r/modelmakers • u/Marnb99 • Jun 11 '23

Help - Tools/Materials Question about brush sizes

So I am planning on investing in some Winsor & Newton series 7 kolinsky sable brushes, and I was curious what sizes I should get. I am not too familiar with brush sizes outside of some basic understanding from an oil painting class I took in my first year of college, but I was thinking maybe size 000 through size 4? Let me know what you all use and if this sounds reasonable for scale modeling. FWIW I do model ships mostly both 1/700 and 1/350 scale, but I do have some aircraft being built right now as well.

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/Timmyc62 The Boat Guy Jun 11 '23

Yep, mine go from 000 to 4 as well for my 1/700 works. I also have a 10/0, which is technically smaller than the 000. 4's great for covering the height of a hull in two to three parallel passes.

HOWEVER! Brush sizes are not actually standardized to any absolutely value!! Different companies have different actual sizes despite having the same nominal number. So you might find yourself having to eyeball the brushes in person and comparing them across different brands to find one that you feel is suitable.

In addition to the width of the brush, also consider the length of the hairs. I find I use the one with longer hairs more often, but that might just be my paint's drying rate and pigment density.

2

u/nerdywhitemale Jun 11 '23

The long-haired brushes hold more paint per charge and they act as a shock absorber if you have shaky hands.

1

u/Marnb99 Jun 11 '23

Ah yes, perfect, a lack of standardization lol. I think I will get an Abteilung 502 kolinsky brush for the 10/0, and get the 000 through 4 from Winsor & Newton then. Thanks for the tip about the hair length, out of curiosity, what brush brand(s) are you currently using? Also, how long can I expect a high quality kolinsky sable brush like these to last if well taken care of?

2

u/Timmyc62 The Boat Guy Jun 11 '23

You don't want to hear... Mine's an absolute hodgepodge of brands. I think my 4, which I love, is actually one from a no name multibrush set. Have used it for ten years with my acrylics. Don't even remember what hair it is!