Brush Care?

[Richard61]

Hi All.
A quick question if I may.
Since we tend to use good quality brushes which don't come cheap, what's the best method of cleaning, maintaining and conditioning them to be sure they remain as good as new for as long as possible?
I realise much will depend on what sort of paint is being used, water or spirit based, etc, which also raises another question
I know that some painters have brushes that they only use for metalics but is it advisable to keep brushes used for acrylics separate from those used for oils/enamels too?
Probably as many answers and ideas as there are makes of brush and paint but I thought I'd ask.

Richard.

 

[megroot]

Richard,
ON top you can find the Search.
Type the text Brush Cleaning and you can find what you wanna know.

Marc

 

[Richard61]

Thanks Marc.

Richard.

 

[tonydawe]

Richard,

I'm not exactly a saint when it comes to brush maintenance. I treat them as the disposable objects they are, however I do keep the plastic sleeves on them as long as I can, I do stand them on their ends in a jar to stop the points from being damaged and I do clean out my brushes at the end of each painting session to prevent paint build up within the hairs of the brush. I also keep separate brushes for oils and acrylics, so I don't mix them up. I'm not sure if this is strictly necessary, but I find some brushes work better in oils than acrylics, and vice versa.

If you paint in acrylics, washing out your brush in distilled water is probably all you need to keep your brushes clean and serviceable for several figures.

If you paint in oils, I would recommend cleaning your brushes in white spirits. What I tend to do in decant a small amount of white spirits into a small container and use this tio clean out my brushes, rather than use the entire bottle and contanimating my white spirits.

I've probably used hundreds of brushes over the years, most of them lasted for a few figures and then they lost their point and eventually found their way into the round filing cabinet next to my desk. No brush, no matter how well cared for will last for ever, so there is a trade off between price and quality vs cheapness and longevity.

Most figure painters will recommend you buy the most expensive (read "best') brushes you can afford, and many will say that Windsor & Newton Series 7 are the best. That may be true, but for the price of just one Series 7 brush I can buy at least a dozen cheaper brushes and use them without too much concern. If the brush loses its point or starts to fray, I throw it out and pull out another one.

All of the figures I've painted and posted photos of on my VBench on Planet Figure were painted with relatively cheap brushes purchased from my local model shop, not expensive "artists" quality brushes. I hope this helps.

 

[Helm]

I use a mixture of cheap and a bit more pricey Rosemary and Co brushes myself only thing I do much different from Tony is I dont replace the plastic covers once Ive used the brush as I was told years ago not to cant recall why exactly.
Steve

 

[kansas kid]

Richard:
I think the comments from Marc, Tony and Steve
are spot on regarding care of high quality Kolinsky
Red Sable Water colour brushes. My personal favorites
are the Winsor Newton Series 7. But one thing I do after
each painting session is over, is to take the brushes to the
sink, (previously washing out the acrylic paint with water,
or washing out the oil paints with mineral spirits) and
using a bar of mild hand soap "lathering" up
the palm of my opposite hand and then swilling the
brush around in that palm to use the mild soap to remove
whatever paint or solvent is left. Then I make sure to use
my finger tips to form a perfect point to the brush before
putting it back in the desk top "jar" with the bristles
pointing up, of course. You may want to consider this
final step. Quality Sable Brushes are expensive, as you
know, and need to be cared for properly.
The Miami Jayhawker

 

[Einion]

Probably as many answers and ideas as there are makes of brush and paint but I thought I'd ask.

More than likely!

I know that some painters have brushes that they only use for metalics but is it advisable to keep brushes used for acrylics separate from those used for oils/enamels too?

Ideally yes, but not essential. I don't keep separate brushes for metallics incidentally, since if you rinse properly it isn't necessary.

My #1 piece of advice for acrylic users is rinse thoroughly, and often. That way it's not necessary to wash your brushes too frequently, which shortens their lifespan.

Einion

 

[Mark S]

I can confirm that I rinse thoroughly, and indeed quite often, but up to this point in time it's unclear as to whether it's shortened my life span.

 

[renegertje]

Here's a part of the Winsor ans Newton leaflet.
Cleaning and Care
A
Series 7
brush will offer many years of service, even with
daily use if the following simple points are followed:
1. Always clean your brush at the end of your painting
session.
2. Do not leave brushes soaking in water.
3. Never leave them resting on their heads or tufts.
4. Shape the head after cleaning (do not point in your
mouth).
Cleaning Instructions
1. Brushes should be wiped clean on a lint-free rag and
then rinsed under running water.
2. Clean brushes gently with cool water and mild soap or
Winsor & Newton Artgel
TM
or Brush Cleaner if you have
used oils on your brushes. Wear protective gloves and
gently swirl the soapy brush in the palm of your hand.
3. Repeat washing and rinsing the brush until the water
runs clear. You’ll be amazed how much colour comes
from the brush head. Take particular care to ensure
that the base of the brush head is clean.
4. Some pigments may stain the brush slightly, but this
will not affect the performance or life of the hair.
Remove excess water from the brush head. Dry the
handle and ferrule.
5. Gently reshape the head and stand head up to allow
drying.
Care of your
Series7
™
Brushes
• Wash your brush as described. The most common cause
of a brush no longer pointing is the build up of pigment
particles in the base of the brush. If they are allowed to
build up they simply push the hairs apart and prevent the
point from forming.
• Avoid storage in direct sunlight.
• If you are storing brushes for any length of time, make
sure they are clean and perfectly dry before putting them
away in an airtight box.
• Moth repellents are recommended when storing the
brush, but cannot be relied upon as a sure preventative
against moth damage.
•
Series 7
brushes used for oil or acrylic are likely to wear
more quickly if used on a coarser surface.
And after a while i do to soak the bristles in oil. to give the hairs there natural fat back. This fat will go away when you are cleaning the hairs in turpentine or equivalent.
After the oil dip, you have to clean the hairs first in turpentine prior to use them.
Maybe it's helpful

 

[Carlos69]

Richard good old Knights Castile !! 4 for a quid ; ) ph balanced ...

Or/and I use Masters which is very good. I'm really harsh on brushs so they don't last that long anyway, but a good clean is always good buddy and its surprising what the soap and Masters gets out after using spirits. And also water with acrylics ...

 

[Richard61]

Many thanks to you all guys.
Loads of good advice there....... I do keep my brushes upright in a jar and usually with the plastic protectors on. Like most of you I have a range of brushes, the better quality ones are mainly Rosemary & Co but a couple of WN Series 7's (to be honest I don't notice much quality difference between these two makes but there's one hell of a price difference)
I also have a stock of cheapo brushes, including some real bargain basement ones that I keep for doing base work or any other abusive job. I often don't even bother to clean these, just bin them once the job's done.
The use of mild soap is a great tip and I've read somewhere that domestic hair conditioner is good for keeping the natural oils in the hairs.

Richard.

 

[Einion]

...mainly Rosemary & Co but a couple of WN Series 7's (to be honest I don't notice much quality difference between these two makes but there's one hell of a price difference)

Yeah, that's one of the problems with Series 7s. Consistency is sorely lacking, and their QC appears to do little to catch the problem which makes their RRP laughable. I began to look elsewhere for my quality Kolinsky rounds a long time ago as a result; quite apart from the savings I prefer to give my custom to companies that care more about the quality of a premium product.

...and I've read somewhere that domestic hair conditioner is good for keeping the natural oils in the hairs.

Conditioning is well worth doing now and then as part of regular brush-maintenance procedures. Oddly it seems to help even synthetic brushes sometimes.

Re. bargain-basement brushes, they can be worth taking moderate care of. Because synthetic fibres are so cheap and consistent even very cheap synthetics can sometimes be decent enough, build quality will be more dubious but with luck the brushes can still last a few years with rough use.

Einion