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{{short description|Tool with bristles, used for cleaning, grooming, or applying liquid coatings}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2007}}
A '''brush''' is a common tool with [[bristle]]s, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for [[cleaning tool|cleaning]], [[Personal grooming|grooming]] [[hair]], [[cosmetics|make up]],   [[painting]],  surface finishing and for many other purposes.   It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.

==History==
Brush manufacturing extends back to the Egyptians around 3500 BC, with rudimentary paint brushes from split palm leaves and animal hair.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Evolution of Brush Manufacturing | url=https://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/ }}</ref> These brushes made by hand, where dry leaves and fibers would be tied to tree branches that served as the handle.<ref>{{cite web | title=Historical Journey Through Brush Manufacturing | date=6 February 2024 | url=https://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/ }}</ref> The applications were for pottery decoration and tomb wall painting.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Evolution of the Paint Brush - Universal Paints | date=30 August 2023 | url=https://universalpaints.co.za/the-evolution-of-the-paint-brush/ }}</ref> In parallel China also began the development of its own brushes around the same time. Most of the applications for brushes were for decorating, and the first writing brushes represents a variation of manufacturing. With over 120 processes from selecting materials to finished products to choose from this expanded the capabilities of what a manufactured brush would be able to do.<ref>{{cite web | title=Writing Brush | url=https://www.idcpc.org.cn/english2023/chinadelights/arts/calligraphy/202307/t20230727_157780.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Writing Brush | url=http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/24/content_44518.htm }}</ref> The [[Huzhou ink brush]] reflects the culmination of the early brush manufacturing era as an established pioneer of writing tool.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brushing up a legacy | url=https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/584295 }}</ref>

During the renaissance was when a significant advancement was made to brush manufacturing. This is partly thanks to the documentation done at the time by [[Libro dell'Arte]] by [[Cennino Cennini]]. Brushes became extremely specialized and the round brush dominated this era.<ref>{{cite web | title=Drawing Materials | date=8 March 2015 | url=https://historyofdrawing.com/?page_id=5 }}</ref> Flat brushes had not developed yet due to technological limitations in ferrule construction.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brush shapes the old masters used | url=https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/brush-shapes-the-old-masters-used/ }}</ref>

The 1700s is when the first mass-produced toothbrush was created. [[William Addis (entrepreneur)|William Addis]] following his prison incarceration was the first to pioneer drilling holes into a substrate to then secure ferrules with glue. The established manufacturing principle it follows is reminiscent of staple-set brush manufacturing that is used today.<ref>{{cite web | title=When Was the Toothbrush Invented? &#124; Fillmore Dental Group | date=29 August 2018 | url=https://fillmoredentalgroup.com/the-history-behind-your-toothbrush-and-toothpaste/ }}</ref>

The next major advancement was the utilization of metal ferrules in brush making. Using metal instead of regular animal hairs or organic fibers created a product which had superior durability and shape retention. This expanded the possible applications for brush products and with more robust brushes a new technique was developed to manufacture these products. Instead of using a wire or cord to secure the bristles to the base now there would be a metal extrusion like a U channel produced. The bristles would be inserted into the U channel and the metal extrusion would be [[Crimp (joining)|crimped]] to hold the bristles in place.<ref>{{cite web | title=How the paintbrush ferrule got its crimp | date=11 December 2016 | url=http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-paintbrush-ferrule-got-its-crimp.html }}</ref>  This mechanically secured way of holding brushes is seen widely today in industrial strip brushes. This prevented an issue at the time where moisture would get in between the handle and brush, separating it.

The industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries marked the mechanization and mass production turning point for brush manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Evolution of Brush Manufacturing | url=https://valleybrush.com/blog/the-evolution-of-brush-manufacturing/ }}</ref> In the 1850s, the first machines designed for drilling brush handles were patented. Anton Zahoransky is noted as the pioneer and founder for what would become of brush-inserting machines.<ref>{{cite web | title=Historical Journey Through Brush Manufacturing | date=6 February 2024 | url=https://sacemagroup.com/en/brush-manufacturing/ }}</ref>

When houses were first inhabited, homeowners used branches taken from shrubs to sweep up dirt, hence using the first brushes. In 1859, the first brush factory in America was set up in [[New York City|New York]].<ref>{{Cite book|date=27 November 2009|title=Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things|publisher=Reader's Digest|page=29|isbn=978-0276445699}}</ref>

==Manufacturing==
There are two main ways for manufacturing brushes with modern-day cnc. With a machine the stock will be prepared to be loaded in the machine where a filament gauge proceeds to take a specific amount of material from the stock. the bristles or brush filaments historically has been done with staples or anchors.<ref>{{cite web | title=Types of Brush Making Machines: Tufting, Drilling, Stapling, and Trimming Machines | url=https://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html }}</ref> This is called [[tufting (composites)]]. First a hole is drilled into the material which the bristles will be set in. These bristles are inserted into the middle of a hole with a special driver. This driver contains the staple which will hold down the brush firmly into the material. The staple can also be replaced with a kind of anchor, which is a piece of rectangular profile wire that is anchored to the wall of the hole, like in most toothbrushes. Another way to attach the bristles to the surface can be found in a fused brush, in which instead of being inserted into a hole, a plastic fiber is welded to another plastic surface, giving the option to use different diameters of bristles in the same brush.

In industrial applications modern tufting machines are used to speed up the process. This includes adjustable tufting angles, tufting speed, and tension control.<ref>{{cite web | title=Types of Brush Making Machines: Tufting, Drilling, Stapling, and Trimming Machines | url=https://www.mxbrushmachinery.com/a-news-types-of-brush-making-machines-tufting-drilling-stapling-and-trimming-machines.html }}</ref> These machines utilize a tufting tool that inserts  tufts of filament into a brush base or backing material, accommodating natural bristles, synthetic fibers, or combinations of both. 
Advanced 5-axis brush making machines enable the creation of highly complex and customizable brush designs with precise tufting arrangements.

Epoxy-set is another industrial method for creating brushes. Two primary insertion methods are employed;pure epoxy-set, where crimped filament bundles are friction-held until resin application, and dual-retention systems (DRS) that combine stainless steel U-staples with epoxy sealing for enhanced security.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brush Manufacturing < Capabilities ~ Felton, Inc | url=https://www.nzbrush.co.nz/workspace/uploads/pro-tips/Resin%20Set%20Pro%20Tip.pdf }}</ref> This construction method finds critical applications in food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and aerospace industries where filament retention and contamination prevention are paramount.<ref>{{cite web | title=Food and Drug (FDA) Handling | url=https://indbrush.com/industries/food-and-drug-fda-handling/ }}</ref> The epoxy seal eliminates tuft cavities that could harbor bacteria, making these brushes essential for HACCP compliance and cleanroom environments.<ref>{{cite web | title=Keep those bristles in the brush - not in your products &#124; Hygiene Technologies | date=14 October 2020 | url=https://www.hygienetech.co.nz/keep-those-bristles-in-the-brush-not-in-your-products/ }}</ref> Design variants include embedded abrasive-nylon casts for heavy-duty deburring and metal-free configurations for X-ray detectable systems. While offering superior performance, epoxy-set brushes command higher costs due to material complexity and extended processing times, with end-of-life recycling challenges addressed through emerging bio-epoxy formulations and supplier take-back programs.

==Materials/Filaments==

Brush filaments vary with use but are all dependent on physical properties. Material modulus, filament diameter, and trim length all determine how much resistance to force a brush will give which is universal for almost all cases of brush applications. Bend recovery measures the materials ability to return to its former shape after deformation and is widely tested on brush filaments.<ref>https://nanovea.com/App-Notes/bristle-stiffness.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2025}}</ref> In addition to this flexing tests in order to determine cycle lifetime are also done <ref>{{cite journal | last1=Kaneyasu | first1=Y. | last2=Shigeishi | first2=H. | last3=Ohta | first3=K. | last4=Sugiyama | first4=M. | title=Changes in the Bristle Stiffness of Polybutylene Terephthalate Manual Toothbrushes over 3 Months: A Randomized Controlled Trial | journal=Materials  | date=2020 | volume=13 | issue=12 | page=2802 | doi=10.3390/ma13122802 | doi-access=free | pmid=32580300 | pmc=7344766 | bibcode=2020Mate...13.2802K }}</ref> to predict fatigue in brush materials. For higher level industrial applications like aerospace or the food industry; materials optimized for use must fulfill certain criteria like abrasion resistance, chemical compatibility, thermal resistance, and corrosion resistance.

[[Nylon]] - used in applications calling for low water absorption, good recovery, and abrasion resistance. Found in industrial cleaning applications where abrasiveness is needed, with different surface finishing the nylon can be more abrasive.

[[Polyester]] - Similar to nylon but specific for applications that do not absorb moisture. Bend recovery is superior in this regard.

[[Polypropylene]] - Used for wide variety of applications due to its wet stiffness, abrasive tip cleaning action, lower bend recovery than nylon, and its inert to most solvents, oils, acids, and chemicals. Found in food-safe applications

[[Polystyrene]] - economical flaggable filament used for aesthetics

[[Ixtle]] - Also known as Tampico, a biodegradable vegetable fiber with a soft-medium texture that can withstand high heat and softens in water

Metallic Wire - usually high carbon steel, stainless steel, brass or phosphorus bronze used for rust removal, cleaning metals, other requirements.

[[Taklon]] - fine synthetic for art brushes

Animal hairs - What brush bristles used to be made out of, hog hair, horse hair, goat hair, for smooth paint application due to their oil retention or any other applications.

==By function==

===Applicators===
[[File:Makeup weapons Brushes .jpg|thumb|Assorted cosmetics and Make-up brushes]]

The action of such brushes is mostly from the sides, not the tip, contact with which releases material held by [[capillary action]].

*Finger-print forensic brush
*[[Gilding]] brush
*[[Ink brush]]
*[[Makeup brush]]
*Mascara brush
*Nail-polish brush
*[[Paintbrush]] (fine art or house decoration)
*[[Pastry brush]]
*[[Shaving brush]]
*Shoe-polish brush (polish applicator)
*Wall-paper brush

===Combing===
The action of these brushes is more akin to [[comb]]ing than brushing, that is they are used to straighten and untangle filaments. Certain varieties of hairbrush are however designed to brush the scalp itself free of material such as dead skin ([[dandruff]]) and to invigorate the skin of the scalp.

* Grooming brush
* [[Hairbrush]]

===Other===
* [[Brush (electric)]], used on electrical motors
* Acid brush, described as consisting of glass threads, in 1906<ref>{{Cite dictionary|title=The Student's Medical Dictionary|publisher=P. Blakiston's Son & Co.|location=Philadelphia|url=https://archive.org/details/studentsmedicald00gouluoft/page/162/mode/2up|access-date=28 March 2021|last=Gould|first=George M.|date=1906|edition=11th|at=Brush|via=Internet Archive, medicalheritagelibrary collection}}</ref>
*Acid brush, described as consisting of horsehair held in a crimped copper tube, in 1922<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Charlles L.|url=https://archive.org/details/servicestationma00jone/page/n67/mode/2up|title=Service Station Management|publisher=D. Van Nostrand Company|year=1922|location=New York|pages=115|type=Microfilm.|access-date=28 March 2021|via=Internet Archive, ColumbiaUniversityLibraries collection}}</ref>
*Clothes brush or lint brush
*[[Electrostatic detection device|Magnetic brush]]
* [[Medical sampling brush]]
* [[Percussion mallet#Brushes|Brush percussion mallets]]
* [[Stippling]] brush (neither applies nor removes material, but merely adds pattern)

==Cleaning==
[[File:bog_brush.JPG|thumb|right|A toilet brush]]

Brushes used for cleaning come in various sizes, ranging from even smaller than that of a toothbrush, to the standard household version accompanied by a dustpan, to 36″ deck brushes. There are brushes for cleaning tiny cracks and crevices and brushes for cleaning enormous warehouse floors. Brushes perform a multitude of cleaning tasks. For example, brushes lightly dust the tiniest figurine, they help scrub stains out of clothing and shoes, they remove grime from tires, and they remove the dirt and debris found on floors with the help of a dust pan. Specific brushes are used for diverse activities from  cleaning vegetables, as a [[toilet brush]], washing glass, cleaning tiles, and as a mild abrasive for [[sanding]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
* ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art'', Gerald W. R. Ward. Oxford University Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-19-531391-8}}
* [https://www.carolinabrush.com/glossary-of-terms/ Glossary of Brush Terms]

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Brushes}}
* {{Wiktionary inline}}
{{EB1911 poster|position=left|Brush}}

{{Cleaning tools}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brushes| ]]
[[Category:Cleaning tools]]
[[Category:Cosmetics]]
[[Category:Painting materials]]