Brush cleaning

[absolutrudy]

I\'m on the verge of buying some W&N Series 7 brushes, but my technique for cleaning my current brushes still leaves me with hook tips. I use a Loew Cornell brush cleaner and water to get the paint out. Any suggestions or method changes?
Thanks.

 

[Dragonsreach]

It\'s very difficult to tell. I\'ve never had a W&N7 Hook on me. But I have had many other cheaper and synthetic brands hook.

I wash in Artists Brush soap cake (Can\'t remember the brand) and rinse in clean warm water. putting the point back with my mouth. I also make sure that I keep the plastic tubes that the bristles are protected by and cover after every use.

I have found that there are some really difficult paints which enjoy travelling up the bristles, most of which are Reds. For those difficult colours I \'ve used a quick rinse in Acetone and then a serious wash & rinse in soap. The gunk comes out.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

I have ALWAYS had my synth brushes \'hook\'. As far as cleaning, once the brush has dried paint in it, I use some stuff called \'Mr Hobby - Mr Color Thinner\'.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
putting the point back with my mouth.

Are you going to lure him into the filthy habit of brush-licking, Mike? Pointing the brush with your mouth after use is the first step, before you know it you start doing it while painting and then you\'re hooked!

Well, I\'m a brush licker too, so maybe I shouldn\'t talk so much...:innocent:

On topic though, I\'ve never had quality sable brushes hook on me. Rinsing thoroughly in water after each use should keep them quite clean. Now and then you can let them soak over night in some sort of acrylic solvent to get rid of paint that has wandered up the bristles.

 

[supervike]

hooking...

I am pretty hard on my brushes....kind of lax in cleaning them out thoroughly after every session...Just a quick rinse and lick...(leave it alone )

But my Winsor & Newtons have stood up remarkably well to the abuse..2.5 years of it.

I have a Raphael brush that Herb the bitter graciously gave me, and that too is a great brush with no hooking.

Every third or fourth session, I do finally take the time to clean them thoroughly using dish soap. Then every so often I give them a bit of a soaking in a Brush Conditioner. Works like a charm.

 

[No Such Agency]

Originally posted by supervike
I am pretty hard on my brushes....kind of lax in cleaning them out thoroughly after every session...Just a quick rinse and lick...(leave it alone )

But my Winsor & Newtons have stood up remarkably well to the abuse..2.5 years of it.

I have a Raphael brush that Herb the bitter graciously gave me, and that too is a great brush with no hooking.

From what I understand, good natural hair brushes will not \"hook\". That is a function of the synthetic material.

I use \"brush soap\" on my brushes, not sure the brand but it\'s a very common one with an \"old-fashioned\" looking logo. I also use it to break the surface tension in my washes - dab an old brush in the soap, mix a little into the wash and ta-da! No \"rings\"

 

[airhead]

i use \"the master\'s\" brush soap, comes in a tan colored 2 oz. tub (or so.). Get the brush wet, swirl it around on the soap, and get some in the bristles. Scrub the bristles in your palm (not hard, just working the lather in the bristles) Pull across a towel. If paint comes out, repeat.

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by No Such Agency
From what I understand, good natural hair brushes will not \"hook\". That is a function of the synthetic material.

That\'s my understanding too. Natural brushes might fishtail or exhibit some other odd flaws if improperly taken care of, but they don\'t hook. Whereas synthetic brushes will always hook.

As for cleaning, I\'ve found that future floor wax can actually dissolve acrylics. There is some ammonia in the one I use, so maybe that\'s what\'s doing it. So, a rinse with water, some dilute future left on for five minutes, another rinse, then some shampoo and conditioner. Pantene Repair and Protect. lol I do this after every session, \'cos W&N7\'s are impossible to get in South Africa.

 

[Equus]

I also use brush soap a lot. It\'s helped make some pretty destroyed brushes marginally useful before, and seems to help condition the bristles while getting as much of the paint out as possible. I usually use it after every color, which I don\'t know is adviseable, but it\'s my habit.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally by Ritual

Are you going to lure him into the filthy habit of brush-licking, Mike?

Of course, and it\'s not filthy, it\'s theraputic.
Doesn\'t always taste as nice as I would like, and I\'ve found that the Liquitex drying retarder has a tendancy to give me a sore throat, if I\'ve used too much.

 

[philologus]

I lick my brushes too. Sometimes I even paint with them while I\'m at it.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by absolutrudy
I\'m on the verge of buying some W&N Series 7 brushes...

If you\'d like some alternatives that are as good or better, usually for a better price, have a look at the last post on this thread on planetFigure.

Originally posted by absolutrudy
...but my technique for cleaning my current brushes still leaves me with hook tips.

You\'re not doing anything wrong, I\'ve had this happen frequently after a single use of many nylon brushes. Hooked tips on brushes is only a problem with synthetic fibres AFAIK - check this past thread for more on the same issue: http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/viewthread.php?tid=8820

Originally posted by absolutrudy
I use a Loew Cornell brush cleaner and water to get the paint out. Any suggestions or method changes?

Rinse your brush well and often during painting, particularly if you live in a dry climate.

Use a double-bath system with a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the water - one large container for the bulk of cleaning, the second for final rinsing and for diluting your paint.

Master\'s brush soap is pretty good stuff but most any mild hand soap is fine for washing brushes - Simple would be good, being neutral in pH - although with Kolinsky I would recommend you do this as little as possible (any friction wears the hairs down). If you find you get paint buildup at the base of the hairs near the ferrule too easily you\'re not rinsing often and/or thoroughly enough during painting

When you do get dried paint residue on the hairs a little ammonia or isopropyl alcohol will loosen it and help it wash out.

After using soap or any solvent other than water on your brushes it\'s not a bad idea to roll the bristles in hair conditioner and leave it in until your next painting session, just swish the brush out in the rinsing water when you\'re ready to paint next time.

Einion

 

[Einion]

Licking brushes

Guys, it\'s a very bad idea to put your brushes (or your sculpting tools for that matter) in your mouth! This is one of the only ways to expose ourselves to pigments and quite a few have heavy metals in them - aluminium, copper, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, manganese - which it\'s a really good idea not to ingest in any quantity

I do use saliva to point my brushes after painting but I no longer do this by putting the brush into my mouth now that I know the risks, just roll the brush hairs in a little saliva on the back of your hand or something.

In addition to the pigments, acrylic and vinyl paints have commercial anti-fungal agents in them, which are basically poisons, as well as things like formaldehyde and even in tiny quantities long-term exposure might pose a risk to your health.

Einion

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by EinionHooked tips on brushes is only a problem with synthetic fibres AFAIK

I\'d say hooked tips are only a problem if you don\'t want your tips to hook.
I find there is much I can do with a hook that I can\'t do with a straight brush, plus the hook actually gives me greater precision control.

 

[supervike]

Good point Vince....

Panza even wrote an article about that very thing..

http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/154

 

[Einion]

Yyyep, this was brought up in the CMON thread linked to above.

Einion

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by Einion
This is one of the only ways to expose ourselves to pigments and quite a few have heavy metals in them - aluminium, copper, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, manganese - which it\'s a really good idea not to ingest in any quantity
...
In addition to the pigments, acrylic and vinyl paints have commercial anti-fungal agents in them...

According to GW, the pigments in their acrylic paints are \"thin liquids\" and are \"non-toxic\". I\'d assume that to be true for all fine acrylics such as Vallejo and Reaper too. It\'s oil based paints that use mineral pigments and natural dyes, though this might also be true for the coarser craft acrylics.

Good point about the fungicides though. From my fishkeeping days, I recall that only silicone sealants without fungicides could be used on the tanks - most have fungicides in them.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Modderrhu
According to GW, the pigments in their acrylic paints are \"thin liquids\"...
...
It\'s oil based paints that use mineral pigments and natural dyes, though this might also be true for the coarser craft acrylics.

If that\'s how GW put it they\'re misleading people, there\'s no such class of pigment.

Pigments fall into four basic categories: natural inorganic (e.g. iron oxides), natural organic (now very rare) and the two biggies today, synthetic inorganics and synthetic organics.

There is no need to worry about common pigments as a health risk, I\'m not trying to make anyone paranoid about the risks, paints are entirely safe to use in normal ways and if you get a little on your skin when you paint you don\'t have to panic or anything (do wash your hands after you paint of course) but inhaling, if you airbrush, or ingesting them are pretty much the only ways to put yourself at risk and it is these two routes that we are specifically warned about in the technical literature - even very safe pigments like titanium white, which is used in foods, shouldn\'t be inhaled.

Originally posted by Modderrhu
I\'d assume that to be true for all fine acrylics such as Vallejo and Reaper too.

Most hobby paints will be made primarily from synthetic organic pigments because they\'re cheap and synthetic inorganics are the ones one has to watch out for most, but regardless if they don\'t include cadmium yellows, oranges or reds, or blues and greens containing cobalt and chromium - which are all less likely in hobby paints because they\'re expensive pigments - French Ultramarine will be a mainstay, as will phthalocyanine blues and greens, the former containing aluminium and the latter copper; as well as this, any natural umbers will contain varying proportions of manganese. We should minimise unnecessary ingestion of any heavy metal and pointing brushes in the mouth is certainly avoidable; there\'s no downside to working a little more safely is there?

Einion

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally by Einion

In addition to the pigments, acrylic and vinyl paints have commercial anti-fungal agents in them, which are basically poisons, as well as things like formaldehyde and even in tiny quantities long-term exposure might pose a risk to your health.

Sorry, Waaaay too late to tell me that!
With Crohn\'s Disease, Menieres\' Syndrome, Slight Asthma & Old age creeping up, after all these years of painting if it ain\'t killed me by now it never will. Besides we all know that painters can never die until their last mini is painted. So by that reconing I will be about 3,000 provided I never buy another mini. (Yeah like that\'s ever gonna happen.)

But seriously the ingestion rate from placing your brush in your mouth is going to be in extremely minute quanitities and unless you are very careless about cleaning brushes there will be a minimal risk.
What I would avoid however is actually sucking the paint off a brush as I have seen a youngster do at a painting demo.

 

[War Griffon]

lollol Like Dragonsreach brush licking has been a habit of mine since I changed from Enamels to Acrylics mnay many many years ago and I can still run a mile and a half in under 13 minutes without a heart attack

As for hooking the only brushes I have ever had hook on me were GW\'s.

Believe me I miss treat my brushes on a regular occassion I don\'t use brush soap, I don\'t wash them under running water or treat them to washing up liquid on a regular basis I just wash them in a pot and wipe them on a rag then lick the point back before use or before putting them back in the plastic tubes oh and just to add insult the water pot doesn\'t get changed that often

Perhaps thats why my scores are getting worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!