W&N7 Brushes in trouble!

[SteveArch]

I have several Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes, and I'm having a problem with them keeping their shape. I'm very careful with them , never let the paint go beyond the tip, wash them in brush soap etc, but some of the brushes have separated so the bristles form two or more groups (hope that makes sense!). What can I do to save them?

Cheers

Steve

 

[Icantpaint]

buy rosemary and company or raphael??? lol

soak them in brush cleaner / restorer solvent should draw the paint out of the ferule
possibly might take multiple cleanings

Mona Lisa also markets a brush shaping liquid that might help if all else fails

 

[Einion]

How old are they? How much use have they seen? Any visible pigment buildup near the ferrule?

Einion

 

[Jbickley00]

If they are older, you might try washing them, and then putting some hair conditioner on them, lett it soak in and then rinse it out after a coupple hours, that will help. The brush shaping liquid from mona lisa is useful too.

 

[kathrynloch]

How old are they? How much use have they seen? Any visible pigment buildup near the ferrule?

Einion

Einion - You are my hero! I can set my watch and my fact table by you! Nail hits head here - because if the brushes are splitting rather than shedding, single hair fly, or otherwise looking like freaked out a cat's tail...there's pigment/paint in the ferrule.

Brushes draw the paint upward, the more you paint the more you have to watch it. You may not dip it into the paint up to the ferrule, but there may be paint there nonetheless.

Or it could be W&N giving you the finger. Sorry but in my years of painting, I have not been impressed with the brush quality. I've got some Vallejo's that are ancient and still rockin' and rolling.

 

[Dragonsreach]

How old are they? How much use have they seen? Any visible pigment buildup near the ferrule?
Einion

Or it could be W&N giving you the finger.

Sorry but in my years of painting, I have not been impressed with the brush quality.

Thanks Karrie; needed the chuckle at the moment.
I love my W&N's, but I'm not blind to the fact that some of them have been of really duff quality. Fortunately none of mine have, but I cherry pick mine with care.
As for rescuing them, well if there is stubborn paint gunck (technical term) there are two harsh methods;-

Acetone (or el cheapo nail polish remover) place a little of this in an eggcup and scrub the brush around to break up the residue, then spend the next hour or two washing the brush carefully with proper brush soap. (and for the love of all things holy DO NOT lick your brush with Acetone on it, unless you want to spend a couple of hours with the room spinning and feeling completely F****d up. My T-shirt for that piece of stupidity fits perfectly.)

Dettol: do the same.

Both of these methods will clean the crud out of your brushes......But can reduce the lifespan if you don't take proper care of the brush afterwards.

Here's a link to some brush soap from the S.A.A
http://www.saa.co.uk/shop/advanced_...s=Pink+Soap&osCsid=hhsn4f8vin4quum11n8qovhnt0
Not a bad price for non-members.

 

[Einion]

Or it could be W&N giving you the finger.

:rotfl: Classic!

Einion

 

[RuneBrush]

Further to Mike's post, if you can suspend your brush over a pot of <insert cleaner of choice> so that the bristles sit in the cleaner but there's a 1mm gap between the surface of the cleaner and the ferrule, you'll find that the cleaner will wick up and dissolve any gunck bunged up there. You don't want the ferrule sat in the liquid as (I've read) it'll weaken the bristle at the point it goes into the metal The GW water pot is actually very good for this as it holds the brush in place so you can control the level of the liquid in it.

 

[airhead]

Further to Mike's post, if you can suspend your brush over a pot of <insert cleaner of choice> so that the bristles sit in the cleaner but there's a 1mm gap between the surface of the cleaner and the ferrule, you'll find that the cleaner will wick up and dissolve any gunck bunged up there. You don't want the ferrule sat in the liquid as (I've read) it'll weaken the bristle at the point it goes into the metal The GW water pot is actually very good for this as it holds the brush in place so you can control the level of the liquid in it.

Use the W&N brush cleaner (clear liquid in a bottle) and suspend the brush with a paper clamp. Let set overnight.
If you let the chromed ferrule touch, the solvent will eat the chrome off.
It will also take the lettering off the brush handle if you get any on there - so you'll no longer know the size....(don't ask how I know this....)
Next day, brush soap (the masters is my favorite) and really work the soap up into the ferrule. Rinse and pull across a paper towel. Be amazed at the amount of goo that comes out.

 

[Legacy Account]

Brushes are so ridiculously cheap compared to miniatures (when you look at the brush to figure ratio) that I just buy new ones.

W&N are a rip. I've had great service from my vastly cheaper Renaissance and Rosemary & Co jobbies.

I do occasionally do some brush restoration. Acetone is good.

 

[SteveArch]

Thanks for the great suggestions, I'll give them a go. I've always made sure the paint doesn't get near the ferrule, but I guess it's been drawn up the hairs. The brushes are reasonably old.

Cheers

Steve

 

[SteveArch]

The acetone worked a treat! I have pristine brushes again. The only problem is I'll have to find something else to blame for my crappy painting skills. . . .

Steve

 

[supervike]

Brushes are so ridiculously cheap compared to miniatures (when you look at the brush to figure ratio) that I just buy new ones.

W&N are a rip. I've had great service from my vastly cheaper Renaissance and Rosemary & Co jobbies.

I do occasionally do some brush restoration. Acetone is good.

I agree. If you can restore them, great, but they are effectively one of the cheapest parts of our hobby.