Handy/safe detailing brushes
- Thread starter BMW335i
- Start date
Meguiar's made some nice ones.You might find the close-outs at Big Lots.
That said, the very notion of a scratch-free brush is silly. While the brush itself may be soft enough not to indice scratches, the material you pick up with it is not. I guess you are completely safe brushing a completely clean surface.
That said, the very notion of a scratch-free brush is silly. While the brush itself may be soft enough not to indice scratches, the material you pick up with it is not. I guess you are completely safe brushing a completely clean surface.
Eliot Ness
Active member
After reading numerous posts where Accumulator praised the set of BHB detail brushes from Griot's I finally picked up a set and have been pretty pleased with them. Here is a link if you're interested:
Griot's Garage 1-800-345-5789 - Car Care
I haven't had a chance to use the flat ones yet, but I use the round one all the time on my wheels.
Griot's Garage 1-800-345-5789 - Car Care
I haven't had a chance to use the flat ones yet, but I use the round one all the time on my wheels.
As a painter, I always have plenty of used up artist's brushes around. That is, they're used up as far as fine painting goes, but just fine for detailing. These are typically around a half inch wide. You could get a nice selection of sizes at any artist's supply store. Get their cheapest boar's hair bristles- they'll always be that off-white color.
For larger purposes I use the inexpensive china bristle brushes; I usually have on hand some 1/2", 1", and 2" that I buy by the bag, but are available almost anywhere regular (house) paint is sold. These are especially nice to use when they're likely to get crapped up, you don't mind tossing them or using them later for lower engine detailing.
For all of the above, I wrap the metal ferrules with a layer of electrical tape to help prevent marring. For the wider brushes I also wrap the wood handle above the ferrule.
A soft toothbrush still works best for me around lettering.
For larger purposes I use the inexpensive china bristle brushes; I usually have on hand some 1/2", 1", and 2" that I buy by the bag, but are available almost anywhere regular (house) paint is sold. These are especially nice to use when they're likely to get crapped up, you don't mind tossing them or using them later for lower engine detailing.
For all of the above, I wrap the metal ferrules with a layer of electrical tape to help prevent marring. For the wider brushes I also wrap the wood handle above the ferrule.
A soft toothbrush still works best for me around lettering.
Accumulator
Well-known member
BMW335i said:
For the wax/polish residue removal- IMO this isn't a situation where a brush is what you want. As Eliot Ness noted, I'm a big fan of various BHBs...but not for this.
I've tried all sorts of brushes..including very fine china bristle ones made for museum use. IME, if the bristles are soft enough that they won't mar the paint (when used *dry* or with just a little QD) then they'll also be too soft to dislodge/remove wax and polish residue. Try a CD-test before touching already-corrected paint with them.
I've tried a *lot* of toothbrushes...they all marred autopaint to some extent. The best (least marring) ones are "natural bristle" ones, and I used those soaked with QD. It's hard to find them though (do a 'net search on "Vermont Country Store", that's where I got mine..they *are* handy for certain jobs) and they still marred when I inspected under magnification.
The only brushes that ever worked perfectly for this were weirdly flagged snythetic ones sold by TOL back in the early '90s..but they've been off the market for a long, long time
And even those would mar once they wore a little bit.So I'd remove the wax/polish residue with something else..something that doesn't mar paint.