A few years back I bought a brush from Gramercy. It‘s made from European Ox hair in particular hair found inside the ear of the animal. I bought it specifically for shellac and have been, really happy with it. It holds more finish which minimises dipping, and it leaves an almost brush free finish. There is an art to brushing I’m yet to master, but it makes finishing a lot simpler with this brush.
I’ve tried artist brush made from goat hair as Paul Sellers suggests and there is no comparison between the two. The brush marks are prominent but it holds a reasonable amount of finish which is good. However, these artist brushes are poorly constructed which leads to hair droppings into the finish.
I know quality brushes are pricey, but they are just as important as a quality joint. We lament over our joinery, but when it comes to the finish, we skimp on it and get all tight arsed about it. A high quality brush is just as important as any high quality tool. I’m not a rich man which is why I can’t afford to waste my hard earned money on second rate tools. I buy once, treat em right and they’ll treat me right back and when I move on my kid will get to enjoy them throughout his life.
If you can’t afford a professional spray equipment and dust free booths and so on, then brushing is the way to go.
Here is a short 4.5mins movie on how these brushes are hand made still today. Shock horror surprise that something is actually handmade which explains why this brush has performed so well for so long for me.
