Brush maker

Description

Brush makers insert different types of material such as horsehair, vegetable fiber, nylon, and hog bristle into metal tubes called ferrules. They insert a wooden or aluminium plug into the bristles to form the brush head and attach the handle to the other side of the ferrule. They immerse the brush head in a protective substance to maintain their shape, finish and inspect the final product.

Includes people performing the assembly of mops which is done by attaching yarn to the handle, thread and wrap wire through the yarn to secure it to the handle, trim excess yarn, finish and inspect the final product.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to brush maker:

mop production plant worker
broom production plant operative
brush production plant worker
brush production plant operative
broom production plant worker
broom production worker
broom factory worker
brush assembly worker
brush factory worker
broom factory operative
mop factory worker
broom maker
broom assembly worker
brush assembler
mop production plant operative
broom assembler
mop assembly worker
mop factory operative
mop maker
brush production worker
mop assembler
mop production worker
brush factory operative

Minimum qualifications

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a brush maker.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Brush maker is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Brush maker career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to brush maker.

recreation model maker
plastic furniture machine operator
doll maker
spinning textile technician
plastic products assembler

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of brush maker. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of brush maker with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

textile process controller
textile quality technician
bridge inspector
prosthetic-orthotics technician
textile chemical quality technician

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of brush maker.

  • Bristles: The stiff hairs or feathers known as bristles, the types of bristles made from the different materials such as animal hairs, plants or synthetics, and their use on brooms or brushes.
  • Types of brushes: Tools with bristles used for a wide variety of purposes such as cleaning, painting, putting on make up and grooming hair. Materials used for bristles include animal hair, synthetic fibers and plastic. Various shapes exist such as cylindrical brushes and twisted-in wire brushes for cleaning brushes, and flat, round or mop for painting brushes.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of brush maker.

  • Manipulate plastic: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of plastic.
  • Manipulate wood: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.
  • Create smooth wood surface: Shave, plane and sand wood manually or automatically to produce a smooth surface.
  • Insert bristles: Operate machinery or use handtools to insert and attach the stiff hairs used for brooms and brushes, known as bristles, in the holes of the frame.
  • Apply a protective layer: Apply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.
  • Sand wood: Use sanding machines or hand tools to remove paint or other substances from the surface of the wood, or to smoothen and finish the wood.
  • Operate drill press: Operate a semi-automated, semi-manual drill press to drill holes in a work piece, safely and according to regulations.
  • Operate plastic machinery: Operate machines and equipment used for creating plastic parts and products such as injection, extrusion, compression or blow moulding machines.
  • Operate wood sawing equipment: Operate various machinery and equipment to cut wood in different sizes and shapes.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of brush maker. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Types of plastic: Types of plastic materials and their chemical composition, physical properties, possible issues and usage cases.
  • Types of sawing blades: Types of cutting blades used in the sawing process, such as band saw blades, crosscut blades, plytooth blades and others, made from tool steel, carbide, diamond or other materials.
  • Types of wood: Types of wood, such as birch, pine, poplar, mahogany, maple and tulipwood.
  • Properties of fabrics: The influence of chemical composition and molecular arrangement of yarn and fibre properties and fabric structure on the physical properties of textile fabrics; the different fibre types, their physical and chemical characteristics and different material characteristics; the materials used in different processes and the effect on materials as they are processed. 

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of brush maker. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Maintain drilling equipment: Maintenance and repair of a variety of drilling equipment.
  • Finish plastic products: Finish the product by sanding, branding and polishing the plastic surface.
  • Prepare animal materials for brush bristles: Acquire suitable animal materials, such as fur and hair, from slaughterhouses and fur farms to use as bristles in brushes and brooms. Clean the materials to remove blood, fat, and any other body parts present. Dry the hair and inspect it.
  • Use welding equipment: Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.
  • Maintain plastic machinery: Maintain machinery and equipment for making plastic goods, to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order. Perform routine maintenance on equipment and adjust when necessary, using hand and power tools.
  • Repair plastic machinery: Repair broken components or systems of machinery and equipment used for making plastic products or parts, using hand and power tools.
  • Stain wood: Mix ingredients to create a stain and apply a layer to the furniture to give it a specific colour and finish.
  • Replace sawing blade on machine: Replace the old blade of a sawing machine with a new one by removing the chip brush, taking away the front blade guide, loosening the blade tension and removing the blade. Assemble and install new blade by replacing the front blade guide, installing the chip brush, replacing the blade cover and adjusting blade tension.
  • Manufacture staple yarns: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture staple fiber yarns.
  • Dye wood: Mix the powder dye with water and/or liquid dye and any other necessary ingredients to create the desired colour and apply it to the wood.
  • Covert slivers into thread: Convert slivers into yarns or threads by combing processes converting drafting card sliver to combed sliver. Form short fibre to yarn using yarn and thread processing technologies, mostly ring spinning or open-end spinning (rotor spinning) or alternative spinning techniques. Work in the drafting or drawing process converting sliver into roving and converting roving into yarn, through further drafting and twisting processes. Work on winding machines to reel the yarn from bobbins onto spools or cones.
  • Assemble plastic parts: Align and arrange plastic parts in order to assemble complete products, using the appropriate hand tools.
  • Manipulate stainless steel: Manipulate the shape, size and properties of stainless steel.
  • Manufacture texturised filament yarns: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture texturised filament yarns.

ISCO group and title

7317 – Handicraft workers in wood, basketry and related materials


References
  1. Brush maker – ESCO
Last updated on October 5, 2022

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