caring for brushes

[Helga]

considering some I get to be aware that there are a lot of products out there for cleaning brushes I never used, as

- special brush soap
- cleansing fluid of all sorts
- holders for brushes to float in cleansing fluids of all sorts
- other thingies

Has anybody used some of those special products? I wonder is there any benefit or is it just a ripoff?

all I ever did was massage the brush hairs softly between thumb and forefinger coated with dish-washer-fluid and rinse for about a minute in flowing luke-warm water from the faucet. Put brush in mouth, salivate a little (if yuk, you didn\'t sufficient cleaning! it should taste of like nothing) and form a tip with your lips, put carefully back in protecting tube and store hairs up.
This is for brushes used with acrylic paint only of course. Brushes used for varnish I clean by shaking in acetone or nitro and throw away as soon as they clog. Pretty soon that is.

 

[bayrodney]

I have never personally used any of those products. and in my opinion even though i have never used them i think they are a bit of a scam/ripoff. But, whatever suits you is the way to go.

 

[borg]

We do have an article from Bobby Wong on this subject:

http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/35

If in doubt, you should always check the article section, there are over 100 articles on various topics.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Helga
Has anybody used some of those special products? I wonder is there any benefit or is it just a ripoff?

Some are worth it, others are a swizz.

Brush soaps I\'d generally skip, many are originally intended for caring for bristle brushes, not delicate rounds and I\'ve checked the pH of Master\'s and it\'s nothing to write home about. The added abrasives in some do help remove paint residue, but at the cost of increasing wear on the hairs (particularly a problem with sable and Kolinsky brushes).

Your cleaning procedure doesn\'t sound at all bad, dishwashing liquid is a lot less damaging than most soaps in my experience. I too use saliva for reshaping my brushes but I\'d recommend you don\'t point your brushes in your mouth, just to be on the safe side.

I would get into the habit of using a double bath during painting, with a little dishwashing liquid in each, this will really help keep you brushes clean during use - like most things prevention is better than cure.

If you do get dried paint buildup cleaning fluids can help remove it from the base of the hair, near the metal ferrule, where it tends to collect and it\'s difficult to rinse out or wash out. Some are more damaging than others but if you only use them occasionally (which should be the case if you rinse well and often during use ) they shouldn\'t be too bad. With natural hair storing them with conditioner in them is also worth trying to extend the life of good brushes, just rinse it out when you next paint; it\'s often a good idea to do this if you\'ve used a solvent to clean a brush.

I\'d skip the spring thing to hold brushes in the water myself but if you want to use one remember to just hold the hairs in the water, not lower down where the water might soak into the wood.

Einion

 

[Ogrebane]

@Helga I use a similar method to you for cleaning but as alot of my stuff has to travel (I work away alot) I also use hair conditioner on my brush to help it keep its shape (taste horrible when you lick the brush. And you will lick it you cant help yourself). When my brushes get really bad I soak them but I use some copper wire that I twist around the brush so they can dangle in the water. Besides all this stuff take funds away from buying paint and minis.

 

[Mosch]

No matter how well I rinse my brush, I often have dried paint building up at the ferrule. So... I use a brush cleaner, a liquid by Schmincke which is called Orange Terpen (Orangenterpen) and it works really well. Put a little on the brush, wait some minutes, wipe on a paper towel, repeat if necessary. I can\'t say I have found that it damages my brushes.
I got a piece of brush soap with some brushes I bought, but after using it ocassionally, I have just stopped. I can\'t see what that stuff is for, doesn\'t clean my brushes well and as of yet none of my Ussuri sable brushes has deteriorated (at least I still paint with them).
Sometimes I use Acetone with really hopeless patients, but that\'s quite rare.

 

[freakinacage]

i have a sponge with loads of detergent in. i rinse off the brush then wipe it on that. then rinse again. if the paint gets stuck, i have some brush cleaner that i use every now and again. i may ruin the hairs (i haven\'t done any testing like einion) but if there\'s paint on the brush, something has to be done. i have found it to work well.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Mosch
No matter how well I rinse my brush, I often have dried paint building up at the ferrule. So...

Try a double-bath system. This really helps, particularly if you get into the habit of rinsing brushes regularly during the painting process; it\'s also a good idea not to load the brush right down to the ferrule, if you don\'t already do this, which is why I usually like to use the largest brush I can.

Originally posted by Mosch
So... I use a brush cleaner, a liquid by Schmincke which is called Orange Terpen (Orangenterpen) and it works really well.

This is probably all or mostly D-Limonene, made from citrus peel. It\'s quite a strong solvent but I didn\'t know it works on dried acrylic paint also.

Be careful not to leave the container open for long periods during use.

Einion

 

[Mosch]

This Orange Terpene is specifically sold as a brush cleaner, and it\'s the only one I have ever seen in art stores here.

Now how will that double bath system help clean the brushes? Rinsing them for a time x in one contaienr should be the same as rinsing them x/2 in two containers... or is it? *insert mysterious music*

 

[Joshua]

i\'ve never used anything, no soap, no expensive brushes, nuthin\'
all i use is a revell brush, a gw brush and water
no money to spend on things like that

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Mosch
Now how will that double bath system help clean the brushes? Rinsing them for a time x in one contaienr should be the same as rinsing them x/2 in two containers... or is it? *insert mysterious music*

lol The second bath stays clean for extended periods so you\'re rinsing dirty water from the brush with the second operation.

Einion

 

[farseerlum]

good to see others use a \"double bath\" i was beginning to think i was a little pedantic. lol

if i can\'t use the clean water for diluting my paints then it becomes the preclean water and i get new water for the second bath.

my only worry with this system is that i\'m introducing paint to the ferrule in the dirty water. i hope that the second bath cleans it well enough to get it back out.

conditioner for natural fibres also makes a lot of sense. if you look at hairs under a microscope they splay out all down the length after a while. conditioner makes it all smooth again preventing paint buildup under the flakes.

i\'d be pretty confident that any cleaning products you use on your own hair would be good enough for your brushes.

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by farseerlum
good to see others use a \"double bath\" i was beginning to think i was a little pedantic.

Hm, pedantic but worthwhile, I\'d say. These Series 7\'s are worth the pedantry.

Originally posted by farseerlum
i\'d be pretty confident that any cleaning products you use on your own hair would be good enough for your brushes.

I use Pantene PRO-V Repair and Protect in my rinse water. At the end of each session, it\'s a wash in the same shampoo followed by Pantene PRO-V Repair and Protect conditioner.

 

[sebrushworth]

I recommend Master\'s brush cleaner. It comes in a tub that\'ll last you a long long time and is pretty cheap. This stuff really is very good at getting all the old dried in paint out of the brush. The first time I used it, I was still seeing paint coming out of the brush after going at it for twenty minutes. I use it every now and then to keep the brushes happy. (You can also use it to get paint out of your clothes

 

[Legacy Account]

Water and a new brush every few months. It\'s not as if they\'re that expensive really....

Pro Arte do some lovely Kolinsky jobbies really cheaply - cheaper than GW tat anyway and far superior.

I do own a pot of Vallejo brush cleaner. Wierd stuff, it\'s almost greasy. Works reasonably well and softens the bristles nicely, but I only use it once in a blue moon.