes treated them badley then i bought an airbrush use it for almost everything so no ive decided to get so mabye mid line brushes for the bits i do brush paint ive been looking at the humbrol packs priced em up on amzon and can get all brush sets for £25 and then some brush restore to keep em nice my question is will they be good for what i need em for ??
Ive got some of these brushes and find they are fine. The bristles have suffered on mine and I am very careful when it comes to cleaning and storeing. I now use Abteilung 502 as my preferred brush.
 

Mr Bowcat

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I started with Humbrol brushes, and they are OK, but I am slowly replacing them with Windsor & Newton, which are superior.
 
J

John Rixon

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They're OK, some of them are good, but suspect QC isn't what it used to be! Good prolene beats mediocre sable in my book, any day, and Winsor & Newton Cotman, and Galeria brushes are really decent for the money. Horses for courses, as ever!
 
J

Jens Andrée

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I've yet to try Winsor & Newton since my go to online hobby store only has got the short shafted ones in stock - whatever that means in reality?
How short are the short ones and how long are the long ones? I can't tell from the pictures...

I recently bought one Rotmarder-Kolinsky Springer Pinsel from Germany and compared to my set of Humbrol brushes, it was like comparing an old Volvo to a Ferrari!
This is impressive since these brushes are still in the economy range I think. I bought them for £4 each but you can get them for almost half of that in Germany.

It has suffered somewhat and I suspect my cellulose thinner might have something to do with this? I use it daily though and for that price I'm not too worried. I've also bought isopropanol which I'm going to use from now.
I've mainly used Tamiya paints, but it's used for enamel paints too. Might not be a good idea... I clean all of them carefully and store them properly.

So if you're on a tight budget but want a brush that feels fantastic and it's got a really sharp point, I can recommend these.
I do understand now why you shouldn't buy cheap brushes... Although I'm still using a cheap-ish one.
 
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Jens,
I regularly rub hair conditioner into my brushes (although, looking at your avatar pic you might not have any laying around :smiling3: ), leave a while and then thoroughly rinse it out and make sure the brush is shaped properly into a point before storing. True, it probably won't help with cellulose thinners but it will with iso
Tom
 
J

Jens Andrée

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Hahaha Tom, no I don't have any conditioner at home... :D
What I've done up til now is that after using a brush and are going to store it I wet the brush with cellulose thinner, spin just the tip of the brush on paper (to shape the point) and then let it dry for a couple of seconds until the thinner has vaporised, then I put the protective tube back over the brush and store it standing up.

Perhaps there's some residue left inside the bundle of hairs which could be what's causing the tip to split when using very little paint, but it can also be as simple as the brush is getting worn?
I'm not sure how much cellulose thinner eats hair but I'm just shifting over to iso so I'm going to have to evaluate that and how it affects my brushes?

Using a conditioner isn't a bad idea though since the brush is exactly that - hair! ;)
 
J

John Rixon

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Cellulose thinners won't harm your brushes, warm to hot water will destroy them instantly, as will not cleaning them thoroughly after every painting session. The main culprit is build up at the base of the ferrule, and this starts as soon as you use a brand new brush - and its this that forces the hairs to divide into two or more bundles. Easy to clean, just takes time. When the main body of paint has been washed out, switch to a clean source of thinners, soak, the brush, then work your thumbnail firmly, from the ferrule edge, towards the point of the brush, working your way round the whole circumference of the ferrule, then dip back into the thinners, to wash away what you've just disturbed, then press carefully into a paper towel. Repeat this a few times, and if you've been doing this from new, it'll keep them good for years. Note, this takes a lot longer to explain than to do!
 
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If I have a bigger brush that's going bad. Just to save throwing it away, I remove the outer circumference of bristles by rolling the brush with a sharp knife held against the very edge of the ferrule. (like cutting pipe)
I like to keep some old brushes like this. Not for detail work so much but...sometimes they come in handy!
Tom
 
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