brush maintenance

[diymirage]

hey guys

i bought myself a new set of paint brushes for Christmass and i would like to get as much enjoyment as possible out of them

which brings up the following question: what is the best way to treat brushes?

how do you clean them, how do you store, how do you use them?

(mods, i wasnt sure if this was the right location or not but if it is not please feel free to move it)

[Skip]

Are your brushes natural hair or synthetic?

For natural animal hair brushes first thing that you want to do is to use a mild soap and water to remove the sizing that the manufacturer put in to hold the shape. Dry the brush by first pinching it between paper towel. Don't pull away from the ferrule (while pinching the brush) doing so will loosen the hair causing premature baldness. Next stand the brush on the end opposite of the hair, there are brush washers that have a spring across the top of the reservoir so you can hang the brush hair end down, or you can make a small "clothesline" to hang the brush with a clothespin and do the same thing.

You never want to stand a brush on the hair, doing so will deform the brush hairs enough that it may have to be tossed. If you accidently stood your brush on the hairs you might be able to save it by first soaking the brush for a few minutes in water to rehydrate the hair. Next use either a mild hand soap, laundry starch or hair gel just enough to shape the brush back to normal. Then get an old fashond clamping clothes pin hanging the brush so the hair is pointing down, gravity will help the brush to reset to normal or near normal shape. I've had to give a brush a "permenant" a couple of times before it took a straight set again. After you get the brush back into shape repeat the mild soap and water wash until the hair is clean, then dry. (I have saved a couple of expensive pinstriping brushes using this trick, sounds odd but it works.)

Depending on what type of paint you've used you will first want to clean the brush with the type of thinner you used to thin the paint. For acrylic water and a mild soap will clean up for the next use. If the brush is starting to get a little crusty with acrylic paint you may need to try rubbing alcohol to clean it up. For enamel some use a three (or more) pot cleaning system dirst daub the brush on a paper towell to remove as much of the paint as possible, the first pot will be the dirty jar, second slightly cleaner and the third nearly clean. Swish the brush through the first staying away from the bottom of the jar then daub nearly dry on the paper towell, do the same thing with the second, by the time you are through the third there should be no visable paint color on the paper towell should look like you dipped a clean brush in thinner. Let it dry for the next use. If the enamel brush gets build up around the ferrule it will cause the hairs to become brittle and break off at the ferrule. You can clean this up a bit with lacquer thinner it won't get it 100% clean but it will extend the life of a tired brush. Best thing is to keep the brushes squeeky clean in the first place. Agree with Mike below don't load the brush to the ferrule in the first place, you will get enough up there just by the wicking action of the hair itself.

If you used Lacquer thinner in the brush it will take nearly all of the natural and oils from the enamel thinner and enamel itself out of the brush you can help replenish the oils with either a brush conditioner (sold in art or craft stores), neatsfoot oil (look for it around leather baseball gloves), mineral oil (health and beauty aisle). Run the brush through the oil as you would loading it up to paint daub it off with a paper towell let dry with the oil in it, think of it as a "hot oil treatment", wash the brush out with thinner before you paint.

Synthetic Brushes get pretty much the same treatment as do their natural haired cousins. If the brush is stood on it's hair it will take a set and you may as well toss it, never been able to correct this nor have I heard anyone say that they have. If there is someone who has fixed a bent synthetic brush I'm all ears. Since they are not natural hair you won't ever have to treat one with the oils as it won't ever get dried out. Be careful with lacquer thinner as some synthetic brushes won't handle a hot thinner and may melt the "hair".

Edited to clarify answer and agree with follow up comments.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Skip

[Cato]

Skip gives a detailed helpful answer. I'd add that the BEST cleaner for my brushes is auto body enamel reducer. Removes lacquer or enamel residue. After a wipe in lacquer thinner, dip in reducer, stroke out on paper towel. It will remove more than the lacquer thinner, even though the brush looks clean.

And when painting, just try to use the least brush possible and still hold a wet edge when dipping into paint. Coat out on a hard surface (I use a small ceramic tile square) to shape wet brush. Don't load paint into the ferule.

[Mike 1017]

Follow Skip's advice.I go 1 extra step further I always dip my brushes in clean water as a last step then wipe them on a paper towel. Good luck Mike