Brush help

[butchbird]

I don't like painting. I do it for the "wow" factor, wether its a friend who's never played tabletop games except for poker that I'm introducing to battletech or my kid who rushes to her mother to show off the "new tank". Some of my work is pretty neat. Some are much too rushed and it shows. I paint with brushes, but not liking painting overly, I don't know much about brushes.

For lots of things I simply use cheap stuff but for the details...well, I like to be able to paint the details, y'know? I use 2 "detail brushes" a very small one and a very-very small one. The smallest one is giving up the ghost and I can't seem to replace it from brick and mortar shops in my area. Smellest thing they could supply is pretty much equal to my biggest one.

So that was the gist of my situation. Here's where I ask for help, Ô my fine fellow forum members: What do you use for fine details? What size, what brand, strentgth or material or whatever of the type of brush strands, etc.

Enlighten me oh wise ones.

[Psycho]

Most of the time I'm a mid-grade on brushes. A round 0, as long as it holds a good tip is my go-to for cockpits, lasers, that sort of thing. That said, I do have a Kolinsky sable 0 reserved for extra-fine details, murals, etc. There is something to be said for paying for quality tools. For the most part, I've found that you tend to get what you pay for in brushes. If you're used to spending only a couple bucks a brush, do yourself a favour and go up to something in the $7-10 range. That will put you into better quality without completely torturing your wallet (real sable will set you back at least twice that).

I find that going smaller ends in frustration as the paint dries out on the brush before I get to actually applying it to anything. More bristles, more retained moisture, less paint drying out before I use it.

[Prospernia]

The best brush I had was a larger brush, that, when wet, could make a very fine-point for detailing.  That, and really good eye-sight.

And I recommend using a  brush for making paintings; the model brushes, I would get from the RPG-hobby stores wouldn't hold up that well against all the harsh paint-thinner I would use to clean it at times.  The ends would get frayed and be useless for detailing.

[carlisimo]

I don't go smaller than size 0, even for fine details on 6mm scale minis.  Anything smaller dries up between the palette and the mini, in my experience.  It just has to come to a fine point, and that means either a brand-new brush or a relatively high-end one.  They stay pointy a lot longer.

[butchbird]

Passing by this subsection of the forum...

First off, the tips given were quite helpful, helped me have a better idea at what I was asking for.

Second off, I was given an interesting option at the hobby store: Eye-liner brushes. Now I don't know anything about make-up as my wife never uses any, but the woman I talked to at the store told me that for very fine details that's what she used. Basically it's a "one use then throw out" option, but apparently it works real well. Will get around to trying it some day.