Glossary

Bevelled

Flat paintbrush with slanted edge, in other words with two different fiber lenghts.

Bundle

All the hairs or fibers required for the manufacture of a series of brushes.

Capillarity

The capillarity depends on the intrinsic structure of each hair or each fiber. It is the colour absorption capacity.
The more the bristle or hair is tapered, the more its belly is accentuated, the better its capillary retention and the more regular the distribution of colour.

Cat's tongue

Pointed filbert. It permits to work with the point, the edge and tint areas.

Diameter

Measured on the ferrule, just where the hair or bristles strat.

Domed

Paintbrush manufactured with a curved shape. When wet it "forms a point".

Edge

Refers to flat paintbrushes seen in profile.

Ferrule

Refers to flat paintbrushes seen in profile.

Filbert

Brush manufactured in such a way that it is shaped as if it has already been used, thus avoiding it having to be "broke in".

Fiber length

Apparent length of the hairs, bristles, or fibers from the tip to the ferrule.

Flag

The most tapered and the lightest end of a hair, bristle, or fiber ("on flag" : paintbrush assembled on its flag).

Head to foot

Flag at the bottom of the hundle or tuft and the root at the top. Due to its conical shape, a single hair can separate the point of a round paintbrush into two.

Liner

Round brush with a long or extra long fiber lenght. For fine lines, decorative painting and marine painting.

Long flat

Its length is more or less twice as much longer than its edge.

Pincelière

Pincelière (french term for a fine brush brushmaker or craftsperson). This craft industry, normally carried out by women due to the need for sensitivity and precision of the fingers, requires up to 6 years of training before being able to fully master the manufacture of a sable paintbrush.

Pointed

End of a round brush.

Responsiveness

Physical capacity of a hair or a fiber to recover its initial shape more or less quickly. It is also sometimes known as "shape memory".

Root

The thickest and heaviest end of a hair (on root: brush assembled on the root).

Short flat

Square brush, length more or less equal to its width.

Square

With a square edge (as opposed to pointed on round or flat brush).

Thickness

From the ferrule to the level with fiber.

Width

Measured on the ferrule, just where the hair or bristles strat.