Cup brush, Union

This large pot brush has strong union bristles. Union is a mixture of natural fibers - in this case the hard fibers of the arenga (sugar palm), which are resistant to acids, alkalis and heat, and bassine, the strong leaf fibers of the sago palm. Both are very tough and resistant to moisture and oil, making them ideal for use in the kitchen for cleaning pots and pans. The bristles are pulled in by hand and carefully secured with stainless steel wires so that they are permanently attached to the brush body and cannot come loose easily. The outer bristles are set at an angle - this increases the application area and makes it easy to get into the corners and edges of the pans. The sturdy body made of solid, oiled birch and maple wood has an extra-large, ergonomic knob, making it easy to hold the brush and transfer the scrubbing force. After use, it is advisable to leave the pot brush hanging or standing on the bristles to dry so that moisture is wicked away from the wood.

Brush making has traditionally been a line of work for people with visual impairments. This is why the Swedish Association for the Blind founded a company for making and selling brushes at the beginning of the 20th century: Iris Hantverk. In this tradition, craftspersons with visual impairments in Sweden and Estonia assemble the brushes entirely by hand for Iris Hantverk to this day. The techniques are the same as back then: With the help of a small hook attached to their finger, they feed a stainless steel wire through holes in the wooden brush base and form it into loops. Then they gather the bristles into small bundles, insert them into the loops and fasten them with the wire. Finally, they cut the bristles to the right length using a cutting machine. From start to finish, they follow the haptics of tools and materials with great skill and their well-trained sense of touch. The work process is still visible in the finished product. When you look at the back of these brushes, the course of the wire is usually visual and gives tangible evidence of the Swedish craftiness.