AK SYNTHETIC BRUSH – COMB

AK SYNTHETIC BRUSH – COMB (a rake brush)

A special brush of synthetic filaments from AK interactive. It is a tool, not a kit and not a paint. Its peculiarity is visible at once: the filaments are not drawn into one solid face but cut into a comb, into teeth separated by gaps. Each tooth carries its own little load of paint, so in one stroke you lay down several thin parallel lines at once — and with a slight irregularity that keeps the mark from looking printed.

Use

• Imitating hair and fur on figures and animals — the comb does strand after strand.
• Wood texture: the grain on decks, planking and the furniture of dioramas.
• Grass, hay and dry growth on a diorama base — one stroke lays down a bunch of stalks.
• Scratches and grooves in worn paint, lined-up marks left by sanding or abrasion.
• Combed weathering effects — irregular parallel streaks and marks left by running.

What it is not suitable for

A comb is not a universal brush. You will not draw one clean continuous line with it (a liner is for that), you will not cover an area evenly with it — the gaps between the teeth would print as stripes — and you will not reach small detail such as a dial. It is a tool for one particular kind of mark, and in that it is irreplaceable.

Who it is for

For the modeler who does texture and weathering: figure painters, diorama builders, lovers of wooden decks and scuffed vehicles. Anyone who works with oil paints will appreciate it too — slow-drying oil can be combed beautifully into a texture. Synthetic filaments stand up to the aggressive thinners used with enamels and lacquers, which natural hair would not survive in the long run. The one thing they do not tolerate is paint drying in the head — that destroys a brush for good.

Care: make sure that paint does not get right up to the ferrule. With a comb that goes double — dried paint at the root glues the teeth together and the comb becomes an ordinary flat pad that no longer makes parallel lines. Wash it out immediately after work (acrylic paint with water, lacquer and enamel with their thinner), straighten the teeth gently with your fingers and let it dry. Store it filaments up and never leave it standing propped in a jar.