Small matter near the ferule.

[J2FcM]

Quick question. Often times after a painting session, I find a very small amount of grey near the ferule of my brush... or maybe its so small it just looks grey... Anyways, I usually drag my X-acto knife gently across the brush hairs in a upward perpendicular motion, which seems to scrape away the stuff...

I take it this is dried paint? is my X-acto knifing process bad for the brush? So far it hasnt done anything to my trusty GW brush... but in case I get a new brush one day...

 

[Shawn R. L.]

I have gotten into the habit of rinsing my brushes about every 5 minutes wheather I\'m changing colors or not for just what you are talking about.

 

[Ritual]

Yeah, I do just like Shawn... rinse the brush between every other or third paint application, even if you\'re going to continue painting with the same paint. This prevents paint from travelling up into the ferrule and your brushes will last longer.

 

[MPJ]

X-Acto on brush = Pepes = Evil! Very bad indeed.

 

[lokki03]

I agree with Shawn and Ritual I rinse every few minutes. I also use distilled water to rinse and diloute my paint (not so good tap water around here.) At the end of my painting session I clean my brushes with a brush cleaner, it\'s cheap and it extends the life of the brush.

AS MPJ said \" x-acto on brush = pepes=evil!very bad indeed.\"

hope this helps I got my brush cleaner from my local game store, but pretty much any art supply or craft store should have it. the one i use is called \" the masters\" Brush cleaner and is good with every kind of paint.

Lokki03

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by J2FcM
...is my X-acto knifing process bad for the brush? So far it hasnt done anything to my trusty GW brush...

It cannot be good even for a GW brush, unless you are in brush sales.

Get some of \"The Masters\" soap, tan colored jar of some soft soap and conditioner. Swirl the brush into the soap to work it up into the ferrule. Rinse and pull across your towel. If you see color (old paint) then repeat. Often, I will not rinse after the brush is clean, instead pull the tip to a nice point and let it dry. Rinse well before the next use.

Tip: Don\'t stand your brushes up on the handle end in a cup while there is moisture in the hair. Let your brushes dry horizontal.

 

[farseerlum]

stop letting the paint get so far up the bristles. use only the tip.

 

[EricJ]

I agree, scraping a knife up the brush can\'t be a good thing. I agree a big thing is letting your brush dry on its side.

As for only using the tip, I don\'t thing that is a solution. The amount mini painters dilute their paints, it is very very liquid and the paint is stored within the brush, and wicks freely up the bristles, even if you\'re only using the tip. Probably the best solution if you\'re worried about it is to do as suggested and just make sure to rinse the brush completely ever few minutes.

Personally I don\'t worry about it too much. I know it sounds bad, but if you look at my brushes, I treat them like hell, expensive W&N7\'s now too. They only last me 3 months tops probably. But they\'re about $12 each at dickblick. So at $4 a month, I\'d rather pay it then worry about taking the time and effort to clean my brush properly. I know, it\'s probably heresy to admit it!

 

[krom1415]

EricJ, you naughty boy, treating your brushes like that........hrhmmm... yes I\'m a bit heavy with my brushes too

 

[No Such Agency]

Frankly, sometimes you gotta treat your brushes \"badly\" to get the effects you want. It\'s just a fact of painting. But after you do, a little brush soap and conditioner will help reduce the permanent damage...

 

[J2FcM]

Well, I constantly dip the brush I am using in cleaning water... just regular old tap water.

So it goes like this:
Grab paint with brush tip (always have used just the tip)
Paint for a minute or 2.
Dip brush in tap water, and drag brush up the sides.
Wipe off brush on paper towel.
Dip brush back into pallette paint... and this continues for a half hour or an hour or whatever...
typically, I will rinse my pallete with soap along with the brush in any painting session over 20-30 minutes.

But I\'ve also been doing that x-acto attack for a bit too, and my GW brush seems to hold up well against it... maybe I just got a magic GW brush?