BRUSHES. (Fn., Brosse ; GER., Biirste.) There is, perhaps, no domestic utensil in such common and conatant demand as the brush in its various forma, and a great variety of aubatances have been introduced into the manufacture to meet the demand. Brushes intended for scrubbing metallic surfaces are made of wire ; those for use in contact with acida, of spun glees. For coarse work where elasticity is not required, twiga of broom, rattan, whalebone, wood, rushes, and other plants are employed. The Shakers of New York State eultivate a kind of sorghum, or broom corn, which they use extensively in making brushes. The ahafts of quills also are prepared and split up ; and even horn, which is softened by steeping in an infusion of sage leaves, then flattened, rolled out, extended and moulded ao as to break up into threads. Old rope, cocoa-nut fibre, and the roots and fibres of many other tropical plants are in constant use for the same purpoae. For the smaller kinds of brush known as pencils, feathers are employed, and the carefully-selected hair of the camel, badger, squirrel, goat, fitch (polecat), sable, bear, horse, and other animals. For artiste' pencils, the hair of the ichneumon, and a portion of that which grows within cows' ears, ia reaerved. Bears' fur, being coarse and stiff, is priacipally con sumed in varniahing brushes ; badgers', long, soft, and elastic, in graining and gilding bruahes ; sable-tail, which is very long and very elastic, makea the fioeat and dearest artists' pencils ; camels' hair come,s next in value t,o sable ; cow's ear hair ia useful for atriping and lettering bruahes. The greatest care is taken to prevent loaa when working up the valuable haira, as a double handful of sable ia worth 201., and camel hair nearly as much. But the consumption of the products above mentioned does not approach that of hoga' briatles, which really form the mainstay of the manu facture. The hest of these are procured from the wild hog of northern Europe, about five-aixths of the total coming from Ruaaia and Poland. Duriug the Crimean war, the imports of these fell off very considerably, and split whalebone was attempted to he substituted, but with very indifferent auccess, as it aplits and wears much more rapidly. The whitest and best hoga' briatlea are used in
hair, tooth, clothea, and hat, aud the beat paint brushes.
The briatles as received by the manufacturer, though apparently well washed and clean, have atill to go through an elaborate cleansing process. Then, or before being washed, they are assorted according to their colour (unless obtained already assorted), being classified into black, yellow, grey, white, and lilies, or pure white. The " whites " are then bleached by means of sulphurous acid or other agent, and again assorted according to quality, length, and aize. A bunch having all the large ends pointing the same way is taken in the hand and " dragged " through a kind of comb, which catches and removes the coaraeat onea. A number of these combs are arranged on a bench, each one of the aeries having finer teeth and placed nearer together. The "dragging" is repeated through each finer comb in succession, the result being a number of heaps of bristles of various sizes. This combing makes the briatlea more elastie, and polishes them. When assorted, the bristles are ready for the bruah-maker. Each operator makea his own apecial variety of brush, the entire procesa being carried out by a single hand without any division of labour, except when the brush has aftcrwarda to go to a cabinet-maker, to be finished for the market by having the back glued on, &c.
Brushes are primarily divided into two clams, simple and compound. The former consists of a single tuft ; the latter, ef mauy. Compound brushes are also capable of several subdivisions; those with a number of tufts set aide by aide on flat boards (like a scrubbing-brush) are known as " atoek " brushes ; and again, these may be either " pair-work " or " set.," i. e. the bunch screwed up and twiated into the hole, and held there by the application of cement ; or they may be " drawn work," the bunch being doubled up and drawn into the hole by means of a wire through the loop.