Brushes as grafting tools

[domino]

I'm not to World's best grafter, to be honest, I think I'm at the other end of the spectrum. To be fair I only do it three times a year

I use the Chinese tool and get about 70% take, which for what I need is fine.

Because I'm very bored I've been looking at other tools for grafting, just to give them a whirl.

The surprise (to me) front runner seems to be paintbrushes. So I have a few questions:

1. People see to either use 00 or 000, from a practical point of few does it matter?
2. What's the technique?
3. What gotchas should I look out for?

Give me your wisdom.

 

[mbc]

I'm not to World's best grafter, to be honest, I think I'm at the other end of the spectrum. To be fair I only do it three times a year

I use the Chinese tool and get about 70% take, which for what I need is fine.

Because I'm very bored I've been looking at other tools for grafting, just to give them a whirl.

The surprise (to me) front runner seems to be paintbrushes. So I have a few questions:

1. People see to either use 00 or 000, from a practical point of few does it matter?
2. What's the technique?
3. What gotchas should I look out for?

Give me your wisdom.

I think my favourite is actually 00000
Technique is to get under em pick em out and try and get them off, usually with a little roll, without damaging the grub.

 

[Swarm]

A similar action a painter uses to achieve a fine point.

 

[Apple]

000 finest red squirrell hare... plus a smidgen of best Cornish native black bee royal jelly....

No problem with take up just graft 50 and select the dozen you need... an Eppendorf of royal jelly sells for £35!

 

[Ian123]

Brushes are great I much prefer them, unfortunately my local art shop closed and brought crap from internet. Now just stick with the normal types.

 

[Heather]

Fine paint brush, moisten in lips, brings to a fine point. works well.

 

[understanding_bees]

Fine paint brush, moisten in lips, brings to a fine point. works well.

If a fine paint brush is suitable, then would a trimmed fine feather be equally suitable?
I think that the essence of your advice is that a "soft and gentle" tool is desirable.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If a fine paint brush is suitable, then would a trimmed fine feather be equally suitable?
I think that the essence of your advice is that a "soft and gentle" tool is desirable.

You can make paintbrushes from feathers so why not.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You can make paintbrushes from feathers so why not.

Probably a woodcock pin feather would be the ideal one, but with only two per bird, scarce (as woodcock are fast becoming). It used to be a much sought after feather with painters in the old days, hence the tradition of taking the feathers from a shot bird and displaying them in your hatband, artists would frequent markets and country fairs and would then bargain with the person for the pin feathers

 

[Erichalfbee]

Spotted one in the apiary field last week. Lovely to see.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Folks for a beginner would using a paint brush for grafting be easier I've bee looking at the ones I've got they don't look very soft for the larvae. (Grafting tools I've bought)

 

[mbc]

Folks for a beginner would using a paint brush for grafting be easier I've bee looking at the ones I've got they don't look very soft for the larvae. (Grafting tools I've bought)

I think if you get a good one with a bendy enough tip the Chinese grafting tools might be easiest for a beginner as it just slides the larvae off in place once you've picked it up. I've always found a brush easier for my own use though and accept that I have to try multiple times for some cells as it's sometimes a struggle to get the little buggers off the brush cleanly.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I think if you get a good one with a bendy enough tip the Chinese grafting tools might be easiest for a beginner as it just slides the larvae off in place once you've picked it up. I've always found a brush easier for my own use though and accept that I have to try multiple times for some cells as it's sometimes a struggle to get the little buggers off the brush cleanly.

I've got these? They don't seem very flexible

 

[mbc]

View attachment 24821
I've got these? They don't seem very flexible

The ends can be softened with spit and a nail file.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Cheers thanks for the tips

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Spotted one in the apiary field last week. Lovely to see.

probably a native then, our native 'cocks fly South for the winter and return ready for the spring. The woodcock we see here in the winter are from the Russian steppes and Scandanavia, they also migrate South to theUK around the November full moon and Easterly winds They come in great falls, often dropping Exhausted on the beaches in Norfolk. In the old days the locals would scoop them up and send them down to Leadenhall market.

 

[madasafish]

I think if you get a good one with a bendy enough tip the Chinese grafting tools might be easiest for a beginner as it just slides the larvae off in place once you've picked it up. I've always found a brush easier for my own use though and accept that I have to try multiple times for some cells as it's sometimes a struggle to get the little buggers off the brush cleanly.

I followed this

and slimmed down the tongue: made it much simpler and easier to use than a brush (In my view)

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I do as Heather with a 000 brush, you can swoosh in under the larva; it can take a twist to get the larva off it though - I had a metal tool for a while and lost it in the grass somewhere and couldn't get on with the chinese tool at all. Brush is best for me.