BRASS BRISTLE PENCIL

Brass Bristle Pencil — a pencil with brass bristles (AK interactive)

This is a modeling tool, not a kit. The tool has the shape of a pencil, in whose body sits a bundle of fine brass bristles. Turning the end piece extends and retracts the bristles, so you decide for yourself how long the working tip will be: bristles extended a little are stiffer and gentler on their surroundings, while extended further they reach into recesses better but are softer and more aggressive over an area. Brass is a softer metal than steel, so at sensible pressure it abrades dirt, oxidation and glue residue rather than the surface itself — which makes it suitable even where a steel brush would already leave deep scratches. The pencil shape gives the tool the precision of an ordinary writing implement: you work with it one-handed and aim precisely at the spot you want to clean.

Use

• Removing oxidation, corrosion and dirt from metal parts and surfaces.
• Cleaning and roughening photo-etched parts and metal components before gluing or soldering — glue and solder then hold better.
• Cleaning soldering pads and contacts, for example on small electronics for models and dioramas.
• Removing dried super glue residue, putty or paint from a small area without having to sand the whole part.
• Creating texture and scratches — mechanically bringing out structure on plastic, foam or a diorama base.
• Flattening a gloss surface as preparation before a primer coat.

Who it is for

For modelers who work with photo-etch, metal parts and mixed materials, for makers of dioramas and figures and for anyone who needs to clean small areas precisely without taking a whole build apart. It is a tool for years — the only consumable is the gradually shortening bundle of bristles.

Work with light pressure and try the surface in a hidden place first; on soft plastic the tool can leave scratches. Broken-off metal bristles are sharp and can stick into the skin — we recommend safety glasses and removing the debris with a brush, not with your fingers. The tool is not a toy; keep out of the reach of children.