Materials
Seven materials, and what each one will not tolerate.
Every item in the catalog is made from one of these. The useful part of knowing which is not the romance of it — it is knowing what can go in water, what a solvent will do to it, and which one thing will ruin it outright. All of that is below, per material.
Hog Bristle
Stiff natural bristle with a naturally split tip, which is what lets it carry and release heavy body colour. It sheds a little for its first few washes and softens permanently with use — both are normal and neither is a fault.
3 items in this material — Ashfield Filbert 12, Ashfield Flat 18, Ashfield Round 6.
- Water
- Warm water and a plain soap
- Solvent
- Yes — wash it out afterwards
- Storage
- Flat, or hanging head-down
- What destroys it
- Standing in liquid. It swells the crimp and splays the head for good
Synthetic Sable
Tapered polyester filament that holds a point and springs back wet. It has less colour-carrying capacity than natural hair and more snap, and it is unaffected by the solvents that degrade natural hair over time.
2 items in this material — Keeling Round 4, Keeling Rigger 2.
- Water
- Warm water and a plain soap
- Solvent
- Yes — it is unaffected
- Storage
- Flat, or hanging head-down
- What destroys it
- Heat. The filament deforms against a radiator or a hot surface
Cotton Rag
100% cotton, acid-free and internally sized, then surface sized so the surface takes repeated lifting without pilling. Sheets are mould-made with two true deckles and two torn edges.
3 items in this material — Marlow Rag Block 300, Marlow Rag Sheets 300, Marlow Rag Sheet 640.
- Water
- That is the point — but stretch it first
- Solvent
- No
- Storage
- Flat, dark, off an exterior wall
- What destroys it
- A flooded wash on an unstretched sheet, and skin oils on the surface
Birch Ply
Void-free birch laminate with a sanded face, cradled in solid ash on the deeper panels. Grain figure differs from panel to panel and will read through a thin ground unless you build it up.
3 items in this material — Derwent Cradled Panel 8 × 10, Derwent Cradled Panel 16 × 20, Derwent Study Board 6 × 8.
- Water
- Only once both faces are sealed
- Solvent
- Yes, once sealed
- Storage
- Upright and separated
- What destroys it
- Heat cycling in a car, and sealing one face only
Graphite
Graphite and clay, pressed and kiln-fired, with the clay fraction setting the grade. Our grades are measured against a reference set rather than matched by eye, so an H here is the same H next year.
4 items in this material — Holloway Graphite Set, Holloway Graphite Pencil, Holloway Lead Holder, The Study Kit.
- Water
- No
- Solvent
- No
- Storage
- Flat, in a tin or a roll
- What destroys it
- Being dropped. The core fractures along its length invisibly
Tempered Steel
Hardened and tempered carbon steel, hand-finished and left unplated. It takes and keeps a working edge far better than stainless, and in exchange it will spot with rust if it is put away wet. Wipe it dry and it outlasts you.
3 items in this material — Bench Palette Knives, Bench Scraper 75, Keeling Brush Washer.
- Water
- Yes — then dry it immediately
- Solvent
- Yes
- Storage
- Dry, and lightly oiled in a humid room
- What destroys it
- Being put away wet, and levering against a hard edge
Waxed Canvas
Heavy cotton duck, paraffin-waxed for water resistance. It marks and creases readily and the wax will transfer onto a light surface in heat — that patina is the material behaving normally, not wearing out.
2 items in this material — Field Tool Roll, The Brush Roll.
- Water
- A cold sponge, nothing more
- Solvent
- No
- Storage
- Aired, then loosely rolled
- What destroys it
- A machine wash. It strips the wax out and it cannot be put back
The one that catches people out
Never leave a brush standing on its head in water or solvent. Not for five minutes while you answer the door. The liquid wicks up into the ferrule, swells the crimp and pushes the head permanently out of shape, and no amount of washing brings it back. It is the single most common way a good brush is destroyed, it happens to everyone once, and it is why the washer two categories over has a coil on it. If you remember one thing from this page, that is the one.
Full care instructions per item are on the care page and in the specification on every product page. Questions: hello@purgostudio.com.