Kolinksy Brushes
Kolinsky is a type of mink, which is a member of the weasel family. It is native to Siberia and northeastern China, where the cold weather allows the animal to grow a thick, long coat. Only hairs from the tail are used in making artists' brushes, while the rest are used by other industries.
The male Kolinksy tail hair is used in making the finest Kolinksy brushes because of its superior quality. Female Kolinsky hair has less life compared to male hair. The very finest watercolor brushes are made from 100% male Kolinsky hair, but most Kolinsky brushes are made with a 60% female to 40% male mixture. The best brushes will spring or snap back straight after bending, while the brushes made of mixtures will hold a slight bend.
The finest Kolinsky brushes are not recommended for use in oil paints, because the harsh qualities of oils will damage these brushes.
Weasel or Red Sable BrushesOften called Red Sable, because of its reddish-brown color, brushes made of weasel hair make for practical oil painting brushes. The finest brushes get damaged quickly in the solvent and chemicals used in oils, so the cost-to-quality savings is a nice benefit for using Red Sable brushes. They can cost up to 40% less than a Kolinsky brush of the same size, while it still retains some or most of the desirable traits of a more expensive brush.
It is very important to be able to distinguish between Red Sable and Kolinksy. Sometimes brushes made of Red Sable are passed off as Kolinsky brushes, which carry a much higher price tag.
Fitch BrushesThis type of hair is also related to the weasel family. Its color is a light tan to a deep brown black, and often make very good oil painting brushes. It's not likely that you will find watercolor brushes made of Fitch, because there isn't enough long hair available for making many watercolor brushes.
Fitch hair is used for medium-priced brushes. It's a conic shaped brush with a good snap, and is thought to be just as good as Red Sable brushes.
Squirrel Brushes
Most squirrel hair for brushes comes from Canada and Russia. There are three main types of Russian Squirrel hair: Talahoutky is brown in color and used mainly for sign brushes; Kazan is brown-black and mainly used in brushes for watercolor, wash brushes, and watercolor mops; Sacamena is blue-black, the softest of all the Russian Squirrel hair, and is used for making some of the best watercolor brushes.
Canadian Squirrel has more color than that of the Russian Squirrel, which is yellow-brown with dark tips.
Squirrel hair brushes are very similar to Kolinsky brushes; they point very well and have thick "bodys" to hold paint, but they lack the "snap" or springy-ness of a Kolinsky. This lack of "snap" makes them almost totally useless when painting with thick paints. Often squirrel hair is used in the production of "camel hair" brushes and many other brushes made from mixtures of hair.
Mongoose BrushesMongoose hair comes from many different countries, but most used for artists' brushes are produced in India. The hairs have a dark brown tip, cream-colored center, and dark roots.
Mongoose hair makes a very good medium-quality brush; the best brushes are manufactured in Europe. It makes a very good brush for use in acrylics and oils because of its ability to snap.
