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I'm really in need of a good brush that won't eventually curve on me, but it seems that Sable brushes come from skinning the pelts off weasels which I'm not into. I'd rather not support this practice just to have a good brush to paint with. Anyone have experiences with great alternative brushes?

 ForceChoke wrote:
You going to stop using money(10 million a year death toll) and buying things that are shipped via vehicles combustion? All joking aside sure a vegan paint supply place exist. Or better yet make your own paint. After all oil is in paint. Plastics bottels pigment derived from animal sources. I hear good things about finger painting.

you can't avoid causing some harm, so what's the point in trying to cause less, right?


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 Todosi wrote:
All synthetics will eventually curve. That said, you could give these a try.

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/black-swan-brush-sets

thanks, I was looking at these ones as well:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/escoda-versatil-brushes/

sounds like they have similar quality, but couldn't find anything about their durability -which is really what i'm after


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 Desubot wrote:
IIRC for synthetics they do ALL curl
from what i remember however you can keep them alive a little longer by cleaning them with a good brush soap as normal but also wash them in colder water

warm or hot water will feth up most brushes in general.

hm, didn't know that about warm water, thanks. I just got on to the brush cleaner recently, but it seems the brushes still curl :/

 insaniak wrote:
If it makes any difference, the weasels used for sable brushes aren't only harvested for making brushes.... The rest of the fur would be used elsewhere, and the meat is also apparently used.

And they're an environmental pest, so would be trapped anyway.


If you would prefer to avoid animal hair brushes, there's nothing wrong with good quality synthetics for the average painter. They just won't last as long. The difference they'll make to your paintjobs is unlikely to be a real factor for anyone other than high-end painters.

Yeah, I did read that, but I also found a site saying:
"Apparently, these weasels are caught in leghold traps or snares, and the pelts are sold to the brushmakers who pluck and sort the hairs. An RSPCA survey in 2011 showed that 95% of British people would not wear real fur. And leghold traps are so cruel they were banned in England & Wales in the 1950s for being “too inhumane”. Further to that, Russia and China have minimal animal protection laws. In countries like Canada or Denmark, in theory, animals should not be left in traps for more than a day (they end up trying to chew their own leg off or dying in some other grisly way). China or Russia don’t have similar animal welfare standards."

 insaniak wrote:

 benlac wrote:
In countries like Canada or Denmark, in theory, animals should not be left in traps for more than a day (they end up trying to chew their own leg off or dying in some other grisly way). China or Russia don’t have similar animal welfare standards."

I would suspect that the existence or lack thereof of time limit laws for trapping would make little difference to the fur trade... You wouldn't want to leave a potential pelt in a trap for any longer than absolutely necessary anyway, as the longer it's in there, the more chance there is it will end up damaged. [/armchair expert]


Having said that, I can totally understand not wanting to support the fur trade. As I mentioned earlier, synthetics can be more than adequate. Although for synthetics, I tend to stick with the cheap taklon... I've been unimpressed with the synthetic sable brushes I've tried.

unimpressed in quality or in how long it's lasted?