W & N Red Sable Miniture Brushes Replacement

[RFL]

Our Nanny Government here in USA has banned the import of all W & N Series 7 /kolinisky brushes, as well as those red sables made by ( DaVinci, etc, etc. )

The W & N`s have always been my first choice for 54 - 200mm figures, has anyone found an acceptable synthetic substitute ?

Thanks

 

[Helm]

I use these http://www.rosemaryandco.com/ for my brushes and they confirm they cannot export to the US but I found this on the site which may help
As a general rule of thumb the finest hair is used for watercolour. Kolinsky Sable being the ultimate, followed by Pure red Sable, Squirrel etc. At the moment, there are some excellent Nylon fibres which imitate Sable thus keeping costs low. It’s not just about ‘snap & spring’ which are familiar terms but how the brush strokes the paper. Sable has the advantage of holding a huge quantity of liquid and ‘flows’ when pressed onto the paper. Some beginners/intermediates would choose Sable/Nylon blends or indeed 100% Nylon as the feeling of a controlled strokes is more prevalent. For Oils, Sable is a favourite but because of the medium’s heavy viscosity and rapid ‘clogging’ of pigment in the brush head, it isn’t greatly favoured by frequent users as the price is a high one to pay. There are excellent alternatives of stronger Nylon filaments to suit the oil painter and my ranges of Shiraz, Ivory and Chungking Bristle are prime examples. A popular choice for acrylic painters are also Shiraz, Ivory and any of the Golden Synthetic ranges. Masters Choice is also a real treat to use!
Steve

 

[pmfs]

http://www.escoda.com/pinceles.php?idc=30&ids=121&versatil

 

[megroot]

http://www.escoda.com/pinceles.php?idc=30&ids=121&versatil

Are they the same quality then W&N Kolinsky serie 7.
What are the best for the oilpainters and what are the prices including tax. I really wanted to give them a try.

Marc

 

[pmfs]

Are they the same quality then W&N Kolinsky serie 7.
What are the best for the oilpainters and what are the prices including tax. I really wanted to give them a try.

Marc

Marc, I hope so!
No tax inc.
I will try to bought a couple to test because I read in Escoda website (users) advertising positive points about - long life and durable tip...
I think for oils is the one I posted!
I made a enquiry to Escoda gather info to know more about this product and where I can find, soon I get a response more I publish.
Cheers

 

[Uruk-Hai]

So we are going to see "Brush-runners" in a nearby future?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Gerry]

So you cant get Sables in the U.S as from when? stock up! from where ever you buy your brushes , Nylons with oils are rubbish!IMO, dont know with waterbased paints, Sables have the edge with oils , and they last a lot longer then the alternatives. Ive read somewhere there is a law or something being passed with the treatment of the sable, I agree with the way they are bieng farmed by some countrys, ok, it needs looking into, but a ban! thats crazy ! I wonder if this law will inforced in Europe? maybe the airbrush will be the way to go!

 

[Jim Patrick]

Has anyone tried Andrea's brushes? Are they any good and will they even be able to be imported anymore?

Jim Patrick

 

[AJLaFleche]

A bit more on the "ban."

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

There is no substitute for Series 7 sables .that really sucks that they have banned them what about all the water colour artists in America ;what are they going to use.
If you live in New York I will smuggle some in for you the next time I visit my son

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Still available in Canada. Short of a cavity search may not be that hard to bring over.....e.g. in a water colour set.

Colin

 

[theBaron]

A bit more on the "ban."

Thanks, Al! I like clarity in all things. This subject's been discussed here on the Planet before, with no small degree of acrimony, as I recall. But it's not a ban, properly speaking.

Having said that, I'm off to Dick Blick, to see what they have on hand...

Prost!
Brad

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I took it from the post that the temporary hold had been solidified into an actual ban. Would be good to know the actual facts....if anyone is inspired to research it that is.

Colin

 

[theBaron]

I took it from the post that the temporary hold had been solidified into an actual ban. Would be good to know the actual facts....if anyone is inspired to research it that is.

Colin

According to the article Al linked, it's not a ban, but Fish & Wildlife demand a document that they didn't before. It has the effect of stopping the transaction, but it's not an outright legal bar to importing. It's more of a stand-off between our bureaucracy and the merchants.

 

[theBaron]

A quick DuckDuckGo search (I avoid totalitarian Google these days) using the keywords "ban on kolinsky sable" returns a number of similar articles, that all handle the question of a ban, and describe the same thing: Not a ban, but a bureaucratic impasse. Here's one such article:

http://arcanepaintworks.blogspot.com/2013/11/kolinsky-sables-is-there-ban.html

I see dates from last fall, which is about right with my memory of when the last hot discussions took place.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Brad - thanks for the link to duckduckgo. Hadn't heard if that and I am enough of a rebel to want to swim upstream against the google tidal wave also.

Colin

 

[pmfs]

Hi!
Moderators you are free to block or erase this message if you want. I will understand.

NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN WORDS AND EXPLICIT CONTENT - PARENTAL ADVISORY
About sable brushes...
Every year , hundreds of millions of rabbits, foxes, minks, chinchillas, raccoons, ferrets, squirrels, dogs, cats and other animals are bred and kept in squalid conditions in cages so-called " fur farms " being sentenced for a brutal death, their skin and fur is used in coats, jackets, watches, shoes, bags, earrings and various other pieces of clothing and accessories .
These animals are the real "fashion victims". After a lifetime of suffering and distress, the animals are eventually killed by absolutely horrible methods and even without being stunned or anesthetized before. Methods such as anal death by electrocution (which can also be vaginally, in the case of females ), by asphyxiation, drowning, cervical dislocation (breaking the neck), poisoning or by exposure to gases... This death methods are permitted by law???? and routinely used throughout the world . The aim is always to maintain the quality and integrity of the skin and fur of animals - which is what has economic value - and the welfare of animals completely disregarded at all times.
I appreciate very much the US law regarding this matter and hope to see all world doing the same in short time.
Sable brushes are the best, no one doubts! But there are alternatives.
Dont want to start a "war" with this, NOT MY GOAL, but I must give you my impressions again about this matter, hoping you all understand what is involved here. We all have a share of this criminal industry by using this type of products.
The food chain is the same, almost all have to eat animals... for me, all animals must be kept in the best conditions and in the end ran out in a dignified manner and with the least possible suffering. It is what I feel.

I will bought Versatil brushes from Escoda and I'll be happy to post here the results obtained with them, and also my opinion about them as an alternative to sable.

Cheers

 

[brian]

Here we go again,fortunately I'm not commenting on this thread this time round.I understand how you feel about animals but I would suggest you keep your opinions to yourself or better still get your arse out to China and tell them to stop it right away or else.
From Brian to the unnamed eco warrior.

 

[DEL]

Still available in Canada. Short of a cavity search may not be that hard to bring over.....e.g. in a water colour set.

Colin

Rons your man for that ...... I hear he's got an All Cavities special on this week.
This is always going to split opinions, but I presume that no-one on this site wants the deaths described by Pedro to be visted on any creature regardless of whether they use sables etc or not.
Personally I am interested to try to find out what measures top producers such as W&N use to ensure proper farming and slaughter of the animals.
We've all seen the mutant chickens in the factory farms and the 'Toilet' prawns farmed in the Far East, where possible and short of obsession I always check my food sources.
I am very nearly at the end of my supply of sables and am replacing them with synthetics as they wear out.
I hope that the new brushes that Pedro will review come up trumps or I could see myself slipping back ..... sable brushes, the bacon sandwich of the paintbrush world.
Weak willed fecker that I am.
Derek

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Rons your man for that ...... I hear he's got an All Cavities special on this week.
This is always going to split opinions, but I presume that no-one on this site wants the deaths described by Pedro to be visted on any creature regardless of whether they use sables etc or not.
Personally I am interested to try to find out what measures top producers such as W&N use to ensure proper farming and slaughter of the animals.
We've all seen the mutant chickens in the factory farms and the 'Toilet' prawns farmed in the Far East, where possible and short of obsession I always check my food sources.
I am very nearly at the end of my supply of sables and am replacing them with synthetics as they wear out.
I hope that the new brushes that Pedro will review come up trumps or I could see myself slipping back ..... sable brushes, the bacon sandwich of the paintbrush world.
Weak willed fecker that I am.
Derek

I suggest we ask Del what he done with the Guinea pig before he gave it to Brian