THE YOUNG 
tained in quills or set in metal or albata. 
The first are the cheapest, and are of ex- 
cellent quality. The last, no doubt, look 
best, and in the very small sizes are 
rather preferable, as greater care is sup- 
posed to be taken in the fixing, etc., of 
the hair. The metal does not corrode. 
24. Liners, Tracers, and Banders. — Fig. 
13 represents a brush known as a liner. 
This has very long hair, and is a fiue 
and very supple brush, capable of hold- 
ing, for its diameter, a very large quan- 
tity of x^aint. This is a necessity met by 
the length, as otherwise the point would 
be likely to dry. It is used for drawing- 
circular lines round plates or vases, and 
may be had in three or four sizes. A 
somewhat similar brush, with shorter 
hair for the same diameter, is made for 
tracing and drawing outlines. With a 
little practice either answers very well 
for the other. Fig. 14 also comes into use 
in circular work, and with it bands of 
color are described. The i)ossession of it 
is not, however, an absolute necessity, as 
with experience a large liner can be made 
to do its work. These brushes should be 
of a size that when well filled will enable 
the painter to do a complete circle, 
whether line or band, without stopping 
to have to replenish the brush. 
25. Dabbers. — The foregoing are brushes 
used in actually laying tlie paint on the 
ware. There are others required for dis- 
tributing it when such an operation is 
necessary. These are Fitch brushes, or 
Dabbers, and Softeners (see Figs. 15 to 
20). The former are employed to render 
even a coat of paint which it is perhaps 
impossible, owing to irregularities in the 
surface of the ware or from some other 
cause, to lay quite flat with the painting 
brush. The large ones are in two shapes. 
The flat-headed ones are for use on flat 
or convex surfaces, such as the middle 
portion of plates and dishes, and the 
round of vases, etc. Those with a skew 
top, which is slightly convex, are for con- 
cave parts, such as mouldings of plates 
and other hollows. These two kinds are 
for ordinary work. The small fine ones 
set in quills are for more delicate work. 
26. The Softeners are brushes with very 
^ne and soft hair, and, as their name im- 
SCIENTIST. 297 
plies, are used in softening tints and 
rendering them more delicate, and are 
most serviceable in such work as toning 
down the edges of clouds, producing 
graduated tints which vanish or mingle, 
one can scarcely see how, and often sub- 
sequently 1,o the dabbers, to secure an 
evenness which they may fail to produce, 
and for which other processes that we 
shall have to notice are unavailable. 
These are made in badger and camel- 
hair, the former being a most excellent 
kind, and round or flat. Fig. 19 shows a 
round camel-hair. 
27. Cleaning {a.) Procedure.— It may 
seem an excess of caution, not to say an 
impertinence, to urge the observance of 
cleanliness with regard to the brushes; 
and yet experience shows that it is ab- 
solutely necessary to do so, and in the 
strongest terms. Cleanliness is needful 
in everything connected with china pairit- 
ing, but in no department is it more so 
than in the treatment of the brushes. 
Many a good brush is ruined either by 
letting paint harden in it past the possi- 
bility of entire removal all at once, or by 
injudicious treatment after paint ijas 
diied in it. To prevent the occurrence of 
this condition, one course is obvious : do 
not let the paint harden in your brushes. 
Those you have used during the day, 
clean when the day's work is done. 
While they are moist the labor of clean- 
ing is not worth mentioning, and the 
time the cleaning will occupy is but 
short; if postponed till the morrow both 
will have increased. The brushes will be 
cleaned in turpentine. Ordinary turpen- 
tine, such as is procurable at paint stores, 
will do quite well, provided it be fresh 
and not oily. In cleaning up, as in every- 
thing else, there is a right and a wrong- 
way. If you wish to spoil your brush, to 
cut the hairs or make them stick out like 
an Aztec's or become curly like a negro's, 
you will dab it down perpendicularly on 
to the bottom of the little dish or vessel 
containing your washing turpentine, hut 
if you would retain it serviceable until 
fair wear and tear alone renders it other- 
wise, you will clean it by holding it in 
the turpentine slantways, at the angle 
at which a pen is ordinarily held in 
