brush bristles

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MT606

Nomad
Jan 17, 2013
432
11
North of the southern wall.
I'm looking for some natural and dark brush bristles, they need to be at least 25cm long, quite thin and uniform/straight any ideas on where to get such stuff? I've tried all of the 'local' garden and DIY shops with no joy......
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
You could shave a badger. :D
Do you really mean 25cm? Or do you mean 2.5cm? At nearly a foot long I can only think of horse tail hair for the former, but awful floppy at that length.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
 

MT606

Nomad
Jan 17, 2013
432
11
North of the southern wall.
yeah 25cm, straw like bristles, tis for a snow brush, to brush clothing/equipment free of snow before going in a tent, the bristles are about 20cm or so in length but twisted n folded in the middle so the length is only 10cm when in use, if that's understandable?
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Have you tried a model making supply shop. Some of the odd stuff you can get from those places is amazing.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,977
13
In the woods if possible.
I'd have thought you could do something with a material like coir, maybe like from a sweeping brush. I've never seen a badger that shaggy. :)
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,665
McBride, BC
As you might imagine, we need and use snow brushes here.
Plastic fiber is best: the snow doesn't stick and the fiber does not hydrate.
Natural straw fiber brooms simply rot of freeze solid like a shovel
Kitchen floor scrub brush, shop floor push broom (cut down).
Ordinary vehicle snow sweeping brush (10cm brush on one end, ice scraper device 24" away at the other end.)
36" snow overnight and I use a shovel to clear off the truck.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,665
McBride, BC
". . . . known to use these brushes to start campfires. . . . . "

Thanks for the link to the images. The comment suggests that the brushes are plant fiber of some sort.
Certainly nothing that I recognize (retired botany professor) immediately. Much thicker, coarser, than I thought.

If I was allowed one single guess, I'll say that the brushes are finely split bamboo which was steamed/boiled and bent to the heavy duty wire frame.
That makes the brush both very durable and flammable. Can you get a clean look at the transverse/cross/cut ends of those fibers?
Bamboo will have a very finely speckled appearance. Shredded palm tree wood could be similar.


You got any other ideas as to the original fiber type?
 

dewi

Full Member
May 26, 2015
2,647
12
Cheshire
Do you mean for painting?

Pinstriping brushes are made from squirrel hair if that helps any... have some mighty fine swordliners that haven't seen use since 2006 unfortunately.
 

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