brush

A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle
or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation,
depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and
bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive
chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface
finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today,
and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.

History
When houses were first inhabited, homeowners used branches taken from shrubs to sweep up
dirt, hence using the first brushes. In 1859, the first brush factory in America was set up in New
York.

Manufacture
A common way of setting the bristles, brush filaments, in the brush is the staple or anchor set
brush in which the filament is forced with a staple by the middle into a hole with a special driver
and held there by the pressure against all of the walls of the hole and the portions of the staple
nailed to the bottom of the hole. The staple can be replaced with a kind of anchor, which is a
piece of rectangular profile wire that is anchored to the wall of the hole, like in most
toothbrushes. Another way to attach the bristles to the surface can be found in a fused brush, in
which instead of being inserted into a hole, a plastic fibre is welded to another plastic surface,
giving the option to use different diameters of bristles in the same brush.

Configurations include twisted-in wire (e.g. bottle brushes), cylinders and disks (with bristles
spread in one face or radially).

By function
Removal of material (cleaning and polishing)

The action of these brushes is mainly in the tip of each flexible bristle which dislodges particles
of matter.

Archaeology brush

Beekeeper's brush

Bench-grinder brush
Bottle brush: a long handled brush with rows of radial bristles, designed to fit into small mouthed
bottles and access the larger interior.

Broom (long-handled brush)

Car-wash brush

Chimney brush

Chip brush

Clothes brush, a brush for removing detritus from clothing

Crumb brush

Curling brush (sport)

Dandy brush, for Horse grooming

Dishwashing brush

Floor brush (yard brush, yard broom, hand brush)

Flue brush

Gun-barrel brush

Lavatory brush (toilet brush or slang bog brush)

Milk-churn brush

Nailbrush

Neck Duster

Rotary brush

Scrubber

Shoe-polish brush (buffer)

Test tube brush

Toothbrush

Typewriter eraser brush

Vacuum-cleaner brush

Vegetable brush (mushroom brush)

Wire brush

Application of material

The action of such brushes is mostly from the sides, not the tip, contact with which releases
material held by capillary action.

Finger-print forensic brush

Gilding brush

Ink brush

Makeup brush

Mascara brush

Nail-polish brush

Paintbrush (fine art or house decoration)

Pastry brush

Shaving brush

Shoe-polish brush (polish applicator)

Wall-paper brush

Combing

The action of these brushes is more akin to combing than brushing, that is they are used to
straighten and untangle filaments. Certain varieties of hairbrush are however designed to brush
the scalp itself free of material such as dead skin (dandruff) and to invigorate the skin of the
scalp.

Grooming brush

Hair brush

Other
Brush (electric), used on electrical motors

Magnetic brush

Medical sampling brush

Brush percussion mallets

Stippling brush (neither applies or removes material, but merely adds pattern)

Cleaning
Brushes used for cleaning come in various sizes, ranging from that of a toothbrush, to the
standard household version accompanied by a dustpan, to 36″ deck brushes. There are brushes
for cleaning tiny cracks and crevices and brushes for cleaning enormous warehouse floors.
Brushes perform a multitude of cleaning tasks. For example, brushes lightly dust the tiniest
figurine, they help scrub stains out of clothing and shoes, they remove grime from tires, and they
remove the dirt and debris found on floors with the help of a dust pan. Specific brushes are used
for diverse activities from cleaning vegetables, as a toilet brush, washing glass, cleaning tiles,
and as a mild abrasive for sanding.

References
The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art, Gerald W. R. Ward. Oxford
University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-531391-8

Glossary of Brush Terms

External links