Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Journey of a Paintbrush....



The internet has made the world so much smaller...and accessible when it comes to shopping!
As an avid member (and moderator) on Faux Forum, I saw a post where someone had found a listing on ebay (UK) for some vintage paintbrushes. (Thanks Roy of the UK) 



These were not just any brushes, but hogs hair softener brushes (3 inch) made in 1946 and were sitting in a military warehouse in England! Hogs hair brushes are a bit coarse by nature and not as popular as a badger hair softener.



 I owned a few badger softeners, but no hogs hair, so I jumped on line and bought one( there were a few dozen in that warehouse) Opening the package was an experience in itself!



These brushes were made when quality was the norm, the handles were wooden, turned on a lathe with a nice grip, and the packaging was almost over the top!


The brushes were still sealed from the manufacturer and stamped with the date packed. Layers of waxed paper, thick corrugated paper and other cardboard cradled the brush as if it was an artifact.

The box certainly was musty, but the brush was in excellent condition!


Even the handle had an identification tag tied with twine..sigh...such care given to an humble hogs hair brush.

So, after waiting , forgotten in a surplus warehouse, 66 years later and  thousands of miles , a simple hogs hair brush is now working full time! I am learning its nuances and promise to care for it for the next generation of decorative artists...they just don't make hogs hair like they used to! 

9 comments:

Lynne Rutter said...

and it's a great brush! I used mine recently and it performed admirably! Thanks so much for snagging one of these for me Theresa!

Theresa Cheek said...

My pleasure Lynne! That brush has a tall story to tell!

Gina said...

Dear Theresa, Oh, how well I can imagine how you felt when you received these wonderful brushes. I'm so glad hat you shared with us photographs of how they arrived. I can pretend that they arrived at my house. I own a very fine Badger brush, purchased from a well known artist. It had been treated with love and care and now I have the pleasure of using it. ox, Gina

Theresa Cheek said...

Gina,
Those badger brushes (and softeners in general) are pretty special , aren't they? I love it when a brush has a story behind it as does yours.

Theresa

Mark D. Ruffner said...

Congratulations on your great new/old brush and thanks for posting the link to the Faux Forum. I can see I'll be spending a lot of time there!

Unknown said...

Great post.

Unknown said...

What a great experience,are you going to show us the rest of the brushes?The way you describe it,seems like I'm right there with you.Thanks much.

Theresa Cheek said...

Unknown-Maybe I should do a post on my brushes? I will work on that!

Judith DeMaestri said...

That really would be great!Judith DeMaestri

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