How Artist Brushes are Made

Squirrel Hair, ready for the build

Elena Boca, fine hair artisan, patiently mixing hair by hand

Closer look at Elena's work

Master Brushmaker, Ursula Staiger, measuring ferrules

Black Gold brushes getting imprints

Modern artist brushes might not be made that differently than brushes from the turn of the century or earlier; they are still created by hand, measuring and placing hairs in the ferrule gently, crimping ferrules to wooden handles.  Each brush at FM Brush, the parent company of Dynasty, is created with precision, patience, and quality control in every step.

Stacks of ferrules and hair wait to be assembled.  Hair is imported from all over the world because some of the best natural hair is dressed in Europe or Asia and some of the best synthetic hairs are made in Thailand or Japan.  FM Brush has been working with some of the same hair suppliers since 1935; these people know the business.  

Brush makers use hair measured by weight to carefully place into the ferrule, shaping by hand or by cup, clamping the ferrule and moving to the next one.  Ferrules and tufts are measured for accuracy and moved along to the next step.  Another brush maker applies a warm adhesive to each ferrule and bakes the heads so that the hairs are tightly sealed within.  These brush heads meet up with the prepared handles later on.  

Each handle, whether made in the States or imported from the sister Thailand factory are hand stamped or imprinted with the type of brush, the series and the Dynasty name.  Then the handles are crimped into the ferrule, always double or triple crimped for a secure fit.  At each step, the brush makers will check the previous step for consistency, so the quality control is superior. 

Once the brushes are crimped, they are packaged and then prepared for shipping.  FM Brush not only makes the Dynasty line, but also a full cosmetic line, Beauty Strokes, and quite a few private label brushes.  So, there are thousands being created and processed every day.

Completed brush with chiseled tuft

For more information on specific brushes made by FM, check out their full website:  FMBrush.com.  To learn more about the brushes FM creates for fine artists, refer to the new Brush Highlights on the blog or the Dynasty website.

Keep Painting, 

Karyn 

For more brush information, check out the Dynasty Brush website.