I haven\'t had much success using Simple Green to get older paint off. I\'ve let stuff soak for three weeks with and it barely touched the primer. It works great on paint less than a week old and at the end of a painting session I spray it all over my plastic pallet and let it soak for a few minutes. It comes out looking brand new. Recently I started using it on my brushes. It works great but I wonder if it could be doing any long term damage to them. Does anyone else here use it to clean thier brushes?
Simple Green
- Thread starter Ratcals
- Start date
Drake Farstrider
New member
I have never used it to clean my brushes. I use a brush cleaner for that. So I am not sure if it would cause any long term damage to your brushes.
I also use Simple Green to strip my mini\'s and have had little problem with it taking paint off of older mini\'s. I have noticed however, that it does not strip black primer all that well. I just scrub the mini with an old toothbrush and that seems to help.
I also use Simple Green to strip my mini\'s and have had little problem with it taking paint off of older mini\'s. I have noticed however, that it does not strip black primer all that well. I just scrub the mini with an old toothbrush and that seems to help.
Einion
New member
Well obviously it works better on some paints than others, just switch to something like Mr. Muscle if you\'re having trouble.
I did have an odd experience one time when oven cleaner seemed not to want to penetrate a pretty basic acrylic paintjob, really weird how that happens sometimes. Once the paint had lifted off in a sort of skin the enamel underneath it that I used as primer back then came right off like butter!
You might - practically anything that will weaken the bond of vinyl paints must be fairly \'active\' in its way.
Do your brushes get that dirty usually or is this just occasionally? If you improve your rinsing method you can largely avoid the need to wash your brushes so I\'d strongly recommend getting into the habit of rinsing your brush out thoroughly as you paint every now and then. Try a double bath too, with a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in at least the first container (you can use it in the second one too, which you will also use as your thinning water, but it works as a mild flow release so sometimes you might not want this).
Einion
Tinweasel
Member
The problem with using straight-up Simple Green, which is itself a cleaner/degreaser, is that it will work for cleaning just fine but \"eventually\" have a negative effect on your brushes. You\'d run into a similar problem with regular dishwashing detergent as well, as that\'s a degreaser, too.
Assuming you\'re using natural hair brushes, one of the things that gives them their firmness, or \"snap,\" is the fact that they\'re made from natural sable hair... oils and all.
By using a degreaser, yes, you\'re getting them clean; you\'re also stripping out everything that makes them hair-like. I\'d suggest using genuine brush soap (like Pink Soap, for example) which not only cleans, but restores natural oils.
If you\'re using synthetic hair brushes for your general miniature painting - 2 things: ignore all of the above; you\'re missing out on a lot of stuff more \"flexible\" natural hair brushes have to offer.
Assuming you\'re using natural hair brushes, one of the things that gives them their firmness, or \"snap,\" is the fact that they\'re made from natural sable hair... oils and all.
By using a degreaser, yes, you\'re getting them clean; you\'re also stripping out everything that makes them hair-like. I\'d suggest using genuine brush soap (like Pink Soap, for example) which not only cleans, but restores natural oils.
If you\'re using synthetic hair brushes for your general miniature painting - 2 things: ignore all of the above; you\'re missing out on a lot of stuff more \"flexible\" natural hair brushes have to offer.
T
Temporary Sanity
Guest
Tinweasel beat me to it... so I\'ll agree on the Pink Soap suggestion. I use it on all of my sables at the end of the night, if I\'ve used them, and it works great. Doesn\'t take more than a minute or so to get all my brushes clean, also.
Simple Green to clean/strip minis.
Pink Soap to clean brushes
Simple Green to clean/strip minis.
Pink Soap to clean brushes
DrEvilmonki
Active member
The proprer brush soap is great. You will see paint coming out from brushes you thought were clean. Also revives brushes that I thought were past their prime
Einion
New member
Have a look for Castille soap or olive-oil soap as alternatives.
But you might try the same thing you (or maybe your girlfriend/wife) would with your hair - condition afterward. You can use shampoo, any typical bar of soap or dishwashing liquid and if you condition your natural-hair brushes every now and then you should get much the same result.
If you live in a hard-water area though don\'t use normal soap, best to stick to shampoo or detergent as soap can build up limescale on the bristles.
Einion
