Finest brush????

Sometimes the best "brush" isn't. A brush, that is!

Try using a toothpick, or a piece of sprue sharpened to the size you want. Sometimes all it takes is a little dab in the right spot. Toothpicks have a tendency to soak up more paint then they dispense. What I do to alleviate that problem is to smear white glue on, wipe off and let dry. The white glue soaks into the wood and hardens.

I concur with Bill... I've used everything from toothpicks, a piece of fine wire or the tip of an old airbrush needle etc to "dot the "I" on something... usually though I rarely need anything bigger than a 10/0 brush.  I just wet the very tip of the brush with the paint, brace my hand on something with the model or part on a steady surface and just use the very end of it to dab on the part.  (of course this requires a magnifying visor)

I might have to go over it about 5 times to get it opaque enough but it rarely fails me.

    If you still want a brush, the best out there are windsor and Newton series 7 red sable brushes #0  through 000. 000 being the finest. look for them at good art stores or online at Dick blick art supplies  you will be amazed at how much better these are than anyting made by testors ar that is available in hobby shops.

I sent an email to Windsor & Newton a few years ago asking about the size rating for brushes.  According to the answer I got there is no consistency from one manufacturer to another so one companies #0000 may be the same size as another company's #10x0.  The point being to actually look at a brush and not just the size numbers when comparing one company's brushes to another.

Personally I use Crown (I think that's the brand) #20x0 brushes for fine detail.  If they start to act up or fray I trim them with a razor blade to get them back like I want.

No matter how careful you are with fine brushes they don't seem to keep their shape for long. I have taken to smearing them when past their best with super glue which holds the bristles together, reforms a point, and acts almost like a Rotring pen for fine lining.

Using this method I have had some sucess with painting the fine balusters on the Heller 1:100 scale model Victory.

There might not be an exact consistency in the size rating, but it can be used as a general guide when asking for a certain brush size. Each companies #0000 might be a hair or two different in size, but it will be kind of close... oop's, no pun intended.

I have some that are as small as (and marked) 30/0 and 0000. I found them at an art store, well my wife did, she paints oil on canvas. If I have to paint anything smaller than that, it's time to dig out the toothpicks and start whittling LOL.

Another note regarding brush sizes. It also depends on the shape and taper of the bristles, meaning what type of brush style. There's flat, round, short round, script, filbert, etc...

There might not be an exact consistency in the size rating, but it can be used as a general guide when asking for a certain brush size. Each companies #0000 might be a hair or two different in size, but it will be kind of close... oop's, no pun intended.

Not always, that's what prompted my email to Windsor & Newton.  I had a 0000 brush made by some company (can't remember who now) that was smaller than a 10x0 made by Windsor & Newton.  I wrote to ask if there was any consistency among companies because I was confused since these two brushes seemed to be reversed.  It could well have been because they could have been different shapes.  They said in their email that the numbers should only be used to compare brush sizes from the same company.

MusicCity wrote:

There might not be an exact consistency in the size rating, but it can be used as a general guide when asking for a certain brush size. Each companies #0000 might be a hair or two different in size, but it will be kind of close... oop's, no pun intended. Not always, that's what prompted my email to Windsor & Newton.  I had a 0000 brush made by some company (can't remember who now) that was smaller than a 10x0 made by Windsor & Newton.  I wrote to ask if there was any consistency among companies because I was confused since these two brushes seemed to be reversed.  It could well have been because they could have been different shapes.  They said in their email that the numbers should only be used to compare brush sizes from the same company.

Humm... I've never found a 10/0 to be the same size as a 0000 even within the same companies line. I was under the assumption that sizes went 10/0, 20/0, 30/0 (for certain bristle shapes) and 00, 000, 0000 (for another bristle shape). Some brands only used the 30/0 sizing while another only used 00's. I asked at the art store and the owner told me it has to do with the type/bristle shape of the brush. At least that's how the brushes were at the arts store. But if you were to take a 0000 script liner brush from two different companies, sure the size might be a bit different but not too over whelming.

At least that's what I was told by a few art people.