Graining and Marbling Tools and once in a blue moon oddities.
( A bit of a menagerie!)
These brushes are used to add detail on to the first layer of graining. This pencil over-grainger made from sable hair makes the kind of parallel lines found in some walnut figures
A horsehair brush with very long bristles used for striking the wood grain layer after it's been dragged or combed, This distorts the first process making it look more natural.
An expensive brush. This one is made from badger hair. It's used to soften glazes before they dry, in marbling and graining processes. Pure scenic alchemy.
A variety of brushes used to make the first graining marks in the wet glaze.
Not really a graining or marbling brush but one for large mottled panels. This lily bristled brush cost over £100
Swan or goose feathers are used to create veins running through marble. A squirrel sword liner is used for the same purpose but for more detailed work. These particular examples are past their best
Sable brushes are seldom needed by scenic artists. They are too small. Even detailed work can be done with a larger brush....usually. It's not a bad rule of thumb to use the biggest brush you can get away with but occasionally a sable will be handy to tidy up a ragged corner. Signwriters' brushes hold lots of paint and are great for signwriting and coach work.
One of the most useful items in a brush box is the sponge. They are useful for all manor of decorative finishes including various forms of marble. They don't last for ever but they are cheap to replace. Don't be tempted to rip them in half because then they disintegrate quickly.
These can be either rubber or metal. The rubber ones are easy to use and look after whereas the metal ones come in sets, giving a wide variety of marks. Go for rubber in the first instance.
These rubber graining rockers produce a heartwood pattern which is good for pine, oak as well as several other wood grains.