Thinking about Hake brushes.......

[coriana6jp]

Hi All,

I spent the last couple of days thinking about and looking over a large variety of Hake brush, trying to determine what the best for alt work might be. A visit to my local Japanese Caligraphy store (being in Japan makes this easy) and spent several hours going over brushes.

A long talk with the owner came up a variety of brushes. They range from the super cheap synthetic brush to the ultra expensive human hair brush.

This isnt a big store and he had in stock,

Synthetic brush
Camel Hair
Goat Hair
Wool (Sheep)
Pig Hair
Cat Hair
Human Hair
And a few others I cant recall.

The human, cat and pig hair brushes were the most expensive a 4 inch brush was in the 130USD range which are handmade. The others were quite a bit cheaper, wit the synthetic brush only costing 5 bucks.

I havent had a chance to look into the actual properties of the various types of hair yet, but thats next.

Anybody have any thoughts about the best type of hake?

Gary

 

[Akki14]

I'm not sure which would be best but the hake brushes normally found in art stores in the UK are goat hair. Make sure you look at how they're made, I'm sure some of the hake brushes available here are actually just very bad pastry brushes where the hairs fall out and ruin your coating.
Also if you're going for a more expensive process, try to get one with short hairs so there's less brush to soak up your expensive sensitiser, otherwise you can trim the bristles back a little after you buy it so they're shorter.

 

[Jim Noel]

Buy the softest one, preferably hand sewn. The softness wlil enable the brush to get the sensitizer into the texture better.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Scott D has an article at CiM that gives recommendations for Hake Brushes for use with Pl/Pd printing. Might be of some use.

 

[timbo10ca]

I'm told that the best way to go is actually a Richeson brush (synthetic), and avoid the Hake

 

[dpurdy]

In my experience with a Hake brush is that it soaked up a lot of sensitizer. I went with a synthetic sable water color wash brush that allows me to use much less.
Dennis

 

[Ray Rogers]

Hi Gary.

Which store did you visit?
I made the "rounds" a number of years ago as well.
It should be interesting to see what you learn about the different hair types and how that relates to what you will be using it for.

Curious, Did you mean the round caligraphy brushes, or the flat "hake" brushes?

It depends on what chemistry you use and what sort of images you make...
I do know some soak up too much expensive metals and I think synthetics are preferred for economy.

I think there was a very nice program on brushes on NHK's "Bi no Tsubo"
「美の壺」

Hi All,

I spent the last couple of days thinking about and looking over a large variety of Hake brush, trying to determine what the best for alt work might be. A visit to my local Japanese Caligraphy store (being in Japan makes this easy) and spent several hours going over brushes.

A long talk with the owner came up a variety of brushes. They range from the super cheap synthetic brush to the ultra expensive human hair brush.

This isnt a big store and he had in stock,

Synthetic brush
Camel Hair
Goat Hair
Wool (Sheep)
Pig Hair
Cat Hair
Human Hair
And a few others I cant recall.

The human, cat and pig hair brushes were the most expensive a 4 inch brush was in the 130USD range which are handmade. The others were quite a bit cheaper, wit the synthetic brush only costing 5 bucks.

I havent had a chance to look into the actual properties of the various types of hair yet, but thats next.

Anybody have any thoughts about the best type of hake?

Gary

 

[coriana6jp]

Hi All

Thanks for the comments. Honestly, I wanted a Richeson brush, but they are hard to find here and very expensive when you do about double the cost of US. At somepoint I might breakdown and get one, but for now Hake are much more readily availible for me.

All the brushes I used,as well as looked at recently were all the traditional hake brushes, with no metal and hand sewn. The main difference is the type of hair and the size is what determines the price. Considering the high cost of some of those brushes, buying a bunch a playing around is not going to happen if it does the wife will put the hake somewhere I dont care for them to go.....if you get the meaning.

Ray, I went to my local calligraphy shop here in town they sell the regular calligraphy brushes and specialized hake as well. For calligraphy they actually had a couple of small brushes made from Human baby hair, which shocked me. They were priced out of sight though. NHK Bi no Tsubo isnt shown anymore as far as I know.

Thanks for the feedback, I will do a little more research in the hair types and report back when time permits.

Thanks all.

Gary

 

[nsurit]

What is the cost of Hake brush hairs stuck in yoiur print and not discovered until after the exposure? I don't know, however I used a Richardson this past week and think my Hakes will face an early retirement. Perhaps a downsizing would be a more appropriate term. jerrysartarama.com is a "getting place" Bill Barber

 

[coriana6jp]

So far, I have never found brush hairs in any of my prints. But, the first thing I did to the brush was a bead of super glue to the area where the bristles meet the handle. No more hair, except those falling from my slowing growing baldspot.

My other concern is the Richeson brush has metal in the handle & I am not sure thats a good idea with kallitypes. Some people have said avoid metal in the brushes at all cost, so it gives me a reason to pause.

Thanks.

Gary

 

[eli griggs]

I'm not sure what you are going to do with your brush but a 1st quality brush used by traditional paper sizers, people whom size paper for printmakers, etc, would be one sound choice for some tasks.

In the same vein, a 1st quality brush used by japanese traditional woodblock artists to moisten paper in preparation for printing would be good as well.

Either would be well made so as not to shed hairs and to load and release their load in an even manner. IIRC, these are made with sheep wool and goat hair and there is no metal in their construction. If you're serious about getting a good brush, be careful to not get a brush made for amateur printmakers, while well made, they are not the same as the better tool.

Here is an article that will point you to a brush-maker of quality tools in Japan. He will be better able to advise you as to what you will want.

http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/008_09/008_09.html

Cheers

 

[Ray Rogers]

NHK Bi no Tsubo isnt shown anymore as far as I know.

???

Could it depend upon where you are located?
In the Nagano area

Try...

Fridays 10:00 (Education)
Fridays 11:05 (Varaity)
Sundays 0:15 (= very early Monday morning) (Education)
Saturdays 5:15 (Varaity)

(all times based on 00:00-23:59, broadcast day begins at 05:00)

 

[Ray Rogers]

I'm not sure what you are going to do with your brush but a 1st quality brush used by traditional paper sizers, people whom size paper for printmakers, etc, would be one sound choice for some tasks.
Cheers

About sizers brushes, other than David's (other) article, do you have any more information on these brushes?

Ray

 

[coriana6jp]

???

Could it depend upon where you are located?
In the Nagano area

Try...

Fridays 10:00 (Education)
Fridays 11:05 (Varaity)
Sundays 0:15 (= very early Monday morning) (Education)
Saturdays 5:15 (Varaity)

(all times based on 00:00-23:59, broadcast day begins at 05:00)

Hi Ray.

I am up in Niigata and they changed the times on the program, then it disappeared. Sad to say, it was pretty good.

But thanks for the info.

Gary

 

[eli griggs]

Ray, I do not. I don't use these papers in general and I don't size my own paper. I suggest you look at the 'library' at Barenforum.org and read about traditional japanese printmaking in some of the older books there. IIRC, some of them give some detailed descriptions of the tools various craftsmen used in making the paper, sizing it, etc.

Cheers

 

[pateeid]

Nooo. it's a wrong patch!

 

[Colin Graham]

My other concern is the Richeson brush has metal in the handle & I am not sure thats a good idea with kallitypes. Some people have said avoid metal in the brushes at all cost, so it gives me a reason to pause.

Thanks.

Gary

If it helps, I've been using the same Richeson brush with kallitypes for several years now with no problems. I clear the brush with citric acid and then final rinse with distilled water after each printing session. Still good as new.

 

[Dana Sullivan]

Not to be too self serving, but I have to give a plug to the Sterling 6014S synthetic sable brush which Bostick & Sullivan sells. Excellent results, comparable to Richeson, but around 1/3 the price. The 2" version will easily coat 8x10" and 11x14" images, and use around 25% less solution than the typical hake brush.

We sell the 2" for $14.95, but you could also probably find one at a good art supply store for about the same.

 

[coriana6jp]

Dana,

I am about to place an order with you guys, I might just give one of them a try.

Thanks.

Gary

 

[gattu marrudu]

I started using Hake for my palladium prints, and I love the stroke they leave on the edge of the coating (if you care about such stuff ) - but they absorb too much precious coating. I also experienced some detachment of the coating from the paper after rinsing, which I didn't have with a syntetic brush.
Then I tried the Da Vinci Cosmotop flat wash (synthetic) and it works perfectly. Thin profile, absorbs very little when moist at the right point, very smooth. I don't know if you can find at in your location.
Hmm, human hair brushes? What for? Voodooburytype?