Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes ....

[Helias_Tancred]

For the last few years I've been primarily using Army Painter Wargamer series brushes. I felt they were a good level of price vs quality. Lately I've been experiencing a lot of quality control issues with them. I'd be using a Wargamer: Character brush and it's great! Then when I have to retire it and get a new one, the new one is crap versus the one I replaced. This has happened multiple times over the past few months ....  So .... I decided to take a leap of faith and step up to a better brush, better at least from what I've heard people say. So I bought two Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes off of Amazon; a 1 and a 00. 

 

What are the best sizes for painting 40k miniatures? Should I get a 0, and maybe a 2 as well?

 

For those of you who have owned and used them, how are they? Am I getting a definite step up in terms of quality of brush for painting miniatures? 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 02:45 AM by Helias_Tancred

[Firedrake Cordova]

The general rule of thumb is to use the largest brush you can get away with - the larger belly holds more paint (meaning fewer trips to the paint pot), and more moisture (meaning the paint won't dry on the brush so fast), and a good-quality larger brush will still come to a fine point. If I remember correctly, Darren Latham uses a size 2 for most tasks, and drops down to a size 0 for fine details.

 

I used Series 7's back in the early 2000's, and they were great. I have heard some complaints about quality control over the last 10 years or so, but I also haven't bought any recently following the frankly massive price increases, so I can't verify that (I bought a size 2 in 2016 for £10 - they're now £25). It's probably worth adding that Citadel Artificer brushes are Series 7's with some different cosmetics. I've also used Raphael 8404's which are great, but have undergone the same price increases. Rosemary & Co's Series 33 aren't quite as nice, but they're a lot cheaper.

 

I would add, it's important to take care of the Series 7s (or any other sable brush) - make sure you don't let the paint get near the ferrule, or dry in the brush whilst painting, as these will shorten the life of the brush (using metallic paints will also harm the brush). If you don't have any brush soap, I would recommend getting some - either a solid puck like "The Master's Brush Soap", or a liquid one like Jo Sonja's.

Edited 22 hours ago by Firedrake Cordova

[crimsondave]

All I use is series 7 and that’s all I intend to use.  I use a #3, #1, and a 000.  You could get by with just a #1 or a 0.  I will never use anything else again.  They hold a point like nothing else I’ve used.

 

Firedrake is right about caring for them.  I’ve destroyed several over the years.  Masters Brush Soap is what I use and always, always, ALWAYS get your brushes to a nice point before you store them.  Using the covers that come with them helps.  I’m just not careful enough.  I’m hard on stuff.  I know some folks have used the same series 7 brushes for years.

Edited 16 hours ago by crimsondave

[Helias_Tancred]

Fortunately I'm pretty caring for my brushes. I use Masters Brush soap on them. I store them with the plastic tubes on them, etc. 

 

[Ironwulf]

I will add as an alternative to W&N Series 7's, I've been using the Monument Hobbies Pro Sable brushes lately and find them an absolute dream to work with. The #2 is a workhorse for me and I love the smoothness. Just my two Imperial Credits.

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

11 hours ago, crimsondave said:

Masters Brush Soap is what I use and always, always, ALWAYS get your brushes to a nice point before you store them

If they don't come to a point when they're dry, it's an indication that the bristles aren't fully clean.

 

Personally, I have a puck of The Master's Brush Soap that I keep clean - when I go to put my brushes away, I apply some lather from the clean puck to them, shape them, and allow them to dry. This "trains" the point, and it also acts a little bit like a protective layer (like the gum arabic they're coated with from the factory). It does mean you have to wash the brush out before you can use it next time, though.  

Edited 5 hours ago by Firedrake Cordova