Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So i went to GW today to get the new Chaos codex and a couple of minis and i also remembered i needed a new detail brush. When i opened it i found the the brush cannot be used for any sort of detail at all. Needless to say im not happy does anyone know of a good crush company that i can buy online?

That brush looks already used....

 NAVARRO wrote:
That brush looks already used....

Thats how i bought it, i opened it about 30 mins ago.

Someone used it with white paint and never washed it... either that or GW now produces finebrushes... just return it.

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/index.php?cPath=275_365

the last brushes you'll ever need, and they are quite inexpensive. I still have and use the first ones of those that I bought 3 years ago and they work like new. Earlier this year I expanded my range of them, so now with the exceptions of eyeballs and drybrushing they are the only brushes I use.

 NAVARRO wrote:
Someone used it with white paint and never washed it... either that or GW now produces finebrushes... just return it.

It's called "flash".

And I don't mean the excess material on resin, plastic, or pewter models. The camera's flash was on...

The new "Detail" brush has puzzled me since I first saw it. It looks like it should be a "Standard" brush size, not "Detail".

 Aerethan wrote:
https://www.rosemaryandco.com/index.php?cPath=275_365

the last brushes you'll ever need, and they are quite inexpensive. I still have and use the first ones of those that I bought 3 years ago and they work like new. Earlier this year I expanded my range of them, so now with the exceptions of eyeballs and drybrushing they are the only brushes I use.

My name is Dysartes, and I approve this message!

Ok, duff product. For all their faults GW will replace it with no questions asked.

Generally though, I do wonder whether Eavy Metal painters achieve their really fine detail stuff with GW brushes or whether they have access to better ones. You know... in the same way that GW sculptors probably don't use the GW sculpting tool because it is

I don't see how you got that, how are brushes packaged where you are? At GWs here they have a thin plastic cylinder over the brush protecting it, but you can see clear through it. If you had bought that here, you would have been able to see the manky tip, do your ones come in boxes or something?

 Flashman wrote:
Ok, duff product. For all their faults GW will replace it with no questions asked.

Generally though, I do wonder whether Eavy Metal painters achieve their really fine detail stuff with GW brushes or whether they have access to better ones. You know... in the same way that GW sculptors probably don't use the GW sculpting tool because it is

I like the GW sculpting tool...

Saying that I don't do much sculpting...

 Flashman wrote:


Generally though, I do wonder whether Eavy Metal painters achieve their really fine detail stuff with GW brushes or whether they have access to better ones. You know... in the same way that GW sculptors probably don't use the GW sculpting tool because it is

I seem to recall there was an 'Eavy Metal brush box-set out a few years ago that was, essentially, a couple of Windsor and Newton series 7 brushes with the Citadel branding on them. Having bought a few of the original W&N7 brushes, i can honestly say that they have no equal for painting on a miniature scale.

Thanx to everyone's input on this thread.
I looked at the kolinsky brushes and watched a few vids on you tube and all i got to say is what a pain staking process it would be to make just one! I will defiantly be picking a couple up im just not sure what sizes to get? I was thinking maybe size 0-4 would be enough for what i need?

If you're referring to the Rosemary & Co range, Sarge, I'd say get a Series 33 size 0 as your general workhorse brush, and a 2/0 as a detail brush. I have a series 323 size 3/0 for when I feel like trying to do eyes or freehand text, as I find it gives slightly better control.

I've had problems with GW brushes recently, I have some of the older blue handled brushes that are still fine to use (and have seen extensive use!) however my experience of the newer ones is much less satisfactory!

The first batch of the new incarnation of GW brushes that I bought were ok to start with but havent lasted long at all and the most recent batch have been awful from the start- they fork too easily and wont maintain a point even though I looked after them well.

Which is what drove me to look for a new supplier- as others have said Rosemary and Co brushes are excellent, I haven't been using them for long but they are a great quality brush and are similar priced to the GW equivalents (and delivered to my door for £1!!) I'm using a series 33 size 1 for general duty (its a bit bigger bellied than a GW standard brush but comes to a finer point- if you want exactly the same size, go for a size 0) and a 2/0 for fine detail work, I've also got a selection of cheaper brushes from them for mixing etc so I dont have to use fine points for mixing and cleaning my airbrush out etc.

As importantly as the excellent quality was the service, ordered late one night and got my order the day after next. I'll be buying more from them for sure, I'm just not sure what to use from them for drybrushing- anyone got any experience?

I've had similar trouble with games workshop/citadel brushes lately.
They always seemed to end up like this but the past 6months to a year I have noticed them coming off the shelf like this.

Winact wrote:
As importantly as the excellent quality was the service, ordered late one night and got my order the day after next. I'll be buying more from them for sure, I'm just not sure what to use from them for drybrushing- anyone got any experience?

Try the series 78 - I've got a 1/8" one that works pretty nicely.

Head into any art store, and get the brushes from there, They start in 0's sizes, the more 0's there are the smaller the brush. They tend to be better and cheaper.

 Dysartes wrote:

Winact wrote:
As importantly as the excellent quality was the service, ordered late one night and got my order the day after next. I'll be buying more from them for sure, I'm just not sure what to use from them for drybrushing- anyone got any experience?

Try the series 78 - I've got a 1/8" one that works pretty nicely.

Thanks Dysartes, I'll give them a go.

 NAVARRO wrote:
Someone used it with white paint and never washed it... either that or GW now produces finebrushes... just return it.

That could be light, or the flash

cjharrisman wrote:
Head into any art store, and get the brushes from there, They start in 0's sizes, the more 0's there are the smaller the brush. They tend to be better and cheaper.

I've not seen an art store in the states that sells sable brushes smaller than 0.

For series 33 I use everything size 1 and smaller, though the 1 and 2/0 I use probably 80% of the time. Some people like larger brushes, if you are one such person grab a 2.

All 5 brushes from 1-10/0 ran me $35 after shipping here to the states.

The ones I use are revell, can't remember the name exactly, but they're blue and a triangle shape. They hold their point wonderfully, and I've had one for about a year and half, and it's still going strong

I'm still using Rosemary & Co brushes I was given for Christmas two years ago...

 Dysartes wrote:
I'm still using Rosemary & Co brushes I was given for Christmas two years ago...

Indeed, I got my first ones in 09 and they work like new. I tend to give all my brushes a proper wash with Masters brush cleaner every month.

Regular maintenance is also a key to making a brush last. You need to rinse the brush out regularly while painting, and also avoid getting paint into the ferrule.

Yep, Rosemary&Co are the best out there - easily the same quality as the W&N Series 7 brushes, and anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 cheaper depending on the brush. The only thing synthetics are better for are the really manky jobs that will ruin a good kolinsky brush like using Vallejo's alcohol-based metallics, working with pigments, or rough drybrushing.

Another user of Rosemary & Co. Fabulous brushes.

I prefer nylon (prolene) for detail brushes, as opposed to sable or other natural materials like the Kolinskys. My favourite are ProArte 107 series. Just putting it out there

I've found it's much cheaper to just go to a art/craft store for brushes nowadays. They're generally cheaper and seem to last longer. Also, most offer a pretty useful loyalty card or regular discount coupon emails.

Million wrote:I prefer nylon (prolene) for detail brushes, as opposed to sable or other natural materials like the Kolinskys. My favourite are ProArte 107 series. Just putting it out there

Nylon and taklon brushes will have their ends curl over after a certain amount of use. I've not seen a nylon detail brush last more than a few weeks of regular painting.

Balance wrote:I've found it's much cheaper to just go to a art/craft store for brushes nowadays. They're generally cheaper and seem to last longer. Also, most offer a pretty useful loyalty card or regular discount coupon emails.

Almost every single brush at Michaels or w/e runs at least $5 for anything of "quality". They also don't usually stock sizes as small as what we use in the shapes we use. They don't sell an equivalent to a series 33 10/0 or an Army Painter Insane Detail brush.

The rosemary & co series 33 are about $5ea before shipping and they will last for years on end, and are perfectly suited to what we do, save perhaps for drybrushing, and R&C makes a brush for that too.

Any brush that comes in a plastic bag set is gonna be crap in the long run. Why waste money and time replacing brushes when you could just as easily and cheaply have ones that will last for years and years?

 Aerethan wrote:

Balance wrote:I've found it's much cheaper to just go to a art/craft store for brushes nowadays. They're generally cheaper and seem to last longer. Also, most offer a pretty useful loyalty card or regular discount coupon emails.

Almost every single brush at Michaels or w/e runs at least $5 for anything of "quality". They also don't usually stock sizes as small as what we use in the shapes we use. They don't sell an equivalent to a series 33 10/0 or an Army Painter Insane Detail brush.

The rosemary & co series 33 are about $5ea before shipping and they will last for years on end, and are perfectly suited to what we do, save perhaps for drybrushing, and R&C makes a brush for that too.

If I have a reason to go downtown, my preferred location is Plaza Art right now. They have a big selection with a wide range of sizes, shapes, and materials. They regularly have sales, and I've found that the brushes last longer than GW's in purely anecdotal experience.

 Aerethan wrote:

Any brush that comes in a plastic bag set is gonna be crap in the long run. Why waste money and time replacing brushes when you could just as easily and cheaply have ones that will last for years and years?

Well, yeah. OTOH, it's sometimes great to grab a pack of cheap brushes from the dollar store for use on basecoats on scenery or applying glue and such instead of messing up a good detail brush.

In my experience most local stores have worse prices than Games Workshop.

An independent art store is either ultra posh, catering for elite professionals and charge out the nose for it.

Or, it's Hobbycraft, which could teach Games Workshop a thing or two about fleecing your customers.