Artists FAQ: 
   

Are there any of Kolinsky stores out in cities? 
No, we are purely internet retailer. Our inventory is located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 
 

Are the ferrules of your brushes nickel (aluminium) plated or solid nickel (aluminium)? 
The ferrules are nickel (aluminium) plated. They are imported by our manufacturer from Japan. 
 

Seamless or not?
They are seamless!
 

How is the balancing of the brushes? 
They are well balanced. 
 

Why synthetics is Japanese? 
Our manufacturer imports synthetics hair from Japan. Natural hairs are from Russia. 
 

Please tell me the shipping options to the USA/Canada/Austria/etc. 
Within Canada we ship by Canada Post. We charge US$3.95 for S&H. Our actual expenses are larger (we always use mailing tubes to ship our orders). Shipping to the USA costs US$4.95 and is by Air Mail. Shipping to any other country will cost US$5.95 and is by Air Mail. 
 

I'm currious... . Where are you shipping from? 
We are shipping from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 
 

Please, send a sample of the sable brushes to ... . 
We are sorry, at this moment of our business development we can not afford to give away any samples. 
 

Exactly how big is this brush? 
The sizes of each art brush in mm and inches are given on our web site. 
 

Please tell me what currency your prices are? U.S. dollar? 
Yes, they are in US dollars. 
 

Your brushes seem to be an incredible price. I live in the UK and would just like to know if you would deliver over here, how long it would take if you do, how do I know what I will be paying in UK Pounds and if using a Mastercard which of your two payment methods will I use. 
- Yes, we ship to UK. We ship from Kingston, ON, Canada by Air Mail. It usually takes about 7 business days (but may take more).
- Our prices are in US dollars. Conversion rate to UK pounds depends on the bank which issued a credit card. According to our experience cross rates are usually quite fair for credit card transactions. To get an idea how much the order's total would be in UK pounds please use The Universal Currency Converter.
- It does not matter which credit card processor to use - they both accept MasterCard and are reliable and professional. 
 

In the section marked Kolinsky Sable 1001-R Series: Rounds above round # 2/0 is round # 55? What does # 55 mean? Is this a round # 3/0 brush? 
Yes, it is something like # 3/0. We are not sure why our manufacturer calls it # 55. Please, refer to the sizes (length and diameter) - they are of real importance. 
 

I've been looking at your website and am wondering what is the difference between the 1101 series and the 1105? 
1101 series corresponds to the short hair spotting / retouching brushes. 1105 series corresponds to a conventional tuft. 1105 are long-handle brushes whereas 1101 are short-handle ones. 
 

I'm considering purchasing a synthetic # 6 flat brush. My choices, I see, are long handle and short handle. I only do acrylic painting. How long is the short handle; the long handle? I'm looking for something better than a Robert Simmons brush. 
Our synthetic short handle # 6 flat brush is 7.5 inch long. Our long handle brushes are about 8.5 inches. 
 

Being a begineer to oil painting could you advise which brushes are suitable for oils (I have been told hog?) 
Yes, hog (or 'bristle' as they are listed on our web site) brushes are suitable for oil paints. Kolinsky sable brushes are suitable for oil paints as well but you have to clean them properly (you have to take extra care compared to bristle brushes). Also Kolinsky sable brushes are much more expensive. 
 

I require fine art brushes equivalent in hardness to hog hair brushes. 
Our bristle hair brushes are equivalent to hog hair brushes. 
 

I'm wondering about your synthetic brushes. What are they best used for? Do they keep a fine point, like your other brushes? (Do all your brushes keep a fine point?) Are they good for use with acrylic paint? What can you tell me about them, and how do they compare to your other brushes? 
- Yes, our synthetic brushes keep a fine point. Synthetics fiber is specially designed in such a way that its diameter decreases towards the tip. In this property they are similar to Kolinsky sable and Siberian squirrel hairs. As for the bristle hair - its diameter decreases somewhat towards the tip but not as much as Kolinsky hair or synthetics fiber. As a result bristle rounds, for example, never come to a point tip.
- Yes, synthetic brushes are certainly suitable for acrylic paint, see our chart. But for the best results we would recommend Kolinsky sable brushes (they provide better control of the paint flow). 
 

As I understand "size numbers" are not universal ... . 
Size numbers are certainly not universal among different manufacturers. In our case they are different even for different lines of our brushes (different lines of Kolinsky rounds, for example). That is why we provide sizes of each brush both in mm and inches. 
 

I can see the brush sizes in mm on your site but can't relate that to my personal experience. Is your Kolonok brush sizing based on the traditional "English" size scheme, or the "French / International" (smaller than the English for a given size over about a size 3) system? 
Our brush sizing is based on the "French / International" system. But different lines of our brushes have different sizing systems! Therefore, please, check the sizes before you buy a brush. Inch sizes are given in the parenthesis. 
 

Does the money back guarantee apply to all brushes or just selected sets? 
30-day unconditional money-back guarantee applies to everything we sell on our web site. 
 

Do you have a catalog  you can send me? 
Sometimes we have few catalogues and we ship them upon request. But most of the time we are out of them. Please, surf our web site for the full and up-to-date information. All the brushes we have are on the web site. 
 

Can I order custom art brushes? 
Sure, our manufacturer can produce any types of art brushes. But be aware that it could take two or three months and can be quite expensive. If you know exactly what you need, please, feel free to request a quote. 
 
 
 

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