Hobby Heaven Series 4 Singles and Sets — Kolinsky Sable Round

About Series 4 Series 4 is our kolinsky sable range with a natural honey-gold birch handle. If you know our Series 3 (black handle), this is the same brush — same kolinsky hair from Siberian weasel tail, same seamless nickel-plated ferrule, same manufacturing process. The only difference is the handle colour. Some painters prefer the warmer, lighter look of natural wood. Some use different handle colours to organise their brush roll at a glance. Either way — the brush performs identically to Series 3. We're upfront about this because we think you'd rather make an informed choice than be sold an artificial upgrade. Where Series 4 sits: between budget synthetic-sable brushes and ultra-premium brands like Winsor & Newton Series 7, Raphael 8404, and Artis Opus Series S. You get genuine kolinsky performance — natural snap, controlled paint flow, reliable point retention — without the collector price tag. Quality brushes you'll actually use without worrying about every bristle. Every brush ships in our custom PC Brush Protector — a hard polycarbonate tube with a ventilated rubber cap that prevents moisture buildup. It's not standard packaging — we developed it ourselves for shipping protection and long-term storage. You keep it. Best For Compatible Media Works with all acrylic hobby paints (Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter, Scale75, AK Interactive, Kimera, Pro Acryl), watercolour, gouache, oil, ink, and mixed media. Kolinsky sable handles all water-based and oil-based media well — the natural hair controls paint flow in ways synthetics still can't quite match. Recommended Techniques Detail work (sizes 000–0), edge highlighting and lining (sizes 000–1), glazing and blending (sizes 0–3), general painting and basecoating (sizes 2–4), wash application (sizes 2–4). The full range from 000 to 4 covers virtually every miniature painting task except drybrushing. Who Are These Brushes For? Miniature painters (Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, The Old World, D&D, historical wargaming), scale modellers, fine artists working in watercolour, gouache, or acrylics, illustrators doing fine linework, and hobbyists upgrading from synthetics — if you're looking for your first real kolinsky brush, this is a solid starting point. What This Brush Is NOT Ideal For Drybrushing — never drybrush with kolinsky sable, it will splay and destroy the hair. Use dedicated drybrushes (our Series 2 or Artis Opus Series D). Metallic paints — metallic pigments are abrasive and degrade natural hair over time, use cheap synthetics instead. Heavy stippling or aggressive techniques — natural hair isn't built for that. If you need hand-selected, absolutely flawless consistency out of the box, premium brands with individual QC (W&N Series 7, Raphael 8404) exist for that purpose and price point. Sizes in This Series Size Diameter (mm) Tip Length (mm) Best For 000 1.4 6 Detail Work, Edge Highlighting, Lining 00 1.6 8 Detail Work, Edge Highlighting, Lining 0 1.8 10 Detail Work, Glazing & Blending, General Painting 1 2.0 11 Detail Work, Glazing & Blending, General Painting, Edge Highlighting 2 2.2 12 Basecoating, Glazing & Blending, General Painting 3 2.6 14 Basecoating, General Painting, Wash Application 4 2.9 15 Basecoating, Wash Application, General Painting Brush sizes are not standardised across brands. A Size 1 in this series may differ from a Size 1 in another brand. Dimensions shown where available. Not sure which size? Size 1 is the most versatile — it handles detail work and layering. If you're buying one brush, get a Size 1. The Set of 4 (000, 0, 1, 2) covers 90% of miniature painting tasks. Care & Maintenance Kolinsky brushes last 1–3 years with proper care. The brush doesn't fail — care habits determine lifespan. Neglected brushes (paint in ferrule, no cleaning) can die in weeks. During painting: Rinse frequently in clean water. Never let paint dry on the bristles or creep into the ferrule — this is the number one killer of good brushes. Keep a separate pot of clean water for loading paint. After painting: Clean thoroughly with brush soap — we recommend The Masters Brush Cleaner or Da Vinci Brush Soap (both available in our store). Reshape the tip to a point with your fingers and store flat or tip-up. Never tip-down. Protect your investment: Never use kolinsky brushes for drybrushing, stippling, or metallic paints — those techniques require synthetics. Never use hot water (lukewarm only). Never leave standing in water. If the tip starts splitting, it usually means paint has dried in the ferrule — deep clean with brush restorer. Gum arabic sizing: New brushes arrive with a stiff, protective coating on the tip. This is normal — it's gum arabic sizing that protects the tip during shipping. Gently roll the brush between your fingers or rinse in lukewarm water to soften and remove before first use.