Brush

A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.

History

Brush manufacturing extends back to the Egyptians around 3500 BC, with rudimentary paint brushes from split palm leaves and animal hair.^[1] These brushes made by hand, where dry leaves and fibers would be tied to tree branches that served as the handle.^[2] In China, the development of writing brushes represents a variation of manufacturing. With over 120 processes from selecting materials to finished products.^[3]^[4] The Huzhou ink brush reflects the culmination of the early brush manufacturing era as an established pioneer of writing tool.^[5]

The industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries marked the mechanization and mass production turning point for brush manufacturing.^[6] In the 1850s, the first machines designed for drilling brush handles were patented. Anton Zahoransky is noted as the pioneer and founder for what would become of brush-inserting machines.^[7]

When houses were first inhabited, homeowners used branches taken from shrubs to sweep up dirt, hence using the first brushes. In 1859, the first brush factory in America was set up in New York.^[8]

Manufacturing

There are two main ways for manufacturing brushes with modern-day cnc. With a machine the stock will be prepared to be loaded in the machine where a filament gauge proceeds to take a specific amount of material from the stock. the bristles or brush filaments historically has been done with staples or anchors.^[9] This is called tufting (composites). First a hole is drilled into the material which the bristles will be set in. These bristles are inserted into the middle of a hole with a special driver. This driver contains the staple which will hold down the brush firmly into the material. The staple can also be replaced with a kind of anchor, which is a piece of rectangular profile wire that is anchored to the wall of the hole, like in most toothbrushes. Another way to attach the bristles to the surface can be found in a fused brush, in which instead of being inserted into a hole, a plastic fiber is welded to another plastic surface, giving the option to use different diameters of bristles in the same brush.

In industrial applications modern tufting machines are used to speed up the process. This includes adjustable tufting angles, tufting speed, and tension control.^[10] These machines utilize a tufting tool that inserts tufts of filament into a brush base or backing material, accommodating natural bristles, synthetic fibers, or combinations of both. Advanced 5-axis brush making machines enable the creation of highly complex and customizable brush designs with precise tufting arrangements.

Another way of creating brushes is that a base holder is extruded which will hold the brush. An expoxy resin is cast into this holder which is then filled with the right density of brush. Lastly it is cured so the resin can harden and the bristles are held firmly in place.^[11]

Other configurations include twisted-in wire (e.g. bottle brushes), cylinders and disks (with bristles spread in one face or radially).

Materials/Filaments

Nylon - used in applications calling for low water absorption, good recovery, and abrasion resistance. Found in industrial cleaning applications where abrasiveness is needed, with different surface finishing the nylon can be more abrasive.

Polyester - Similar to nylon but specific for applications that do not absorb moisture. Bend recovery is superior in this regard.

Polypropylene - Used for wide variety of applications due to its wet stiffness, abrasive tip cleaning action, lower bend recovery than nylon, and its inert to most solvents, oils, acids, and chemicals. Found in food-safe applications

Polystyrene - economical flaggable filament used for aesthetics

Ixtle - Also known as Tampico, a biodegradable vegetable fiber with a soft-medium texture that can withstand high heat and softens in water

Metallic Wire - usually high carbon steel, stainless steel, brass or phosphorous bronze used for rust removal, cleaning metals, other requirements.

Taklon - fine synthetic for art brushes

Animal hairs - What brush bristles used to be made out of, hog hair, horse hair, goat hair, for smooth paint application due to their oil retention or any other applications.

By function

Application of material

The action of such brushes is mostly from the sides, not the tip, contact with which releases material held by capillary action.

Finger-print forensic brush
Gilding brush
Ink brush
Makeup brush
Mascara brush
Nail-polish brush
Paintbrush (fine art or house decoration)
Pastry brush
Shaving brush
Shoe-polish brush (polish applicator)
Wall-paper brush

Combing

The action of these brushes is more akin to combing than brushing, that is they are used to straighten and untangle filaments. Certain varieties of hairbrush are however designed to brush the scalp itself free of material such as dead skin (dandruff) and to invigorate the skin of the scalp.

Grooming brush
Hairbrush

Other

Brush (electric), used on electrical motors
Acid brush, described as consisting of glass threads, in 1906^[12]
Acid brush, described as consisting of horsehair held in a crimped copper tube, in 1922^[13]
Clothes brush or lint brush
Magnetic brush
Medical sampling brush
Brush percussion mallets
Stippling brush (neither applies nor removes material, but merely adds pattern)

Cleaning

Brushes used for cleaning come in various sizes, ranging from even smaller than that of a toothbrush, to the standard household version accompanied by a dustpan, to 36″ deck brushes. There are brushes for cleaning tiny cracks and crevices and brushes for cleaning enormous warehouse floors. Brushes perform a multitude of cleaning tasks. For example, brushes lightly dust the tiniest figurine, they help scrub stains out of clothing and shoes, they remove grime from tires, and they remove the dirt and debris found on floors with the help of a dust pan. Specific brushes are used for diverse activities from cleaning vegetables, as a toilet brush, washing glass, cleaning tiles, and as a mild abrasive for sanding.

References

^ https://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/
^ https://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/
^ https://www.idcpc.org.cn/english2023/chinadelights/arts/calligraphy/202307/t20230727_157780.html
^ http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/24/content_44518.htm
^ https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/584295
^ https://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/
^ https://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/
^ Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. Reader's Digest. 27 November 2009. p. 29. ISBN 978-0276445699.
^ https://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html
^ https://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html
^ https://www.feltoninc.com/capabilities/brush-manufacturing
^ Gould, George M. (1906). The Student's Medical Dictionary (11th ed.). Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co. Brush. Retrieved 28 March 2021 – via Internet Archive, medicalheritagelibrary collection.
^ Jones, Charlles L. (1922). Service Station Management (Microfilm.). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. p. 115. Retrieved 28 March 2021 – via Internet Archive, ColumbiaUniversityLibraries collection.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art, Gerald W. R. Ward. Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-531391-8
Glossary of Brush Terms

External links

Media related to Brushes at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of brush at Wiktionary

[1] ttps://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/

[2] ttps://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/

[3] ttps://www.idcpc.org.cn/english2023/chinadelights/arts/calligraphy/202307/t20230727_157780.html

[4] ttp://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/24/content_44518.htm

[5] ttps://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/584295

[6] ttps://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/

[7] ttps://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/

[8] Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. Reader's Digest. 27 November 2009. p. 29. ISBN 978-0276445699.

[9] ttps://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html

[10] ttps://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html

[11] ttps://www.feltoninc.com/capabilities/brush-manufacturing

[12] Gould, George M. (1906). The Student's Medical Dictionary (11th ed.). Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co. Brush. Retrieved 28 March 2021 – via Internet Archive, medicalheritagelibrary collection.

[13] Jones, Charlles L. (1922). Service Station Management (Microfilm.). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. p. 115. Retrieved 28 March 2021 – via Internet Archive, ColumbiaUniversityLibraries collection.

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