Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-2, страница 24
Finishing If you're serious about finishing. you should probably own at least one high quality, natural bristle varnish brush, and take the extra time and effort required to keep it in top shape. While a good natural bristle varnish brush can be expensive—from $8 to well over $30, depending on size and quality—you'll be rewarded with a tool that provides professional, predictable results and one that will be a joy to use. And, if properly maintained, a top-quality varnish brush should last through many uses. Of course, you can get away with not using a bristle brush at all. You could finish all your projects with wiping stains, tung oil. Danish oil, clear wipe-on gel finishes, or similar cloth-applied finishes, and get excellent results. Even if you decide to finish your project with an oil-based varnish, polyurethane or other clear topcoat, you need only buy a handful of inexpensive dis- by James Barrett posable foam brushes, then throw them out after use. Alter all. cleaning a brush requires extra work. And, in the case of solvent-based finishes, you'll probably go through several ounces of solvent each time you clean the brush. In most cases, though, if you want a fine finish, you'll need a good bristle brush. What Is A Varnish Brush? "It's a brush for applying varnishes." you say. True, but when you visit your brush dealer or thumb through brush manufacturer's catalogs, you'll usually find that bristle brushes used for applying paints and varnishes, whether natural or synthetic bristle, fall into three basic categories: wall brushes, angular sash brushes, and varnish brushes. The difference between the three is in the width of the brush, the amount of bristles used, and the shape of the bristles at the working end of the brush. The traditional brush for applying clear finishes to wood is called a flat varnish brush (sec Brush Basics illustration). Flat varnish brushes range in size from 1 in. to 3 in. wide, with domed or chiseled tips, rather than flat, square tips, like wall brushes. Varnish brushes use a good mixture of different-length bristles, which form a gradual taper down to the tip: this enables you to hold the brush at an angle to flow on clear finishes smoothly and evenly. Wall brushes, on the other hand, have bristles that are mostly all the same length, forming a flat, square tip, for applying paint with the end of the brush, rather tiian the side. Wall brushes are also thicker and sriffer than varnish brushes so they hold more material and work better Choosing A Good Brush applying paints: sizes range from 2 in. to 4 in. wide. Angular sash brushes are easy to identify: the brush end is cut at an angle. They're used for painting window sashes and narrow trims. Sizes usually ratine from about I in. to 2[h in. wide. Flat sash brushes have square lips rather than angled ones, and usually contain less bristle fill (fewer bristles) than wall brushes of the same w idth. While angular sash brushes are also used primarily for painting. I find them useful for applying clear finishes to moldings, trims, and other narrow pieces. However, the main focus of this article is on varnish brushes, so I won't say any more about ihe other two types. In both natural and synthetic bristle varnish brushes, quality and performance varies w idely, depending on a number of factors. I'll discuss each type in turn, then provide some general pointers for choosing a good brush. Natural Bristle Brushes All of the information on natural bristle brushes I've gained over the years from master finishers, "old-school" painters, and other sources, has confused rather than clarified the issue of choosing the best natural bristle brush for the job at hand. Some veteran finishers prefer black China bristles; others prefer w hite China bristles. Still others like brushes w ith mixtures of China bristles and badger, skunk, or ox hair. I've finally reaehed the conclusion that the type of natural bristle, along with bristle length, handle length, amount of flagging (splitting of the bristles at the tips), amount of taper, and other brush characteristics are purely a matter of personal preference. Even 24 The Woodworker's Journal |
