# Yet another brush thread...sort of.



## DarthPainter (Jul 26, 2009)

I've been trying every single brush I can get my hands on these days to see if I can find that magical "just right" brush. I think that I have found it with my Cortez, but I also like to keep a few other brushes around on hand in case the Corona isn't a good fit, which does happen on occasion. Anyway, long story short, I've been using ICI's brand of paint brushes and have fallen in love with them. However, now that I love them, the only ICI within a reasonable distance from me is shutting its doors.

I need to know if there is any way of purchasing them online. I've searched ebay and all the ICI sites I can find and have been lead to dead end after dead end. If it helps, these are the Nour brushes made for ICI, not the Wooster ones, and from what I know, Nour doesn't make brushes like the ones I like in their own line.

Sorry for the incovenience, but if anyone knows anything, I'd really appreciate.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

hmmm... I will call and ask em tomorrow what you can do. I just got some hydrosealer from em today. I love their brushes also. i was using a KWAL 2" on some cutting in and that damn  brush's bristles were fraying out so bad...  I found my ICI brush and got er done sooo nicely


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

DarthPainter said:


> I've been trying every single brush I can get my hands on these days to see if I can find that magical "just right" brush. I think that I have found it with my Cortez, but I also like to keep a few other brushes around on hand in case the Corona isn't a good fit, which does happen on occasion. Anyway, long story short, I've been using ICI's brand of paint brushes and have fallen in love with them. However, now that I love them, the only ICI within a reasonable distance from me is shutting its doors.
> 
> I need to know if there is any way of purchasing them online. I've searched ebay and all the ICI sites I can find and have been lead to dead end after dead end. If it helps, these are the Nour brushes made for ICI, not the Wooster ones, and from what I know, Nour doesn't make brushes like the ones I like in their own line.
> 
> Sorry for the incovenience, but if anyone knows anything, I'd really appreciate.


Do you use a brush for like a one size fits all kind of thing? Depending on the wall surface I use diff brushes. I use a stiff brush for any type of med to rough surface, and limp one for smooth walls.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

DarthPainter said:


> I've been trying every single brush I can get my hands on these days to see if I can find that magical "just right" brush.


I always believed that the "magic" is in the painters hands. The brush is just a tool (wand?) used to project that magic. 

I'd bet that most of us have repeatable results with any good quality brush.

The magic is in you.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

bikerboy said:


> I always belived that the "magic" is in the painters hands. The brush is just a tool (wand?) used to project that magic.
> 
> I'd bet that most of us have repeatable results with any good quality brush.
> 
> The magic is in you.


That's very true, but if you use a soft, more limp brush on very smooth walls, you will get better coverage. Sometimes it will make the diff between a two coats or a three coater.


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## DarthPainter (Jul 26, 2009)

bikerboy said:


> I always believed that the "magic" is in the painters hands. The brush is just a tool (wand?) used to project that magic.
> 
> I'd bet that most of us have repeatable results with any good quality brush.
> 
> The magic is in you.


Haha, I don't believe that at all. Sure, I can paint anything with good results using nearly any brush. But that's not the magic; the magic is having a tool that produces the effect you want without making you work for it. The real magic is the increased production.

And JohnPaint, I am kind of a one size fits all brush user, in a general sense; however I do have a ton of brushes that I break out for different things. I, too, use a stiffer brush for medium rough surfaces, and I use a softer brush on smooth surfaces or on things I want to laydown nicely, like trim/door work. I prefer softer brushes in general, but I always switch to something a little stiffer for primer and heavier paints, too.


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## 1977corey (Feb 27, 2009)

Brushes made by Corona are the "dog's bollocks"


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

1977corey said:


> Brushes made by Corona are the "dog's bollocks"


 
Can't tell if that is good or bad:whistling2:


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## ProWallGuy (Apr 7, 2007)

chrisn said:


> Can't tell if that is good or bad:whistling2:


Word. I was about to hit the thanks button for his post, then thought twice. I'm so cornfused. :blink:


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## plainpainter (Nov 6, 2007)

We're in the midst of perhaps the worst economic meltdown that has occurred since the Great Depression - and although it looks the worst is over, and to a great extent been avoided due to massive government bailouts. And you guys are worried about your favorite brush?!!??!

I am worried about getting calls, and then closing deals that are worth more than just slave labor / minimum wage jobs. Screw the brush - any ol' brush hanging from the wall of a paint store is workable in my opinion. Where are my leads coming from? And how valuable are these jobs? Will I procure work through the winter - these are the things I worry about.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

plainpainter said:


> We're in the midst of perhaps the worst economic meltdown that has occurred since the Great Depression - and although it looks the worst is over, and to a great extent been avoided due to massive government bailouts. And you guys are worried about your favorite brush?!!??!
> 
> I am worried about getting calls, and then closing deals that are worth more than just slave labor / minimum wage jobs. Screw the brush - any ol' brush hanging from the wall of a paint store is workable in my opinion. Where are my leads coming from? And how valuable are these jobs? Will I procure work through the winter - these are the things I worry about.


Sorry man, but this winter will take care of some of the last remaining painters we have. So yes we should be concerned. In a lot of ways this winter will be worse than last year.


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## plainpainter (Nov 6, 2007)

This winter is going to be loads worse. I expect a 5 month layoff - and don't spend a dime on anything these days than what I need to keep my company going.


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## Roadog (Apr 18, 2007)

plainpainter said:


> We're in the midst of perhaps the worst economic meltdown that has occurred since the Great Depression - and although it looks the worst is over, and to a great extent been avoided due to massive government bailouts. And you guys are worried about your favorite brush?!!??!
> 
> I am worried about getting calls, and then closing deals that are worth more than just slave labor / minimum wage jobs. Screw the brush - any ol' brush hanging from the wall of a paint store is workable in my opinion. Where are my leads coming from? And how valuable are these jobs? Will I procure work through the winter - these are the things I worry about.


I havnt had a day off since April. My fall looks busy too.......but I like my Corona and Woosters.


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## DarthPainter (Jul 26, 2009)

plainpainter said:


> We're in the midst of perhaps the worst economic meltdown that has occurred since the Great Depression - and although it looks the worst is over, and to a great extent been avoided due to massive government bailouts. And you guys are worried about your favorite brush?!!??!
> 
> I am worried about getting calls, and then closing deals that are worth more than just slave labor / minimum wage jobs. Screw the brush - any ol' brush hanging from the wall of a paint store is workable in my opinion. Where are my leads coming from? And how valuable are these jobs? Will I procure work through the winter - these are the things I worry about.


I feel for you, but not all of us are in a bad situation. I don't worry for my future, and how good my tools are and how I can find them does matter to me. While I can empathize with you, your lack of work doesn't make my tools any less important to me. Also, take heart, friend, this forum is more than just advice about painting and looking for leads: it's about camaraderie and support for each other. It's a place to blow off steam and unwind and still feel like you have a place left in the world when things aren't going your way.

And I truly believe you'll be just fine in the long run; you might have a tough winter and have to suffer through tightening your belt, but there's hope at the end of the tunnel for many painters, though many can't see it. We've avoided the financial meltdown, and it hasn't been the worst since the great depression, though the media would have you believe it was. Penultimately, this is the best time to be in the construction business in decades; the government has been spending more and more money on building than ever before: Pittsburgh has more money than they know what to do with tied up in new construction, and many other places are the same. Residential and commercial painting is the third fastest growing business in the nation at the moment just behind computer engineering and child services. Things are bleak, but you will make it through, and you will prosper.

Also, I like Corona.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

DarthPainter said:


> I feel for you, but not all of us are in a bad situation. I don't worry for my future, and how good my tools are and how I can find them does matter to me. While I can empathize with you, your lack of work doesn't make my tools any less important to me. Also, take heart, friend, this forum is more than just advice about painting and looking for leads: it's about camaraderie and support for each other. It's a place to blow off steam and unwind and still feel like you have a place left in the world when things aren't going your way.
> 
> And I truly believe you'll be just fine in the long run; you might have a tough winter and have to suffer through tightening your belt, but there's hope at the end of the tunnel for many painters, though many can't see it. We've avoided the financial meltdown, and it hasn't been the worst since the great depression, though the media would have you believe it was. Penultimately, this is the best time to be in the construction business in decades; the government has been spending more and more money on building than ever before: Pittsburgh has more money than they know what to do with tied up in new construction, and many other places are the same. Residential and commercial painting is the third fastest growing business in the nation at the moment just behind computer engineering and child services. Things are bleak, but you will make it through, and you will prosper.
> 
> Also, I like Corona.


Darth, I do think you are right about that, but, all I can say is, if you don't advertise you will not get any work. Some people have run out of money for that and they will see rough times.


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## DarthPainter (Jul 26, 2009)

johnpaint said:


> Darth, I do think you are right about that, but, all I can say is, if you don't advertise you will not get any work. Some people have run out of money for that and they will see rough times.


That's a fair assessment, but now is the time to simply get creative about advertising your business; it doesn't cost anything if you follow the right avenues. And people are too quick to jump on the gloom and doom bandwagon; most millionaires have made theirs in times of depression. My grandfather and father made theirs during a recession, and so did Bill Gates. It just takes some ingenuity and some initiative; if you can't pay for advertising, find someone who can and do something for them. Surely there is at least one person in a position to help people with advertising and that needs services in return?


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