Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-2, страница 26

Finishing

Continued

Foam brushes are excellent for applying stains and dyes.

Paint pads apply a smooth even coat with few bubbles.

by sorting and grading natural bristles. Expensive synthetic bristle brushes simulate natural bristle brushes. The bristle "fill" consists of bristles—technically, called filaments—of various lengths and. as with natural bristle, the bristle ends are split or "flagged."

Most good synthetic brushes arc a blend of polyester and nylon bristles. Nylon comes in different grades: lower grades of nylon will eventually decompose when used with finishes that contain alcohol, lacquer, or acetone solvents. Higher grades of nylon may also be affected by these finishes, but not polyester.

While cheap, synthetic bristle brushes have their place in the finishing world. I generally avoid them—they spatter, shed bristle, apply finish unevenly, and are generally a frustration to use. When I'm finishing a project too small to warrant using and cleaning a good brush, or when I'm testing different types of stains and finishes, 1*11 usually opt for the convenience of throwaway foam brushes. I've noticed that the bristles on cheap, throwaway nylon brushes are mostly all the same length, with little or no flagging at the tips, and moreover feel like a wad of nylon fishing line when squeezed or fanned.

Price is often an indicator of quality— most manufacturers use a "good," "better." "best" designation in their synthetic brush lines. One of the best performing synthetic bristle brushes I've used is the "One Coater" made by EZ Paintr Corp. (The company dropped the "e" in Paintr, not me). The patented polyester bristles simulate natural bristles. and do a good job w ith all types of finishes. EZ Paintr and other companies also make brushes that contain a blend of natural and synthetic bristles. These brushes, al least in theory, combine the performance of a natural bristle brush w ith the durability and versatility of the synthetics. This said. I still prefer a 100 percent China bristle brush for applying

26

Sources

Anderson Brushes

(Subsidiary of Wilton Corp.) 1040 Southbridge St. Worcester. MA 01610 Tel. <508) 755-6100

EZ Paintr

Member of the Newell Group 4051 S, Iowa Ave Milwaukee W1 53207 Tel. (414) 481-4500 I Baker natural bristle brushes, synthetic bristle brushes)

Maryland Brush Co,

3221 Frcdcrick Ave. Baltimore MD 21229. Tel. (410)945-3300 (Natural and synthetic bristle brushes)

Purdy Corporation

P.O. Box 83097 Portland, OR 92783-0097 Tel. 1-800-547-0780 (Natural and synthetic bristle brushes)

Wood Finishing Supply Co., Inc.

100 Throop St. Palmyra, NY 14552 Tel. (315) 597-3743 (Natural bristle brushes, including badger, ox. and skunk hairi

oil-based varnishes, brushing lacquers, and oil-based polyurc-thanes.

Foam Brushes: These come in ;i v ariety of sizes (see photo) from in. to 3 in, wide, and run anywhere from 29 cents to Si. They provide a smooth, even, drip-free coat of finish wiihout brush marks and without shedding hairs. Foam brushes work very well for applying "watery" materials, like liquid stains and aniline dyes. In my opinion, foam brushes are better than cheap synthetic bristle brushes in most respects.

Foam brushes do have limitations, though. When used to finish large projects, the foam pads eventually wear out, leav ing bits of foam on the surface. When used with heavy finishes, such as oil varnish or polvurc-thane, the brushes tend to drag on the surface, so you have to work slowly to get even coverage.

Don't use foam brushes with shellac and brushing lacquer. After a short period of time, the solvents in these finishes (denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner) tend to melt the glue holding the foam pad to the handle. After prolonged use in these finishes, the foam pad itself disintegrates. Also, foam brushes don't work well with water-based clear finishes because they tend to raise excessive bubbles in the finish.

Paint Pads

If you've ever used any of the new water-based clear finishes, you've probably discovered that they tend to leave bubbles in the surface when you apply them. White foam brushes don't work well with these finishes, another unconventional finishing too! provides excellent results: a fabric-covered paint pad. such as the one shown in the photo. Originally designed as a trim tool for latex wall paints, these pads come in several different sizes. They flow on the finish in a smooth, even coat, leaving few or no bubbles. Also, the beveled The Woodworker's Journal