Mixed Hair Brush (兼毫筆）

Mixed Hair Brush (兼毫筆）

Chinese Calligraphy

Utensils

Writing Tools

Brush

Mixed Brush

A mixed hair brush is usually made with a mixture of soft and hard animal hairs. The ratio between soft and hard hairs can vary, for example 3:7 or 5:5. The most commonly used soft hairs are goat hair, while weasel hair and rabbit hair will sometimes be used for hard hair. The softness and flexibility of a mixed hair brush is between that of the weasel hair and goat hair brush, which makes it easier for beginners to use. Very often, the hard hair would be placed at the center of the brush while the soft hair surrounds it.

Goat Hair Brush (羊毫筆）

Weasel Hair Brush (狼毫筆）

Goat Hair

Weasel Hair

Rabbit Hair

Plastic

Bamboo

Jade

Wood

Physical Object

mixedhairbrush

When using a new brush, use a finger to softly rub the tip of the brush to separate the bristles. Soak 3/4 of the brush in warm water for 3-5 minutes.

Before starting to write, wet the brush with water, and dry it with some paper, then hang it on a brush holder to dry for about 7-10 minutes.

Make sure that the brush is not completely dry when writing, leave some moisture in it to make sure it mixes well with the ink.

After using the brush, wash it immediately with water and tidy the bristles with the current of the water. Make sure not to use soap as it contains chemicals which can damage the brush. It is important to wash the brush immediately as the ink can dry, making it difficult to wash it off later, and damaging the brush.

After washing the brush and drying it, hang it on a brush holder within a dry environment, avoiding the sun's direct contact.

When opening a new brush, the brush cap that comes along with it can be disposed and should not be reused when storing the brush. This is because putting the cap back on the brush can damage the bristles on the brush.