Among the automotive tools we have on our shelves, the Andrew Mack pinstriping brushes are probably the most popular. For years we’ve carried these brushes because of their popularity in the pinstriping community, as well as the quality in each and every brush that is produced. Let’s talk about them!

There are two types of material to form the tuft of a brush:

SYNTHETICS are man-made of either nylon or polyester. They may come tipped, tapered, flagged, abraded or even etched to increase the brushes' ability to carry color. The man-made filaments may be dyed and baked to make them soft and more absorbent. The advantages of a synthetic brush are as follows:

1. They are very durable.
2. They are less likely to be damaged by moths, paints or mild solvents.
3. They are easier to clean.
4. If you are using an acrylic paint, use a synthetic brush.

NATURAL: No animals are raised or trapped for the sole purpose of making a brush. Natural animal hair may be used in its pure state or mixed with other types of hair to accomplish a particular mixture for price, and or, performance. Natural hair will hold a tremendous amount of paint because it has microscopic scales along the shaft of the hair. Quality and price of natural hair is determined by the grade of animal, and by supply and demand. Generally speaking, longer hair is harder to find and more expensive than the shorter lengths.

TYPES OF HAIR:

SQUIRREL HAIR: Blue squirrel is the most readily available and comes in long lengths, as well as short lengths. It is generally used for striping brushes and lettering brushes. Brown, or kazan, is no longer as plentiful as it was several years ago. It is generally found in the shorter lengths and used for stripers, quills, and outliners. Both blue and kazan are very soft and fine. They point as well as kolinsky, but have very little snap, since the hair is not very resilient. Grey squirrel is the hardest to find and the most expensive. It is more durable, has more snap and makes a great quill or lettering brush.

CAMEL HAIR: There are no camel hair brushes. Camel hair brushes received their name from "Mr. Camel", who invented them. Camel hair could be squirrel, ox, pony, goat, or a blend.

PONY HAIR: It comes from an animal that is at least two years old. It is very strong, but also soft. The very finest pony hair comes from the belly of the animal. It is often blended with other hairs for less expensive watercolor and touch-up brushes.

OX HAIR: The best ox hair comes from the ears of cattle or oxen. It is very silky to the touch. It is also very strong, resilient and has good snap. However, it lacks a fine tip, so it is usually mixed with other natural hairs. The blending makes a brush more resilient and have more body.

RED SABLE: This hair comes from any member of the weasel family that has red hair. It does not come from the "sable" animal. It is used to make a lot of different brushes, and there is a big variance in quality when one speaks of "red sable". The good quality red sable can be used as a less expensive alternative to kolinsky. Quite often, red sable is blended with ox hair to make a more economical brush, but unfortunately, the fine point is sacrificed.

SABELINE: This is normally light color ox hair that is dyed to look like red sable. Some lettering and watercolor brushes are made with sabeline, mixed with sable, to lower the cost of the brush.

KOLINSKY SABLE: It comes from the tail of a mink. It is the best hair for watercolor and oil brushes because of its strength, spring, and snap. It comes to a very fine point, and with proper care, will last many years.

BRISTLE: It comes from hogs in different parts of the world, but the very best comes from China. Hog bristle is different than any other natural fiber, since it forms a V-shaped split or "flag" at the tip and has a natural curve. This gives it a resistance to fraying, and it spreads paint smoothly and evenly.

We currently carry the following brush types:

• Alan Johnson Mini Detailer Series AJ/MD
• Alan Johnson Signature Series AJ
• Blue Squirrel and Black Synthetic Mix Series 169
• Bobbo-Mack Super Quad Series B/M SQ
• Brown Kazan Squirrel Hair Lettering Quill Brush Series 179L
• DC Micro Mono Brushes Series DC-MM
• Drag’n Fly by Ted Turner Series DF
• Hannukaine Quill Brush Series 79
• Hanson/Mack “King 13” Pinstriping Brushes Series 13
• Long Bob Pinstriping Brush Series LB
• Long Stryper Series 1111
• Mack & Meyer Mop Series 1961
• Mack/Tidwell Paint Brush Series M/T
• Original Mack Sword Pinstriping Brushes Series 10
• Outliner Brushes Series 840
• Sword Striper Series 20
• The Jenson Swirly Q Series JS
• The Virus II Scrolling Script Series 444VII
• The Virus Scrolling Script Series 444
• Von Dago Mini Saber Series VD-MS
• Von Dago Saber Liner Series VD-SL
• Wizard Black Widow Scroll Striper Series WBW
• Wizard Vortex Scroll Striper Series 82
• Xcaliber Series X

In addition to brushes, we also carry an aluminum brush box and Mack Mags magnetic tape. You can choose to get an uncoated aluminum box, a powder coated Ruby Red box, or a powder coated Sapphire Blue box – whatever fits your style best! These boxes will protect your brushes while drying, storing, and transporting. The Mack Mags is used for a guide in long automotive pinstriping. The magnets contain a matte coat paint protection barrier to keep the paint on your surface protected.

You can find the Andrew Mack products that we carry on our website, and if you are interested in something that we don’t carry, please reach out and we will see what we can do to accommodate your needs.