A hake is a wide, soft, flat brush that holds a great deal of liquid and releases it evenly. In pottery it is used for laying glaze and slip over a broad area without leaving brush marks, which stiffer brushes cannot do.
Why the softness matters
A stiff brush drags glaze and leaves ridges that fire as visible marks. A hake carries a large volume of glaze in soft hair and lays it down with almost no pressure, so the coat flows out level. That is the whole reason it is the standard brush for brushing glaze over an area rather than painting detail.
Using one
Load it fully, lay the glaze in a single direction, and put the next coat on at right angles once the first has lost its shine. Do not scrub: the point of the brush is that it releases rather than pushes. Three thin coats laid this way give a coat close to what dipping achieves.
Looking after it
Wash it thoroughly in clean water after every use and dry it flat or hanging, never standing on the hair. Glaze dried into the ferrule stiffens the brush permanently and is the usual reason a hake stops working. Kept clean, one lasts for years and improves as the hair softens further.
Sizes and what to buy
A wide hake for laying glaze over a body and a narrower one for smaller work covers most needs. Two brushes rather than a set, kept clean, is the sensible purchase, and they are inexpensive enough that the argument is about looking after them rather than about price.
Questions people ask about hake brush
What is a hake brush used for?
Laying glaze or slip evenly over a broad area. Its softness releases liquid without leaving brush marks.
How many coats of glaze with a hake?
Usually three thin ones, each laid at right angles to the last once the previous coat has lost its shine.
How do I clean it?
Wash thoroughly in clean water and dry it flat or hanging. Glaze dried into the ferrule stiffens it permanently.