Winsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Brushes

[Steve Brodie]

After earning some overtime money, i decided to treat myself to some Winsor & Newton series 7 brushes and see what all the fuss is about, i did balk a bit when i saw they were £7 each, but in for a penny and all that, decided to get number's 0,1,2. Well i used them (no.1) in anger for the first time last night on a bust and wow they are pretty impressive. Holds paint well, but only release as much paint as you 'paint' if that makes sense, they dont flood the details but hold the point al the time, and they just feel smooth when painting. Glad i took the 'expensive' plunge, well worth it.

 

[John Rixon]

Look after them, and they'll last forever, never let any warm or even hot water near them!!!

 

[Steve Brodie]

Look after them, and they'll last forever, never let any warm or even hot water near them!!!

I will and thanks for the tip John, i have some 'Winsor & Newton Brush cleaner just incase

 

[Tom Rigg]

After a while give them a dip in hair conditioner every now and then (just like washing your hair, which, for me, doesn't seem to take long at all these days). After all, they are hair.

 

[John Rixon]

That's not a bad idea!

 

[Steve Brodie]

After a while give them a dip in hair conditioner every now and then (just like washing your hair, which, for me, doesn't seem to take long at all these days). After all, they are hair.

What a cool idea

 

[Jens Andrée]

I've bought some brushes that I felt were the best thing ever when new and got badly worn after just being used for an hour so I felt a bit stupid for thinking they were the ducks guts...

Although I agree that Winsor & Newton is the best brand I actually prefer Rotmarder-Kolinsky Springer Pinsel and their triangular brushes for scale modelling. They do wear out eventually, especially when used for weathering on a rough surface, but they are cheap-ish and I've got different ones for different paints and I only clean them in cellulose thinner.
They cost £3-4 so they are a cheaper option.

 

[Tom Rigg]

Jens,
I don't know if I'm right but I'd think cleaning them with whatever you'd thin the paint with (e.g. isopropanol for Tamiya then a good rinse in clean water; water and mild detergent for Vallejo; white spirit for enamels etc.) would be better. Cellulose thinner seems a bit harsh to me.
Tom

 

[Jens Andrée]

Jens,
I don't know if I'm right but I'd think cleaning them with whatever you'd thin the paint with (e.g. isopropanol for Tamiya then a good rinse in clean water; water and mild detergent for Vallejo; white spirit for enamels etc.) would be better. Cellulose thinner seems a bit harsh to me.
Tom

Cellulose thinner is the most common brush cleaner there is AFAIK. My mother (who's an oil paint artist) only uses cellulose thinner and it doesn't eat real sable hair.
My brushes often pick up various paints and materials on the brush when weathering and isopropanol doesn't get rid of pigments or other paints as good whereas cellulose thinner does.

You don't leave the brush in the thinner though, only dip it in a jar, shake it a bit and then out and wipe dry on kitchen paper. So far it hasn't affected my brushes, or I don't think so at least?
It did totally ruin a brush I had that was made with artificial bristles/hair but I don't buy those brushes any longer.

 

[stillp]

Maybe Swedish cellulose thinner is milder than ours Jens. I've cleaned brushes with it, to remove Maskol, and it destroyed the bristles.
I use "The Masters Brush Cleaner", a kind of soap, which even removes dried enamel if left to work for a while, and includes a conditioner.

Pete

 

[Robo]

I too invested in a set of Wnsor and Newton series 7 brushes, money well spent. Always clean them after use with the -Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver- expensive but does the job.

 

[JR]

A beautiful brush, I think one one the most important things is, its a brush for fine detail, and needs treating with respect.

Think we each have our favorite make, I've tried several makes, Rosemary , ProArt 007 but for me W& N for detailed work.
John .

 

[wotan]

I tend to be pretty hard on my brushes so I buy the cheapest I can find. Here in Canada we have Royal and Langnickel brushes that cost about $4 each say 2 pounds 50. Often you can buy a prepackaged set of 4 different small brushes for about $10-$12 (about 7-8 pounds). Washed with white spirit, isopro, water, alcohol or lighter fluid depending on what I am using as paint. But then again I find washing my tongue in alcohol also helps.

John

 

[SteveH]

A beautiful brush, I think one one the most important things is, its a brush for fine detail, and needs treating with respect.
Think we each have our favorite make, I've tried several makes, Rosemary , ProArt 007 but for me W& N for detailed work.
John .

Snap, done the same journey John, I have the series 7 on birthday and Christmas present lists, for anyone who asks.

Its taken 5 years to wear 2 x "0" brushes out, one is now a wash brush, the oldest is demoted to pigments, so they do live on in another role

£7 a brush for size 0 is a pretty good deal these days

Steve H

 

[Deleted member 6559]

I'm like John and wear out brushes pretty quickly, which means going for a cheap option. That said, my preferred Pro-Arte brushes suit me the best - they retain a certain stiffness that is essential for detail work. I also have some W&N series 7 brushes, which seem to be lasting much longer, being natural sable, though I find that they are a bit soft (ie bendy) for most of my needs. Horses for courses.

 

[zuludog]

I've made similar comments on brushes about 4 or 5 Threads ago in this section. I'll give a brief summary here but it's better if you read the whole Thread

W&N #7 are obviously excellent brushes, but I also find they can be a bit too soft, and no matter how careful I am, they seem to wear quickly - or perhaps that's just me?

My preferred choice now are W&N 'Sceptre Gold 11', which are sable - synthetic mixture; a very similar performance to pure sable, but very slightly springier, or more resilient

I have also used W&N 'University', which are all synthetic, and slightly stiffer

They are both cheaper than all sable, cheap enough to try a couple. They are available in 'The Range' hobby & household stores, or search t'Net

I've tried a general bundle of brushes from www.abcbrushes.com - decent quality and very reasonable prices

For cleaning I now use Masters Brush Cleaner

 

[JR]

I've made similar comments on brushes about 4 or 5 Threads ago in this section. I'll give a brief summary here but it's better if you read the whole Thread

W&N #7 are obviously excellent brushes, but I also find they can be a bit too soft, and no matter how careful I am, they seem to wear quickly - or perhaps that's just me?

My preferred choice now are W&N 'Sceptre Gold 11', which are sable - synthetic mixture; a very similar performance to pure sable, but very slightly springier, or more resilient

I have also used W&N 'University', which are all synthetic, and slightly stiffer

They are both cheaper than all sable, cheap enough to try a couple. They are available in 'The Range' hobby & household stores, or search t'Net

I've tried a general bundle of brushes from www.abcbrushes.com - decent quality and very reasonable prices

For cleaning I now use Masters Brush Cleaner

Thanks for that Zuludog, now have another two to try
John.

 

[wonwinglo]

The best and certainly safest paint thinner for oils/enamel type paints is Oil of Spike lavender,not cheap but a bottle lasts years for painting in domestic environments and most of us do it is safe to use ,unlike odourless thinners which are not and you breathe them in but the odour is still there,not wishing to be alarmist but famous artist Bob Ross died of odourless thinner damage after sitting over the stuff for years,as for white spirits or turpentine not nice to breath in and always remind me of refined diesel fuel.

 

[JR]

The best and certainly safest paint thinner for oils/enamel type paints is Oil of Spike lavender,not cheap but a bottle lasts years for painting in domestic environments and most of us do it is safe to use ,unlike odourless thinners which are not and you breathe them in but the odour is still there,not wishing to be alarmist but famous artist Bob Ross died of odourless thinner damage after sitting over the stuff for years,as for white spirits or turpentine not nice to breath in and always remind me of refined diesel fuel.

Good point Barry, just because it doesn't have a strong odour doesn't mean it's not harmful, rather akin to carbon monoxide not smelling, and we all know what the results of breathing that mean !

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Same in my line of work. Isocyanates are tasteless and odourless but pose a significant health risk. Nothing short of full skin coverage and fresh air supplied breathing apparatus satisfies UK H&S requirements.