Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc., acquires Justman Brush Company

GORDON BRUSH MFG. CO. ACQUIRES JUSTMAN BRUSH COMPANY. CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA -- Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. has acquired Justman Brush Company located in Omaha, Nebraska. The Company's manufacturing and operations will remain in their 45,000 sq. ft. building in Omaha while administrative procedures will be moved to Gordon Brush's 183,000 sq. ft., City of Industry, CA facility. Since 1929, Justman Brush has specialized in manufacturing a vast array of styles and types of stock and custom brushes for the scientific, food service and electronics industries. John Matthews, Justman Brush's CEO, explains, "It’s time for us to step aside so that the Company can continue to grow. We felt that Gordon Brush® was the best fit to take Justman Brush to the next level, to continue our family tradition of individualized customer service, and to best manufacture of our line of American made line of brushes for the scientific, food service and electronics industries."   Ken Rakusin, President and CEO of Gordon Brush notes, "The acquisition of Justman Brush expands Gordon Brush's reach and custom manufacturing capabilities. Justman Brush will add to our arsenal of amazing companies: Marx Brush, Milwaukee Dustless Brush, JEK, Redtree Industries, Brush Supply, StaticFaction, J. B. Ward, Kirschner Brush, Easy Reach Supply, Spectrum Paint Applicators and Parker Brush. The Justman Brush acquisition dramatically enhances our scale, product offerings, and geographic reach — creating new synergies that better position us for future growth and investment in new and existing markets. " It's another perfect fit for Gordon Brush® that ties into its mantra of being, Proud To Be An American Manufacturer™. This acquisition enhances the global product offering of Gordon Brush's line of industrial brushes and opens up new avenues for the manufacture of custom brush products. As the demand for American made products increases, we are proud to be at the forefront of that movement." # # # Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc., has a rich history as an American brush manufacturer. Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush® includes two brands whose origin dates to 1855 and 1897.The Company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and a leading manufacturer of specialty, custom and standard brushes for industrial and consumer uses. Gordon Brush® manufactures the very popular FootMate® System, as well as over 17,000 standard and custom brushes. The Company sells to a multitude of industries including: janitorial, medical, electronics, manufacturing, military, aerospace, and pharmaceutical.  Gordon Brush® has made brushes for the United States Army to clean the main gun on the Abrams tanks, saving the Department of Defense over $1.5 billion. The Company also has made brushes that were used on the space shuttle, the lunar module, and brushes to clean the guidance system and guns on the Apache helicopter. Gordon Brush® manufactures brushes that grow microorganisms used as alternative energy sources; that are used by the FBI for fingerprinting crimes scenes; and for complex circuit boards in the computer industry. Gordon Brush® has patents pending on stadium sweepers that are changing the way America cleans its greatest sports stadiums and theatre chains. Gordon Brush® has been featured on the ION Network, Discovery Channel, Bloomberg News, and in the Los Angeles Times. The FootMate® System has been featured on the Today Show and The Real TV Show, as well as in online magazines: People.com: "Stuff We Love;" CNN.com: "The Short List for Buying American;" Cosmopolitan Germany: "Beautiful Feet for the Warm Days!" Drug Store News; Bisous Magazine; Posh Beauty; Milk & Honey; and Beauty Store Business. Contact: Kim Johnstun Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. 3737 Capitol Avenue, City of Industry, CA 90601 USA (323) 338-7455 kjohnstun@gordonbrush.com www.gordonbrush.com

Best Watercolor Brushes of 2022

 Industrial Watercolor Brushes Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. Offers

To get beautiful results when using watercolor as a medium, it is imperative to use the best watercolor brushes you can buy, as watercolor painting is delicate and unforgiving in nature.

Natural bristle watercolor brushes are soft and have a much better liquid-holding capacity than watercolor brushes made with synthetic hairs due to their fibrous anatomies, which excel at picking up and retaining water for lengths of time. Natural bristle watercolor brushes feel more like extensions of the artist's hand since they're more sensitive to shifts in pressure.

Gordon Brush® manufactures watercolor brushes in a variety of shapes, sizes, costs, and hair types. When purchasing most kinds of art supplies, watercolor paint brushes ultimately come down to personal preference and cost. The choice depends upon techniques you like to use and how the brushes feel in your hand.

Pure Red Sable round brushes are the most versatile and widely used brush for watercolor painting. A round brush comes to a fine point and its stroke is more organic. Their shape makes them ideal for small details, delicate lines and for broader strokes and washes. Brushes made for watercolor are specifically suited to deal with the fluidity and delicacy of watercolor paints and techniques.

A good watercolor brush should have the following characteristics: (1) it should not shed more than a couple of hairs; (2) it should balance well in the hand; (3) the handle should not feel too fat, (4) the brush should be durable; (5) the handle should not come loose at the ferrule; (6) there should be minimal warping or swelling of the wood over long periods of soaking; and (7) the brush must also have a quality called "snap", which allows the brush to respond and rebound quickly as the amount of downward pressure applied to it on the surface of the paper is varied.

Snap refers to the action of the damp brush hairs snapping upright after they are pulled down and sideways to the handle. This is most important, for this resiliency allows the artist to create a variety of paint widths within the same stroke of the brush, sometimes referred to as "action". A brush with no snap bends and does not rebound at all. This is not a good watercolor brush to use because it has no action.

Gordon Brush® manufactures three beautiful series of watercolor brushes:

0430-Series (Pure Red Sable Round Pointer Watercolor Brushes) 

These brushes are made with a short black lacquered handle with a nickel-plated ferrule. This series is ideal for one stroke painting as well as many other techniques. 

0611-Series (Pure Red Sable Flat Watercolor Brushes) 

This series of brushes will retain its body when wet, which is the true test of a sable brush. The seamless nickel-plated ferrule and lacquered handle, make these brushes a great value. A flat brush is more angular, and the stroke appears straighter.

6146-Series (Pure Red Sable Scripto Liner Watercolor Brushes) 

These watercolor brushes are made with a black lacquered handle and a seamless nickel-plated ferrule. The extra-long liner is designed to hold a lot of paint so you can make thin lines longer.

So, if you want to be a famous watercolor artist like Winslow Homer (an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in American art); Georgia O'Keeffe (an American modernist artist known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of American modernism"); Andrew Wyeth (an American visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century); or even Vincent van Gough (a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history), you must purchase your watercolor brushes from Gordon Brush®.

Call us today at 323-724-7777 or email us sales@gordonbrush.com for all your watercolor, industrial, janitorial, electronic, and custom brush needs.

The Components of Artist Brushes

 Whether you are a professional artist, grandmaster, or like to paint for fun, the artist brush is the tool you need create your masterpiece. There are several components that go into the making of an artist brush.

The Filament

Filaments are the hairs or bristles of the brush. Because there are so many choices, it can be a bit overwhelming. Filaments are glued together at one end before being crimped into the ferrule.

Before deciding on the type of filament, it is necessary to determine your medium. Do you typically paint with oils, watercolors, or acrylics? Next, you’ll want to think about your level of expertise and what you wish to accomplish when painting.

One type of filament is a "bristle" brush. These are course and come in a variety of lengths. The shorter or stiffer bristles are usually used with thicker paints that require a lot of blending of the paints whereas thinner paints are best applied with longer or softer hairs that do not create texture.

Then there are natural filaments are made from the fur of an animal i.e. squirrel hair, sable, hog, badger, ox, pony, mongoose, mink, etc. They are very good at holding fluid because they are so absorbent. The natural brushes can be used for any medium whether it's oils, acrylics, watercolors, etc. They are super great for working with heavy bodied paints and work well on rough surfaces.

Natural brushes: 

·        work well with oil paints –oil conditions the bristles or hairs making them more pliable

·        work well with watercolors—really soak up water and redistribute onto canvas

·        are not super compatible with acrylics

·        tend to hold shape well-good shape retention

·        are more expensive

·        can become damaged by acrylic paints

·        tend to leave brushstroke marks—can be good or bad depending on your intent

·        animal rights and other environmental sustainability issues may be a concern for you

Synthetics filaments are man-made. They were developed to provide substantial use of the brush and can be used with any medium. Synthetic brushes are the workhorses for many an artist. Synthetic bristles have thicker filaments and are ideal for rough or hard surfaces such as ceramics and craft projects. Brushes that are "synthetic hairs" are softer and finer, hold a lot of liquid, and keep an excellent fine chisel edge. Synthetic hairbrushes provide a smoother stroke than natural bristle. They retain their stiffness and are very durable. They clean well with soap and water when used with acrylics or other water-based media. When used with acrylics, natural bristle brushes lose their stiffness, but they do hold more paint.

Synthetic brushes:

·        are made of nylon or polyester or mix of both

·        are budget-friendly

·        work well with acrylics, oils and watercolors

·        tend to hold and release a lot more paint

·        splay more easily/faster

·        leave a smoother finish, and few to no brush marks

·        don’t exploit animals

·        are good for all levels of expertise

The Ferrule

A ferrule is the part that connects the filaments with the handle. Ferrules will determine the size of the brush, the numbers of filaments in the brush. The ferrule is crimped at one end to hold the filaments in place; the other end is glued onto the handle. The ferrules can be made with either metal or plastic.

The Handle

Handles are usually made of wood or plastic. Wood handles are made of hard wood and manufactured both domestic and overseas. They are made proportioned to balance in the hand and to give optimum control when painting. The wooden handles are lacquered to prevent the wooden handle from swelling and to help prevent the handle from crackling or warping when in contact with a fluid.

Plastic handles will not crack or warp, and as a result, they usually cost more. The length and diameter of a handle is important in your selection. Long handled brushes are used when working with an easel; oil painters prefer long handles for this reason. Short-handled brushes are for working on a table and preferred by acrylic, watercolor, and craft painters. Large diameter brushes aids those with hand pain but they can be used by anyone. Different brushes tend to fit differently in the hand, thus giving good control when painting.

Choosing the right type of brush for your project is critical. Brush types include:

Flats

Flats are brushes with a straight chisel edge and square shaped filaments. These can be known as shaders if they’re in smaller sizes and washes/glazes if in bigger sizes. Large areas are painted with a wash/glaze brush whereas smaller flats are used for small areas of painting.

Round 

Round brushes have a large diameter of the ferrule, more so than a liner, which can be used for applying thick to thin lines, filling in odd-shaped areas, painting details and work great for lettering. Liners don't hold as much paint as a round, however, they are super great for creating lines or curves. Script liners are similar to liners, but the filaments are much longer and hold more paint. A round brush tapers to a pointed tip. Angle brushes are filaments that have been cut on an angle. These are excellent to use in small or curved areas of the painting.

Filbert

Brushes with oval shaped filaments are known as filberts in smaller sizes and oval wash in larger sizes. Both shapes can be used for base coating, stroke work and more. There are filbert combs, filbert wash and more.

Mop

Mop brushes are great for blending and smoothing out small areas. They're also ideal for applying powdered pigments.

Specialty

Specialty brushes are used for certain techniques and garner their own results: fan, deerfoot, scumbler, mops and more.

Other paint brush characteristics to consider are:

 

Brush Width

Brushes come in a wide variety of widths, commonly ranging from about 1 inch to 5 inches. You can apply more paint with a wider brush, but you should always match the brush width to the surface being painted.

 

Bristle Shape

Most paintbrushes available today are square-cut brushes. They are perfect for holding and laying paint onto virtually any surface. However, square-cut brushes don't provide as much control when painting into corners, up to adjacent surfaces, or along narrow edges or surfaces. For more precise control, use a sash brush, which has its bristles cut at a slight angle. Sash brushes are particularly well-suited for cutting in around the perimeter of a room.

 

Bristle Tips

Better quality brushes have bristles with flagged, or split, ends. Flagged bristles hold more paint and spread paint more smoothly. Some brushes, especially sash brushes, have tipped ends, which should not be confused with flagged ends. Tipped brushes come to a point; they're not cut flat and straight, as is a standard brush.

Gordon Brush® manufactures 255 artist brushes with a wide variety of fill material, handle material, shapes, types, styles, and sizes. Whether you are a professional artist, grandmaster, or like to paint for fun, Gordon Brush® has the perfect Americanmade artist brush for your project. Contact us at 323-724-777 or sales@gordonbrush.com, for one of our stock brushes or if you need a custom brush for any project or application.

(for a full read of the original article, please visit https://issuu.com/brushwaremag/docs/21v5_brm-digital?fr=sNjU2YTQxNDc3OTU - pages 25-27) 

More About the Nylon Fill Material

The specific application for a brush or how it is going to be used, determines the components that go into making a brush. The main structural components are the fill material and the handle, block, or frame material. Fill and handle material can be of many different substances. Nylon is one such fill material.

Nylon fill material is used as a brush because it is exceptionally tough, strong, flexible, has excellent elasticity, is durable, abrasion and chemical resistant, and able to withstand extreme heat. Nylon, an organic thermoplastic, comes in a variety of filament types. Common nylon filaments are nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, and nylon 12. Each of the different filaments has a different abrasive capacity and grit. The properties of nylon brushes are related to their bristle grade, length, and diameter.

Handle, block, or frame material is either wood, plastic, or metal. Some brushes do not have a handle. These types of brushes attach directly to power tools or cleaning equipment. These classes of brushes include cylinders, large flat ovals, wheel shapes, centerless cylinders, cup brushes with or without a shank, and others.

Nylon can be adapted, shaped, and configured for many different types of brushes such as, scrubbers for floor machines, cylinder brushes, wheel brushes, cup brushes, twisted-wire-brushes, strip brushes, and hand brushes and have many different uses from ones that can clean your teeth to ones designed to remove rust, paint, grime, and contaminants. The wide use of nylon brushes is due to their many grades, grit types, configurations, and mechanical properties.

Nylon brushes can be used for many different purposes such as abrasion, washing, cleaning, various applications including, painting, applying coatings, getting into hard-to-reach areas, polishing, as a static eliminator, pipe cleaning, conveyors, and wood distressing.

These brushes are essential in many industrial processes such as aerospace, agriculture, automotive, firearms, food processing, medical supplies and instruments, and glass processing, the military, electronics, printing, among others. Regardless of the operation or application, a nylon brush is used to clean, finish, coat, or remove static and contaminants.

To read more from the original article, check out our published piece on the IQS Directory here: https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/brush/nylon-brush.html 

Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc., Creating Jobs in the City of Industry

 

Ken Rakusin keeping business local

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — In 1990, Ken Rakusin took the position of president at Gordon Brush Manufacturing Company, but he was not sure what he was getting himself into. The company was based out of a dark and rundown 15,000 square foot facility.

"We had 22 employees. I mean, this was a little, tiny company that was on the verge of going out of business, and every year, for the next six years, I was able to double the company's profits," Rakusin said. Thirty-one years later, Rakusin said there are 200 employees in a 182,000 square foot facility where they make more than 17,000 types of brushes for many industries, including medical, aerospace, janitorial and military. Other states recruit Rakusin to set up shop, but he remains committed to keeping jobs in the City of Industry, despite an increasing number of manufacturers going overseas for cheaper labor. "I could put a lot of money in my pocket if I outsourced everything and I went to China, I went to Mexico," he said. "But I also have this loyalty to my employees. We have people that have been here in excess of 35, 40 years. Our plant manager used to be the janitor." However, one challenge of staying put in the U.S. is finding workers who have the skills or the desire to work a blue-collar job. "Nobody that works in a factory that when they were going through school said, 'Gee, I want to make brushes for a living,'" Rakusin said. "It doesn't happen." It is an issue that Joanna McClaskey, the executive director of the Industry Business Council, is looking at as part of the Made in City of Industry initiative. The goal is to keep existing manufacturers, which provide about 17,000 local jobs, or 25% of total employment, and attract new ones to the city. "As far as employment goes, they are the biggest bang for the buck, so the more manufacturers you have, the more amount of people that you can employ in that space that you have," she said.

McClaskey said the council is studying the top industries in the city, determining which ones have the potential to grow and learning the demographics of the best manufacturing workers. "Where do they live? What is their family size? How old are they? Where are they from? We've done a lot of things in the past through community colleges, and we're finding that that's not the demographic for a really good manufacturing worker," she said. "There are so many people that college is not their first choice of what they should do in their life," Rakusin said. "They might want to work with their hands. They have this great mechanical mind, or they have this great mind where they love to see machines work and operate and design machines." He ultimately wants to see more education in the U.S. geared toward those who work best with their hands, preparing them for blue-collar jobs critical to the economy.

Gordon Brush Acquires An Interest in P.S. Creations

P.S. Creations, LLC Manufactures the Award Winning Platescrape®

CITY OF INDUSTRY, California, March 19, 2021 -- Gordon Brush® has acquired an interest in P.S. Creations, LLC, the manufacturer of the award winning, American made, Platescrape and other products for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. The Platescrape, invented by Nate Stein, is a bucket and brushes tool for on-and-off-site pre-sanitation of dishes. The Platescrape can effortlessly clean stubborn egg, cheese, and dried on sauces, all while saving water, time and money and restaurants and catering services save thousands of dollars a year in labor, water, and energy costs. Gordon Brush manufactures the brushes that are used in the Platescrape system. "The Platescrape is a revolutionary product that can save the environment billions of dollars and preserve precious resources," said Ken Rakusin, president & CEO, Gordon Brush. "As the manufacturer of the brushes for the Platescrape, we are pleased that our investment in P.S. Creations can help to develop and promote environmentally beneficial products to clean and sanitize, especially in during the COVID-19 pandemic", added Rakusin. "Gordon Brush's investment in P.S. Creations will provide the Company with additional capital so that we can develop additional environmentally beneficial products to clean and sanitize and to market our existing products. Since founding PS Creations I have been committed to manufacturing in the United States, so I thank Ken and Gordon Brush for building a company that shares that commitment", said Nate Stein, CEO, P.S. Creations.  About Gordon Brush®: Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc., an ISO 9001: 2015 certified company, has a rich history as an American brush manufacturer. Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush® includes two brands whose origin dates to 1855 and 1897. The company consists of 12 brands that operate out of its 250,000 square foot manufacturing facilities in Mississippi and California. Gordon Brush manufactures over 17,000 different types of stock and custom brushes with over 3,500 available for same day shipment. Gordon Brush® is the 2018 recipient of the Made: In America Award and the 2019 recipient of the Armed Forces Award from Made In America.com. Company President and CEO, Ken Rakusin, was presented with a special Congressional Recognition Award for his commitment to American manufacturing from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and local Congresswomen, Grace Napolitano. Mr. Rakusin was also the recipient of the 2019 Patriot Award from Made In America.com and honored as an American Made Hero by American Made Heroes.com. About P.S. Creations: P.S Creations develops, markets, and distributes water and energy conservation as well as cleaning and sanitizing products. The Platescrape® is the winner of the 2018 Innovation of the Year Award from the American Brush Manufacturing Association; the 2019 Most Innovative Product from the Green Restaurant Association; and the 2019 Best New Restaurant Product from the Sabor Latino Restaurant Association.

Medical Instrument Cleaning Brushes

Medical instrument cleaning brushes are essential to prevent cross-contamination and infection. That's why it is imperative to use the right brush to clean instruments thoroughly. Hospital personnel should be familiar with the length and gauge of the brush, and which bristle types should be used on each specific device.

Fill Material Used for Medical Instrument Cleaning

• Nylon –Nylon is the most durable synthetic filament available. It has excellent abrasion and bristle bend recovery. Nylon resists most acids and will not scratch most surfaces.

• Polypropylene – Polypropylene is one of the most chemically resistant synthetic materials and is resistant to most acids and bases. Since it does not absorb moisture, it resists fungi and bacteria, sheds dirt easily, and it's easy to clean.

• Stainless Steel – Stainless steel is highly resistant to corrosion, heat, and chemicals. It should not be used on insulated or coated instruments because it can damage them. Stainless steel is designed to clean instruments that have serrations or box locks. 

There are several guidelines that have been established regarding best practices for medical instrument cleaning and devices. These include the ones published by the AST (Association of Surgical Technologies), the ANSI (American National Standards Institute, Inc.) and the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation).

 

Manual cleaning is recommended for delicate instruments and devices, such as microsurgical instruments, lensed instruments, power equipment, and other instruments that cannot tolerate an automated cleaning process. For these delicate instruments, it is best to use a nylon fill brush first. If debris still remains on the instrument, then use a stainless steel brush.

 

Stainless steel brushes are designed to remove debris, stains, and stubborn bio-burden that the nylon brush cannot remove. Stainless steel is intended to be used on bone files, needle holders, burs, hemostats, reamers, scissors, serrated vascular instruments and orthopedic instruments.  

 

Medical instruments come in many shapes and sizes, so it is imperative for SPDs (Sterile Processing Departments) to have a full assortment of brushes specifically designed to clean them properly. For example, a brush too small for a cannula may result in inadequate cleaning, since it does not provide the necessary scrubbing action. Conversely, using a brush that is too large makes the bristles lay against the wall of the lumen. Even worse, the brush may become stuck inside the channel, ruining both the device and the brush. The bristle should be able to make contact with all the walls of the cannula at the same time.

 

Gordon Brush® manufactures a wide variety of medical instrument cleaning brushes. These include: medical applicator brushes; medical micro spiral brushes; ring handle medical spiral brushes; thread cleaning brushes; medical toothbrush style brushes; and block brushes; hand scrubbing brushes; vacuum brushes; and other instrument cleaning brushes that are both straight and curved.

 

If a brush exists, we have it…If it doesn't, we'll make it!

Call us today or search and shop for medical instrument cleaning brushes now!