I purchased the red sable brushes from mudhole and found that they are garbage and shed hairs almost every time. This is the first time i used a sable non-disposable brush and I found that i like the soft bristles and the different sizes available vs the small disposables.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a quality brush that has soft bristles and come in various sizes. The flexcoat disposables are way too small for my liking, I really like the larger brushes for the decorative wraps/coating rod blanks and the smaller sizes for the guides. Yes, I often use more than one brush when doing epoxy work.


Is there such thing as disposables that vary in size and will not shed hairs? I like 1" on down.

Thanks

FWIW, I just use flat synthetic "artist" brushes you can buy on Amazon. U40 brush cleaner is quick and easy to use to clean those brushes, plus less garbage than single use brushes.

Salvatore,
It seems to me that you might be a very good candidate for using the spatula method to apply your thread finish rather than a brush. Small, metal spatula sets can be purchased from most rod building suppliers. I have never used them but a number of builders do; the small, cheepie ($.06), children’s paint brushes I get from Walmart work just fine for me and I have never lost a single bristle. Remember that a brush should not be used to actually “brush” the thread finish on the wrap but rather only used as a vehicle to get the epoxy from the cup or foil and “dripped” onto the wrap.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Salvatore

None of the brushes I list below would I consider one use brushes. I wash them out with U40 brush cleaner over and over and they last me a year or two each if stored carefully. I have bought all of the listed brushes at local big box craft / hobby stores, but they should be available on line also.

Darice "Kids Corner" Young Artist Triangle Handle Brush Set
Royal Langnickel Deluxe Shader Set B604
Craft Smart Golden Taklon Brush Value Pack
Studio 7 Chisel Tip Shader Premium Brush Set

These sets include at least 4 to 6 multiple sized brushes in a pack . They are wide flat bristled, and are relatively inexpensive.

Rog

I like fairly inexpensive Ox Hair hobby brushes. Flat and wide (1/4" to 3/8"). They're soft and hold finish. Can easily finish just about any guide wrap in maybe 10 seconds or less.

Always take a piece of painter's tape and lightly tack any brush to remove any loose hairs prior to use.

Also keep in mind that the stiffer the brush, the thinner the finish will be. The softer the brush, the thicker the finish will be.

...............

Salvator,
I use disposable brushes that are either the Flex Coat nylon brushes, or a brush similar to those brushes.

For example from Walmart:

[www.walmart.com]

I never clean any brush and I never use any brush for more than one mix of finish. i.e. if I use 2 mixes of finish on a single rod, I will use two brushes.

If I use one mix to do 5 rods, I will use one brush for those 5 rods for one coat.

So, I never mess with any sort of cleaner or thinner.

I always start with a brand new brush for every time that I mix up a mix of finish for use on a rod. At 7 cents per brush, it is a reasonable expenditure.

No cleaner fumes. Never have stiff bristles because there was some residual finish left in the brush.

I mix each batch of finish in a 2 oz plastic cup and when I am done with that coat of finish, I just lay the brush that I used with that coat on top of the plastic cup. I can always check for finish cure, by touching the remaining finish left in the cup

I buy the plastic cups by the 100 count as well for a few cents each. That means that I never have to worry about cleaning up any mixing cup either.

Best wishes.

I get my hair brushes from VooDoo rods.

I get my brushes from Hobby Lobby, and they work fine for me. All sizes are available, and they clean up just fine with the rodbuilding brush cleaner products. I find brushes, especially soft ones like the artist brushes, better than spatualas because I have trouble avoiding applying too much epoxy with spatulas. A hard bristle brush like most disposables are essentially spatuals. I use lite wrap epoxy and usually two coats.

I was going to suggest Loew Cornell 7000 series. But I see they are no more. I suggest you get what you can before hey are gone. I like the flat/wash types. The chisel is my go to for most work. The wash holds a lot of finish so you may like one for decorative wraps.

KingArt 9000 series looks like the replacement.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.