I'm a serial brush killer

[planehazza]

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, apart from the very occasional "crap, I forgot to clean that brush" moment, but I seem to be damaging brushes quite quickly.  I'm using sable hair from various sources (mainly abcbrushes) and the ends are separating and losing shape.  I clean with water/airbrush cleaner to get the majority off, then carefully circle the tip in The Master brush preserver, then carefully pinch the bristles between my finger and nail, followed by a rinse and a quick reshape with the gob.  

 

They look ok whilst they dry but as soon as I start using them, ping, two or more points  Makes a 5/0 brush more suitable for dry brushing than detail painting

 

What else can I do? Can I fix them or are they stuck like this once they hit this point?

 

Thanks,

Harry

[Pin]

Brushes are consumables, they don't last forever 

[planehazza]

13 minutes ago, Pin said:

Brushes are consumables, they don't last forever 

Totally understood, but I seem to be killing them on first use in some cases. 

[degsye39]

5 hours ago, planehazza said:

Totally understood, but I seem to be killing them on first use in some cases. 

What paint are you using hazza enamels or acrylics? I tried sable brushes and found them a little fragile..  That was as an enamel user though! Strictly enamels!

 

Ive been using some of the airfix starter set brushes and ones out of older airfix sets, i also use humbrol heller ''senator'' brushes all of these are holding up great.. 

Make sure you wash your brushes thoroughly with white spirit/water then rub some soap onto the bristles and re -rinse..

 

I leave my brushes in a pot of white spirit over night as a final step make sure the brush is supported or you will lose the ''point''

 

Cheers!

 

ETA If its is the first time you are using a brush make sure you pre wet it first (water for acrylics and white spirit for enamels) Otherwise capillary action will take effect and your new brush will be kaput after the first usage

Edited August 20, 2018 by degsye39

[planehazza]

11 hours ago, degsye39 said:

What paint are you using hazza enamels or acrylics? I tried sable brushes and found them a little fragile..  That was as an enamel user though! Strictly enamels!

 

Ive been using some of the airfix starter set brushes and ones out of older airfix sets, i also use humbrol heller ''senator'' brushes all of these are holding up great.. 

Make sure you wash your brushes thoroughly with white spirit/water then rub some soap onto the bristles and re -rinse..

 

I leave my brushes in a pot of white spirit over night as a final step make sure the brush is supported or you will lose the ''point''

 

Cheers!

 

ETA If its is the first time you are using a brush make sure you pre wet it first (water for acrylics and white spirit for enamels) Otherwise capillary action will take effect and your new brush will be kaput after the first usage

Exclusively acrylics and oils, but I keep brushes assigned to oil paints.  'Priming' the brush with water is something I have not done, so that make sense. It will hopefully prevent, or minimise, paint getting up into the metal bit.  I've used brushes since I was a kid, but I can't say I've ever thought to wet them first. Oops.  I wonder if I should try submerging the damaged ones in acrylic thinners over night (make sure it's not sitting on the bristles) to see if I can't loosen the dried paint.

[sapperastro]

Which paint is the culprit here? I sometimes clean out a brush with Methylated spirits to get the dried crap out of it. Put a peg on the brush, and submerge it in the jar of metho (only metal part and bristles, not the wooden/plastic part) and after 20 minutes or so, clean it gently against the side of the jar in the metho.

 

Funny the mentioning of the Humbrol heller senators. I have a few of them and they are still soldiering on from the 80s. Very few of my brushes ever die.

[uncletommy]

I use this stuff on all my good brushes.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/General-Pencil-Masters-Cleaner-Preserver-1oz/dp/B001TNR7VM

 

It's always worked a treat for me.  My brushes seem to think so too.  

 

 

[planehazza]

14 minutes ago, sapperastro said:

Which paint is the culprit here? I sometimes clean out a brush with Methylated spirits to get the dried crap out of it. Put a peg on the brush, and submerge it in the jar of metho (only metal part and bristles, not the wooden/plastic part) and after 20 minutes or so, clean it gently against the side of the jar in the metho.

 

Funny the mentioning of the Humbrol heller senators. I have a few of them and they are still soldiering on from the 80s. Very few of my brushes ever die.

Yeah, it's 100% user error on my part, I just haven't nailed down what exactly I'm doing wrong, but I have a few ideas to try.

[Mike]

I think a lot of any issues with brushes are quality issues. I've got all kinds of brushes in my pot, but the absolute best are Windsor & Newton Series 7. They're horribly expensive (£7 to £10 for a 000), but they last and last.

 

Here's a few things I never do, and some I do:

 

• Swish the paintbrush in clear liquid - NEVER scrub it on the bottom of your water or thinners jar.
• When painting, use a smooth swiping movement on your model, never scrubbing or deforming the bristles, as this is the beginning of the end.
• Then you notice the area of the bristles closest to the metal of the ferrule becoming clogged with paint, soak the brush in thinners, then dab it side on against a piece of kitchen towel. This should leave a greenish streak (doesn't seem to matter what colours you use) and repeat until you're getting little or nothing on the towel. A decent brush will cope with this for years.
• When you've finished cleaning your brush, whether it's deep or daily, straighten the bristles to a point/flat with damp fingers, or tease them straight between pursed lips (if you like the taste of thinners), and store them with their bristles away from the ground.
• NEVER rest your brushes bristles down. It'll kill a brush really quickly.
• If you're not doing any modelling for a while, get some of that brush preserver and apply it according to instructions so your brush doesn't dry out too much.
• Some people preserve their brushes with vaseline, but you'll have to remove the goo with thinners before you can use them again.
• Good quality sable is a must, and get the most expensive brushes you can afford. The old maxim buy cheap buy twice is particularly appropriate here, as my series 7s have lasted years.

 

That's all I can think of for now

[planehazza]

28 minutes ago, uncletommy said:

I use this stuff on all my good brushes.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/General-Pencil-Masters-Cleaner-Preserver-1oz/dp/B001TNR7VM

 

It's always worked a treat for me.  My brushes seem to think so too.  

 

 

Yeah, that's the stuff I have a use.  I think my biggest mistake is allowing paint to get up into the 'roots'. I'll try priming with water.

 

I take it that once a sable hair brush is misshapen, it can't be repaired?

 

I was tempted to get some W&N S7s but I can't trust myself not to ruin them yet.  Their website lists them as watercolour brushes, or are there multiple types of series 7s?

 

A 000 W&N S7 is 'only' £8 locally.  https://www.details-express.co.uk/acatalog/Winsor-and-Newton-Series-7-Miniature-Sables.html

Edited August 21, 2018 by planehazza

[Mike]

28 minutes ago, planehazza said:

Their website lists them as watercolour brushes, or are there multiple types of series 7s? 

 

A 000 W&N S7 is 'only' £8 locally.  https://www.details-express.co.uk/acatalog/Winsor-and-Newton-Series-7-Miniature-Sables.html

 

You can safely ignore the bit about them being just for watercolour, based on my several years of experience

 

I found S7 000 on Amazon for around £6.99 or similar a while back.  I put things like that on wishlists, as occasionally they seem to go on sale with a substantial discount.   I seem to remember it was down £4 on the usual price

[sapperastro]

Yeah, I use the watercolour brushes all the time, though usually with enamels. Try the metho trick and see if it works if your brush cleaner doesn't. You never know.

 

I forgot. If all else fails, try acetone. Using the same steps as the metho, put a peg on the brush, and put the bristles and a little bit of the metal part submerged in the acetone. Leave it for a while to let the paint melt off, and clean the brush gently against the side of the jar.. I have only had to do this a couple of times, but if this does not get the paint out of the ferule, nothing else will.

 

Only use a glass jar, plastic jars will melt with acetone in them.

Edited August 23, 2018 by sapperastro

[Mitch K]

Careful cleaning, without scrubbing, will greatly increase the lifetime of brushes. Clogging with paint at/close to the ferrule can be dealt with by using cellulose thinners. Again, swirl, not scrub, don't stand the bristles end-on, and repeat the wash if required. It's better to do several gentle cleans that to "get medieval" on your brush. 

 

If the bristles do splay, you can often remediate this by holding the brush point-down in a jet of steam from the kettle. After a few seconds the hairs straighten and away you go!

 

I use Rosemary brushes, which I've found to be at least as good as a W&N no6 at a fraction of the price. I find larger brushes (say a size 2 or larger) will survive vastly longer than very small detail brushes (say 2/0 and smaller).