Do you have bushy brushes?

Today my leeetle friends we will carry out some fine calibration on your paintbrushes. 

Unfortunately I no longer have any large brushes, this is one of my last Sable artists brushes, but it will do. Have you ever wondered how on earth you are going to get the finish in a corner the way the run of the mill decorator does? With a normal brush it can be extremely frustrating when the edge of the brush flicks out spreading paint where you don’t want it and the brush does not have a small edge.

Take your dry brush, lay it at an angle of 20º on a suitable surface, a polished mahogany top is not a suitable surface. Using a new Stanley knife blade or a safety razor blade, start to shave the brush hairs down towards the end. You start the cut at the metal then slowly keep shaving away until you reach the end. Gradually commence each set of cuts further down the brush, moving an inch at a time, until you develop a smooth surface. Turn the brush over and do the other side. Then apply the same treatment to the sides, also making sure you round over the edges. Once finished get rid of the loose hairs by rubbing the brush up and down a brick, this will also round the hair ends. 

The brush should now work smoothly and be a better tool for your decorating prowess. I know a chap who took this sport to extremes. He was a fine art artist, his speciality was bumblebees; he would take sable brushes and shave them down until only a single hair remained. I used the same technique for painting N gauge model steam engines. 

Lounge walls can take an age with single hair brushes, the finish is excellent.