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I am not sure if this topic is in the right forum, so kindly place it in another if needed.
Ok, so im having trouble maintaining my brushes. Every time I try to keep them nice and clean and straight, they just get scrunched up and i cannot use them anymore. Can someone please tell me how I can properly maintain my brushes?

I trim mine with a very small pair of scissors. Eventually I do have to buy new ones though...

Maybe it's use that's tearing them up?
Are you using brushes you should paint with to dry-brush?
Do you let paint get into the ferrule?
Both of these things are brush killers.

http://darkfuturegaming.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-not-kill-your-brushes.html

If you intend to get higher end brushes, W&N for example, get some brush soap. It'll keep your brushes good a lot longer than just rinsing with water alone.

Things not to do with brushes:

Leave them standing in water pots
mix paints/dip them in the pot past the ferrule (the metal bit) and start painting.

The paint will start to dry at the base of the bristles which will knack up the brush- if you get paint this far up the brush wash it in water immediately.

Dry brushing is harmful to your good brushes as mentioned.

Do
wash brushes with soap after every session if possible or at least on a regular basis.

Dry them carefully with paper towel to maintain shape.
If you have the plastic protectors -use them.

Also you can reshape with a very small amout of soap on your fingers after drying to reshape the bristles.
This will help maintain them.

I tend to use ordinary hand soap for cleaning brushes.
However I still have a little piece of now ancient soap(actually intended for artists to clean paint off hands but is excellent for brushes) Not been able to remember which brand it was and so unable to ask for more!

Which do you use please Fateweaver?

I like this for brush soap:


Works like a charm and Dakka's own Les Bursley uses it to clean his brushes.

Lasts a long time too. I've had mine 2 years and I still have barely even begun to use it all.

Yay - that's the stuff!
we didn't have any in our brach of the art shop I worked at yonks ago so I got the soap bar version which is still good for brushes

might try and get some know I know what it is called.
Can recommend the stuff as being excellent.

Thanks Fateweaver

I double the recommendation about the masters stuff. Its a cleaner and can also be left on the brush to shape and condition.

Someone noted to use the plastic sleeves on them. I personally would only do this if you are transporting them. Brushes need to dry, and using the sleeves prevents this. Brushes left wet for too long a time will cause problems.

The best thing to do is clean them with a soap after each use or at least on a regular basis. Store them standing tip up or laying flat on paper towel(to soak up water).

Fateweaver is spot on. I have been using this stuff for a few years and have amazing luck with it. I buy half the amount of brushes that I used to.

I just ended up with a Loew Cornell Brush Well.. it's a large plastic cup with a screw on lid. at the bottom is foam cut into slices that you can stick the end of a brush into. The cool part is that when you wash your brushes you can put the end into the foam screw it together and flip it upside down to let the brushes drip dry. It keeps water from filtering back into the ferrule and lets the bristles dry naturally straight. I've loved it so far.

http://www.primart.ca/381-m.jpg