Winsor and Newton Brush cleaner and restorer

[feanorthenoldor]

hey all

I recently got 3 W&N brushes during the Holidays, I paint with GW metallics and my 000, is starting to flay a little bit. I use the Masters brush cleaner after every session, but for some reason, when I stroke the 000 brush with my finger tip, it sometimes makes a fish-tail.

Does this happen to people?

Should I get the W&N brush cleaner and restorer?
I got the idea from here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRXoZ9asJTk&feature=related

Any other tips on making sure my brushes last me and perform as well as possible would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[Einion]

Hi and welcome.

First off, what type of W&N brushes specifically? If it's Series 7 then it's entirely possible one of them isn't up to the standards of the other two, which is unfortunatley not uncommon these days as the QC isn't what it once was. If it's one of the lower series then as a rule they're not as good at maintaining a point anyway.

I use the Masters brush cleaner after every session...

That's too much. If you adopt of thorough rinsing procedure you should only need to wash your brush occasionally.

Does this happen to people?

Yep, every now and then I've had brushes that don't hold their tip well. Hard to figure out exactly why sometimes, whether it's the way the brushhead is put together or whether the hairs themselves are just a bit less good at holding shape.

Should I get the W&N brush cleaner and restorer?

It might be worth having anyway, but it's unlikely to save a brush that's underperforming in this way.

Any other tips on making sure my brushes last me and perform as well as possible would be appreciated.

Don't overwash.
Best to dampen a natural-hair brush before loading with paint.
Rinse mantra: thoroughly and often.
Adopt a double-bath rinsing system.
Add some dishwashing liquid to one or both baths.
Consider conditioning your brushes occasionally, especially after washing; load the brushhead with conditioner (moisturiser might work okay too) and then put it up to dry, just give it a quick shake in your rinse water at the start of a new session and you're good to go. The small amount of conditioner left in the water won't cause a problem.
Use brushes in rotation if possible, instead of one brush of a given size all the time.

Last but not least, select brushes in person if you can, to help weed out duds, or alternatively if you buy online don't be afraid to return under-par ones.

Einion

 

[BPI]

I don't use my decent brushes for metallics anymore, too many knackered in too short a time (I have a nasty habit of not rinsing my brush often enough & paint drys half way up the bristles), so the old blue-handled GWs (which have outlasted 2 sets of the more recent black handled ones) for metal, W&N for regular colours.

Cheers, B.

 

[feanorthenoldor]

thanks guys, I use W&N series 7 kolinsky, or in other words the best, I have a 000, a 00, and a 1, I mainly use the 000 and the 00.

the main reason I asked my question was that my 000 has a little bit of dried paint in the ferrule and I was just wondering what can I use to get that junk out and have my brush come to a point every single time I stroke it.

thanks

 

[airhead]

If you use the clear liquid "brush cleaner & restorer" get a paper clamp (not clip) and set where the brush is in the liquid and the metal ferrule is just touching. That stuff will peel the chrome off of your ferrule. Soak for an hour to overnight. Rinse and then use "the masters" soap.

I too use The Masters after each session. This helps keep paint out of the ferrule - the leading killer of brushes. As you swirl the brush around the soap, try to gently pack the ferrule with soap. Then take the brush against the palm of your hand and gently scrub it. If the soap gets grungy, rinse and repeat.

 

[Einion]

...I use W&N series 7 kolinsky, or in other words the best...

Not hardly :glasses-nerdy: Not for a long time now.

the main reason I asked my question was that my 000 has a little bit of dried paint in the ferrule and I was just wondering what can I use to get that junk out and have my brush come to a point every single time I stroke it.

The W&N product you're asking about should do this. You could also try rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, methylated spirits (even gin or vodka at a pinch) can be used to loosen dried acrylic paint. You can also use acetone although it's a bit harsher than the alcohols.

But like I say above, it may not return to that ability once cleaned.

You might like to have a read of the brush-care page on the W&N site, here, for more info and another perspective.

Einion

P.S. Since you already have The Masters, try lathering the brush up well and leaving it to work for a couple of hours, it may not get it all out but it should help a lot.

 

[feanorthenoldor]

thanks Einion

i just got the W&N brush cleaner and restorer liquid and the tool you use to hold the brushes in mid-air.

How many times should I use this stuff, I paint almost everyday, so should I use it every couple weeks?

thanks

 

[Einion]

I'd go with any guidelines you can find on the label as a starting point. But as this is mainly intended to clean dried paint from your brushes I think it would be a safe bet to say: only when necessary.

Any recovering product like a brushcleaner or straight solvent is only needed when a buildup of dried paint has formed at the base of the bristles. Since with proper rinsing this shouldn't happen - at all ideally, but certainly very very slowly - you might only need to use it one or twice a year, if that.

FWIW I have many front-rank brushes that have been used enough for the writing to have worn off the handles and most of them have never been washed and never been cleaned with solvent, because of my rinsing system.

Einion

 

[Rogland]

first of all, never touch your brush wirh your fingers!!!! fat will disfom it, lick on it instead!!!

 

[Einion]

first of all, never touch your brush wirh your fingers!!!! fat will disfom it, lick on it instead!!!

On the other hand, never put a brush in your mouth!!!

Einion

 

[QuietiManes]

So Einion is one of those painted thumbnail guys?... and Rogland has rainbow lips?

Anyway, I think I've got more fat in my saliva than on my fingers, considering my diet versus hand washing practices. Plus my regular state is like "borderline dehydrated" so skin's dry dry dry...TMI?

 

[flashmanfe]

Hi, just wanted to add my 2 cents. I always clean my brushes with Masters brush cleaner after each use. Make sure to leave a small amount of the lather on the brush to shape and protect the tip. I have used the Winsor and Newton cleaner when I notice paint build up around the ferrule. Recently I have started using a small fine-bristled brass wire brush in my rinse water. I run my paint brush over the bristles of the wire brush in a combing motion, to separate and clean the paint brush. It does a very nice job and I have not noticed any paint build up at the ferrule, nor any damage to my paint brushes. I haven't had to use W & N brush cleaner on my brushes since using this method. I mostly use that to strip metal minis.

 

[gmorf33]

Einion, can you elaborate on your rinsing method? I just ordered some nice brushes from dickblick and would like to treat them as nicely as i can.

Thanks.