Care and Feeding of Paint Brushes

mobiledynamics

dumb dumb question.
How do you *scrub* a brush without not harming the bristles...

Brushjockey

Also that stuff on the outer bristles ( not interior of middle as I was suspecting you were saying) is a good spot for that scrubbie. Takes care of it in a jiffie. 10 min cleaning anything and you need to work on what you're doing. I spend less than that cleaning up 3 full setups.

Late edit- go in the direction of the bristles...
And a good brush is tougher than you might think. Just make sure to straighten at end.

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mobiledynamics

10 minutes...I meant it was a 10 minute patchup job total.
Probably 1 minute, 12 seconds spent on cleaning ;-)

paintdoc made a point. Maybe I need to get her wet before I actually get paint on it......

chrisn

That little bit of paint is not going to hurt anything, nor effect the brushes performance

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chrisn

Thanks, this was a long time ago, maybe they used bad glue then.
Yes real glue. I always thought you could clean then so much faster that way.

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princelake

i paint all day with my brushes then at the end of the day i wrap it in painters plastic and i'll use it the next day and the day after. i've used the same brush unwashed for over a week.
when i wash out my brushes i go to the laundry sink and crank the water and basically dab and push into where the water is landing in the sink. then i take a wire brush to my brush on the edge of the laundry sink then back under the water and repeat as many times as possible till the water is clean. then i take a brush spinner and get all the water out of the brush. move the brushes back into place then hang it to dry.
for cleaning my roller sleeves. i put the roller sleeve on the brush spinner put it under the water and use my 5 in 1 tool and slide it down the roller to get the paint out constantly turning it and give it a spin once in a while till the water is clear.
ive used the same brushes for a long time

mobiledynamics

so...whats your secret sauce when painting/cleaning with Oil.

Not a fan of any variant of the disposable china brushes..
They all shed f'en hair. Double density, single density - any variant of the disposable china brushes are bunk to me

So I use the good brushes and not sure if it's worthwhile to even clean them sunnvabrushes.

Minderal spirits, then comb it out, then rinse, Krud Kutter...work the bristles till they're clean....man, not THAT took forever cleaning out a good brush today.

Brushjockey

If you used Krud Kutter or any other water based anything on a natural bristle brush, you probably have ruined it.
Just Mineral spirits- 3 times using just a half cup or so each time. First wash gets the majority, second gets the deep stuff, last is rinse. Then put all the spirits in an empty _ metal_ container- old veggie cans work well for small amounts and let settle. after a while you can pour off clean spirits and reuse.

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mobiledynamics

I don't really use oil - so no natural bristle brush in my stash. I used my ~beater~ Wooster Alpha 3" that I use for all things priming....oil or water. It's used when I need to do a cut in on primer in the corners, all sorts of stuff that is not used for the final finish.

I still care and clean for it like it's my garage queen though ;-/

Brushjockey

You are needy. I think I only answer your Qs because someone with a real interest might be helped...

You asked about oil brushes...

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DrHicks

...BUMP...

I've recently been using a bit of Dr Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap when cleaning my brushes. I have never had brushes clean out that easily before!

Fairview

A pail / bucket with a good lid and about a 1/4" of water. Suspend your several brushes from that custom rack you build to your specifications for only your brushes but don't touch them to the water. Any brush will be within handy reach all day, the next day and ready to resume that same jobif required.

Davejss

My oil brushes get a quick dunk in thinner then spun out. Then they are suspended in a two gallon pail with the tips about an inch deep in thinner. They're always clean and ready to use.
My water brushes get washed in cool water with a bit of laundry soap and fabric softener. Then a quick spin and wrapped in paper.
I've had the same six or seven brushes for well over ten years. Some Woosters, some Purdeys.

chrisn

Suspend the brush OVER water for a day or so ???

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pinkfloyd43

I accidently forgot to clean one of my nice brushs and it sat for two days! Idiot me! I got the brush cleaner and let it soak for a day and it all came out. It was amazing. I was so glad as I hate to be stupid and ruin tools!

I also scrub with stiff brush and comb out after using. I am crazy about keeping these things clean as I am a cheap guy!