Origins of Kolinsky sable hair brushes Part 3 - Brush making

A big manufacturer of fine art material can produce 30,000 brushes a week.Siberian weasel (ie Kolinsky) hair's diameter becomes larger near the middle, and then tapers off to a fine point at the end. The very best Kolinsky brushes are made with hair from the tail of the male animal, winter coat. Most brushes have a mix of about 60/40 male-to-female hair. The limiting factor is size, most Kolinsky brushes run up to size 12, some go to 14, few go higher. Only older animals have long enough hair for these sizes, and their longer tails drag on the ground, roughing up the precious hair. Long Kolinsky hair of top quality is scarce, and expensive.

The brushmakers is issued a pile of tails from which to pick and choose. He or she then carefully sorts the hairs, picks out and discards poor individual hairs, and packs the right quantity into a ferrule, the small metal cylinder of a brush, ready for the stick to be added. The hairs are extra long and soft and taper in a unique way that allows brush makers to make very pointy brushes. When many of these hairs are set together in a bundle to make an artist brush, the bulges add to form a distinctive 'belly'. The brushes can be finely shaped and are highly prized. 

Those who use the kolinsky sable brush claim it has superior strength, slenderness, springiness, control and resilience and long life when compared with other sable brushes. They snap to a fine point because of the great resilience of Kolinsky hair grown in very cold climates. Their bellies allow an artist extremely finely controlled application of colour. 

Many ways to make them more affordable have been tried:
-Using lower-grade Kolinsky hair- not from the male, not from the tail, and/or not from a winter coat. Such brushes will not perform well, but can still be called Kolinsky!

-Mixing less expensive animal or synthetic hair with the Kolinsky hair. This is difficult to detect, but an experienced artist will note the lower performance immediately.

-Skimping on sizes like making a 10 the size of a traditional 8, etc. or skimping on hair length; not having enough hair inside the ferrule for good performance. 

-Offering brushes that are called Kolinsky but made with hair of another animal! What is a 'European Kolinsky', a 'Marten Kolinsky'?

Watercolor brushes, research initiative

Goes to the museum to check out Siberian weasels. Kolinsky watercolor brushes: visit to American Museum of Natural History