Natural Bristles and plant fibres

All natural fibers are dependable substitutions for applications where synthetic filaments are not suited. "Mother Nature" provides a wide variety of natural fibers such as horsehair, goat hair, tampico and bristle (boar or hog hair) for industrial applications. Artist brushes use natural fibers including bristle, ox hair, sable, and camel hair.

Horsehair is produced from the mane or tail hair and each provide a different stiffness and texture. It is best known for its ability to polish without being abrasive while cleaning the surface. This natural fiber is excellent for picking up dust and fine powders. Horsehair can be mixed with other natural fiber, synthetic and wire materials for specific customer applications. Horsehair colors include brown, black, mixed grey, silver grey and white. Abrasive filament is most often made with nylon 6.12 for use in wet or dry applications. Nylon 6 or Nylon 6.6 is suitable for dry applications and be treated against thermal degradation. Filaments are available in a broad combination of grit sizes (600 grit to 46 grit), loading and diameters (.012" to .060"). Grit loadings range from 20% by weight of grit to 40%. Abrasive filaments are impregnated with silicon carbide or aluminum oxide. Silicate is a fine abrasive filament with a .008" diameter and 1000 grit for micro-finishes.

Goat Hair is a very fine, soft natural fiber either black or white in color. It is used for very short trim soft brushes. Goat hair has a blunt tip, but retains large volume of fluid.

Tampico is a natural fiber produced from the Agave plant in Mexico. It has exceptional water retention characteristics, excellent biodegradability, superior heat and chemical resistance. Soft to medium texture and will soften when it absorbs water. It is able to withstand high temperatures without melting, but will discolor.

Bristle is a natural fiber with very thick butts and split ends used primarily in brush applications to carry liquids. Bristle is also referred to as hog, pig or boar hair. Bristle is used mainly in paint and artist brushes and twisted-in-wire brushes. It maintains shape and stiffness in use over a long period of time. Bristle comes in gray, black or white (natural) colors.