THE COMPANY IS ABLE TO SUPPLY THE FIBERS DESCRIBED BELOW AND ALSO
MAKES SPECIAL MIXTURES IF REQUIRED
All of the vegetable
fibers are harvested, and with the exception of the dyed fibers,
are therefore environmentally friendly.
VEGETABLE
FIBRES
BASSINE (PALMYRA) is from India. It has fair sweeping
qualities, and is quite tough. However it may distort in use, especially
if used on its own when wet. It is mainly used in cheaper warehouse
and domestic brooms, and in mixtures for mud and scrubbing brushes.
GREY ENGLISH
- See 'Union Mixture'.
RICE
ROOT (also known as Mexican Whisk) is a stiff naturally
crimped fiber with very good wearing and cleaning qualities. It
used particularly in better quality grooming brushes, for both horses
and cattle. This fiber tends to be brittle, and therefore it should
always be soaked thoroughly before use. Some claim that Rice Root
brushes can only be made by hand, but this is an utter myth, as
anyone who has used our excellent (machine made, and much cheaper)
Rice Root brushes will tell you.
TAMPICO
FIBER (also known as Mexican Fiber) has good wearing
and reasonable sweeping qualities, but is liable to crush. It holds
water very well and is used in better quality equestrian brushes.
UNION
MIXTURE is a Tampico-Bassine blend, which has the water
retaining and cleaning properties of Tampico and the wear and resilience
of Bassine. It is used in good mud brushes, as well as domestic
scrubbing brushes. Grey English, with dyed Bassine and bleached
Tampico (to give it a 'salt and pepper' appearance) is also a Union
mixture, but contains more Tampico and less Bassine, and is therefore
softer. Sometimes, particularly in Europe where Tampico is scarce,
Tampico is substituted with polypropylene.
ANIMAL
FIBRES
BRISTLE is from various mountainous areas of China. It
has excellent durability and water resistance. The softer fiber
is used for shoe polishing brushes, grooming brushes and paint brushes,
and the stiffer fiber for clothes and hair brushes.
HORSE
HAIR from Uruguay and China is durable and resilient,
yet soft. In longer lengths it is liable to crush, but it is ideal
for use in higher quality Equestrian brushes, brushes for cleaning
smooth floors and windows, and even in cobweb brushes. Often it
is mixed with finer plastics to give it more resistance to crushing
and to reduce the cost.
GOAT
HAIR from China is durable, resilient and very soft.
It is almost exclusively used in high quality equestrian dressage
brushes, bringing a final beautiful gloss to horses' coats.
SYNTHETIC
MONOFILAMENTS
POLYPROPYLENE is very light and has good wearing properties.
However, it is a little "dead" in use and has poor recovery from
crushing. It is used in many grooming and household brushes. The
Polypropylene used in Champion Brush grooming brushes is specially
extruded in (under a microscope) a 'clover leaf' shape, to give
the fiber better bend recovery, and to prevent it wearing to a point
(as Polypropylene typically does if used the same way repeatedly)
which is irritating to the skin. It may be used in hot water, but
it must not be left in boiling water for more than a few seconds.
In better Food Service brushes, Polypropylene has been replaced
by Polyester (see below).
PVC
has excellent wearing and sweeping properties, but has a tendency
to "flick" in use. It can be used in a similar manner to Polypropylene,
but should never be used in temperatures greater than 65°C.
NYLON
has excellent sweeping and wearing qualities and is used in a considerable
number of household brushes, platform brooms, and dairy brushes.
Type 6 and type 66 can be used in boiling water and type 612 can
be autoclaved at 134°C/273F. Of all commonly used plastic filaments,
Nylon absorbs water the most and it becomes softer when used in
wet conditions.
POLYESTER
has excellent wearing and sweeping qualities, having a high melt
point, good bend recovery, good abrasion resistance, and a low water
absorption factor. It is used in most of our Food Service brooms
and brushes. Food Service brushes filled with Polyester may be autoclaved
at 134C/273F, and are typically used in hospitals, food factories,
dairies and all areas where hygiene is of primary concern.
|
