Paint brush cleaners and preservers.

[Muchmirth]

Hi all,

What are people using to clean their brushes with? Is it good enough to use just water to get off acrylic and thinner/various spirit to clean up oil paint or is it worth investing in the various products you see online? I was looking at a Vallejo preserver and general pencils master's cleaner and preserver and wondered what others thought of them as products, any good or not?

Thanks in advance. 

Paul

[Ade H]

It's not enough to use water alone, as you'll find when you use a brush soap and much more comes out. I've been through most of them (art background) and my favourite is always Da Vinci in bar form. It's better value and more effective than Master's. It's also much nicer to use because it's not constricted by a pot (so you can wipe a wet brush on it at a natural angle) and you can keep the two sides separate for oil (start with spirit or citrus oil cleaner; finish with soap) and water. You can store it in a travel soap dish. Leave a little bit of clean soap residue on when you repoint a round sable and it will care for it well. I still have some brushes which I bought long before I started model making.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Ade H
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[Black Knight]

I use B&Q Diall Paint Brush Restorer, the green liquid, for all my brush cleaning. It costs about £4.60 for 500ml and it lasts ages.

I use a 'two jar' system.

Two empty jars from meat paste, each with a few mil,  one is main wash and the other is the secondary. Wash the brush in no.1 jar, wipe on a cloth and a dip and swish in the no.2 jar. When no.1 is too dirty its discarded and no.2 becomes no.1 and a fresh no.2 is made up

I've been using this 'system' for several years and my brushes are all still in good condition

 

https://www.diy.com/departments/b-q-brush-restorer-0-5l/244622_BQ.prd

[Muchmirth]

Thanks Lads… both great tips which I shal use. Just bought some nice Windsor and Newton series 7 brush’s which were fairly dear ands so wanted to keep them good. Thanks for the advice.

[Pete in Lincs]

For acrylic I use car screen wash. Squish the brush in a jarfull, squeeze it & wipe with tissue, store in a jar bristles up.

White spirit & the same method for Enamel and oil paint.

[Muchmirth]

10 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

For acrylic I use car screen wash. Squish the brush in a jarfull, squeeze it & wipe with tissue, store in a jar bristles up.

White spirit & the same method for Enamel and oil paint.

Thanks Pete, but what’s the stuff in screen wash? Would it not be a bit abrassive?

[Pete in Lincs]

Ethyl alcohol*. Pure blue liquid. Never had a problem with it. I do use Tamiya thinner as well, but the screen wash is much cheaper.

 

* So far as I know anyway. That's why it doesn't freeze when used neat.

[Ade H]

I would not put alcohol on a good natural hair brush because it will likely dry it out. As my best brushes run to double figures, I follow art experts' advice when it comes to using them and caring for them, which doesn't include "squishing" them... Most good art shops will provide advice and some (e.g. Jackson Art) have useful articles on their websites.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Ade H