BRUSHSTROKES HELPED BY ARALDITE®
28 February 2004 - Huntsman Araldite

The brushes are handmade in Sweden by Thomas Gustavsson and his wife Lena of
Gnesta Brushes. They claim that a Gnesta brush used by professional painters eight hours a day will last for several years. This is helped by the Araldite 2015 epoxy adhesive system which is used to bond the bristles into the metal ferrule.

“Araldite 2015 is the only adhesive that is able to withstand all the solvent types with which the brushes comes into contact during their working life,” explains Thomas Gustavsson. “The adhesive becomes loose on many of the other brushes available on the market.”

The manufacturing process involves 25 different stages, including sorting the bristles and trimming the root ends in order not to waste the delicate tips. Gnesta brushes are made from Chinese boar bristles, which have a conical cross-section with flagged tips, which help spread the paint without leaving brush marks. The bristles are then weighed and bonded into the ferrule, a few at a time, and shaped as required.

The bonding is carried out in two stages using a mix/meter dispenser which injects
precisely the right amount of adhesive into the ferrule. After curing, the handle is attached.

“Araldite 2015 has the right consistency and stays in place where we want it”, says
Thomas Gustavsson. “It would be impossible to work with an adhesive that flows out into the bristles.”

Depending on the type of brush, It takes between ten minutes and one hour to make a single brush, but Gnesta Brushes are still able to manufacture 1,000 brushes a week in this way.

Araldite 2015 is a two-component toughened epoxy adhesive giving a resilient bond. It is thixotropic, gap filling and non-sagging up to 10mm thickness and is particularly suitable for SMC and GRP bonding.

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