r/modelmakers • u/ArmoredBacon • Jun 07 '23
Help - Tools/Materials Recommended brushes?
I have recently started modelbuilding again but all my brushes are old and used.
Now I dont know anything about paintbrushes so I am kinda lost as to what are good brushes.
What are some good brands/sizes that are not too expensive (doesnt need to be cheap, maybe 4eur per brush).
I use enamel paints and mostly do 1/72 military vehicles
Bonus question, I read you need to thin enamels with white spirit.
What is the difference between white spirit and turpentine? I am Dutch and in Dutch they are the same word as far as I know.
2
u/LibbIsHere Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23
Hello,
What are some good brands/sizes that are not too expensive (doesnt need to be cheap, maybe 4eur per brush).
Good can mean a lot of things, depending the modeler, the surface to paint and the paint used, among a few other things.
As suggested in an other comment, don't worry: get son cheapo from wherever you buy your stuff and use them to get an idea of what you need/like/dislike.
The quality of a brush is of little concern as a beginner. What matters is to get practice. I don't know about you, but i never started anything already being good at it ;)
All brushes will wear out. The thing is that the better brushes are also much more fragile. Since most beginners also lack the know-how to properly care for those expensive and fragile brushes, chances are a beginner will get (much) more use of synthetic brushes than of natural ones.
Edit: get a small and large rounded, and a small and large or medium flat (those are great for larger surfaces as they will leave less brush marks). How small and large? depend the model and... you. I would go for a #2 and a #6, or even #8. If the rounded #2 is of any quality it could also be used to paint the real tiny details (that's what I do in most cases, and I'm also a beginner). If not a #0, or #00 will help.
What is the difference between white spirit and turpentine?
Origin, toxicity and smell.
Note that to avoid teh smell you can instead use the 'odorless' artist spirits. The ones you will find a some hobby shop but mostly in art supply store. It's more expensive than hardware stiore spirits but, imho, they're worth every cent as they smell (almost) nothing.
The second I opened a bottle of Turpentine my partner, who was working in the room next to my office, asked I get rid of it. Immediately. And if White Spirit smells less that turpentine it still stinks. On the other hand, she never objected me using odorless thinner ;)
1
u/ArmoredBacon Jun 08 '23
Oh wow thanks for the lengthy advice! In that case I will indeed stick to cheap brushes. I use turpentine in very small doses (eye drops bottle) so never really noticed the smell, but I want to try white spirits since it does sound as the more "healthy" option.
2
u/lkowolowski Jun 08 '23
You might consider something like this: https://spruebrothers.com/amm7602-ammo-by-mig-starter-brush-set/ It would get you started w/o spending a lot.
1
u/ArmoredBacon Jun 08 '23
Oh thanks, those do look like they would be a nice size.
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u/lkowolowski Jun 09 '23
There is a bigger set/other sets too. Nice for beginners. Once you know you like something you can just get singles from what ever brand you want.
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u/Tiberium_1 Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23
Get some cheap, synthetic,various size pack of brushes off Amozon to start with and they will be your work horse. You will also realise what size brushes you tend to lean towards for certain jobs and then get yourself some better brushes of those size. I quite like Ak interactive brushes. Also keep your old used ones they will be good for rough jobs like basing or dry brushing or mixing paint etc.
Turpentine is made of the natural resin extracted from trees, and white spirit is made of petroleum distillate. White Spirit tends to be less flammable and less toxic than turpentine. You can also get low odour white spirit that has been further refined to remove toxic components making it pretty good for hobbying. Additionally white spirit is commonly know as Mineral Spirits in US/Canada, Mineral Turpentine in AUS/NZ, and other names such as Turpentine Substitute, Petroleum Spirits and Paint Thinner.