Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/27

Rh each other. In the process of cutting and cupping the lengths are kept separate as far as possible. The hair is now ready for the brush-maker, who cups and combs it out, weighs the quantity required, and places it into the ferrules or tin bands. It requires skill to handle the short, slippery hair and keep it in shape. It is not many years since work of this kind was all done abroad. Now, it is claimed by experts that the American manufacture of most kinds of brushes excels the foreign goods. The chiseled camel's-hair brush is something entirely new, and is certainly a very fine brush and well calculated to do smooth, particular work. Another class of these goods are made extra thick and from picked camel's-hair, the binding of brass having its edge turned under, which gives additional security to the hair and prevents cutting the hair on the edge of the binding, which too frequently happens.

Camel's-Hair Tool. Small brushes, called tools, made of camel's-hair are used for blacking irons, lacquering, and other work of like nature. The next brush to be considered is the camel's-hair duster, a tool used mostly by gilders in removing the loose gold leaf from their work when gilding. These are bound in split quill and fastened with wire. The next to claim attention is the gilder's camel's-hair tip. This is made by laying a thin layer between two pieces of card-board and gluing the whole firmly together; it is used to lift and carry to the work the pieces of gold leaf. A slight moisture or stickiness is given the hairs by simply passing them over the face or hair of the head, and then the gold leaf can be easily lifted from the cushion on which it has been cut and dexterously laid upon the gilding size.

For painting walls a large flat bristle brush is used, made of all white bristles, bound in copper, brass or galvanized iron. It has always been a difficult task to make a wall brush to stand the hard usage it generally receives, but now that machinery of the most approved pattern has been