Natural

Tanis provides a wide variety of natural fibers as dependable substitutions for applications where synthetic filaments are not suited. We offer natural fibers such as horsehair, goat hair, tampico and bristle for industrial application brushes and bristle, ox hair, sable, pony hair and camel hair specifically for artist brushes.

Horsehair

Horsehair fibers are produced using mane or tail hairs, each providing a different stiffness and texture. This natural fiber is best known for its ability to polish surfaces without being abrasive and is excellent at picking up dust and fine powders. Horsehair can be mixed with other natural, synthetic and wire materials for specific customer applications. Horsehair colors include brown, black, mixed grey, silver grey and white.

Goat hair

Goat hair is a very fine, soft fiber available in either black or white in color. It is used for very short trim soft brushes. Goat hair has a blunt tip, but retains large volume of fluid.

Tampico

This natural fiber is produced from the agave plant and has exceptional water retention characteristics, excellent biodegradability and superior heat and chemical resistance. Its soft to medium texture will soften when it absorbs water. It is able to withstand high temperatures without melting, but will discolor.

Bristle

This fiber is produced from a pig or a boar and is used in both industrial brushes as well as artist brushes because its naturally splitting ends are ideal for carrying and transporting liquids. It maintains shape and stiffness in use over a long period of time. Bristle comes in gray, black or white (natural) colors.

Ox hair

This artist brush fiber is from the ears of cattle or oxen and is very silky to the touch. It is a strong, springy, resilient hair that is more rigid than sable and as stiff as natural bristle.

Sable

Sable is a fiber made from the hair of a weasel and is available in two color types – red and black. Sable is springy, soft to the touch, naturally forms a point and naturally forms a point, allowing a great deal of control. Black sable the more expensive, higher-quality choice and it is more resilient to solvents and the chemicals found in oils.

Pony hair

Pony hair is a fiber from the belly of a horse and it is strong, resilient, slightly coarse and very absorbent.

Camel hair

This fiber is not actually made from camel hair, but is made from various inexpensive hairs – pony, bear, sheep, squirrel – mixed together. This soft hair is typically used in economical, disposable artist brushes.