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I recently bought some Masters brush cleaner and I've been sort-of trying to use it to help re-form my brush tips into better points (or, rather, ACTUAL points because a lot of them are frayed). I'm using GW brushes and I'm having a hard time, especially with my super-fine detail brush.

I was hoping I could get some POINTERS on this - what should I do to help keep my brushtips more pointy? I'm accepting any advice on this, including, "Don't use GW brushes" if it comes to that.

Lately I've been trying to up my game on painting, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

Well, part of the problem is you're trying to bring a freyed brush back to a point. You may have better luck with some brush restorer, masters brush cleaner works best at keeping a point rather than bringing one back. And another part of the problem and correct me if I'm wrong, but you're using a synthetic brush. And that's usually just the nature of the beast. Over time you'll lose that sharp point. I would get a few nice kolinsky sable brushes, there are several brands out there. I use Raphael brushes just out of preference. There are also many other brands out there. So if you want a really nice point that will last, kolinsky sable is the way to go.

Just doing some quick searching on Amazon for some better brushes... the problem is that I'm having a hard time with size comparisons. The brushes are expensive enough that I don't want to just buy a bunch at different sizes, but if I buy one and it's too small or too big for my purposes then I just spent a decent amount of money.

Essentially, the GW brushes are sized as "medium" and "small" and stuff like that, so I don't know how big a size zero brush is when compared to the ones I'm currently using.

GW brushes lose their point over time (and not long at that).
Not all GW brushes are synthetic, but nor are they kolinski sable, they may be a sable lend, but overall, they are way overpriced for their longevity.

Invest in decent brushes (Raphael, davinci, W&N etc) and use your brush cleaner regularly, then, before putting your brushes away, run them thru the masters, but leave the masters on the brush, form the tip/point and out the brush away, just remember to rinse well before next use...

I thought Masters was brush cleaner.

Masters is a brush cleaner and preserver..

I would say a 'Standard' brush from Citadel would equate to a size 1, and a 0 to be a 'Detail'. Although; all decent brushes of any size will come to a tip as good as, if not better then a Citadel detail brush, even a size 8 or 10 will. The vast majority of my miniature painting is done with sizes 00 through to size 4, with 1 being the work horse brush.

It does sound like you are trying to revive an already dead brush though. If you dont get much joy from your old frayed brushes witht he cleaner or restorers, i suggest getting a couple of realyl decent ones and looking after them properly

And is that size comparison fairly universal? Meaning, a Windsor & Newton size 1 will be about the same as a Raphael size 1?

They should be similar in size, but there will be some variation between brands (and even between lines in one brand)

Roughly, at least - there's no real standardization, but you aren't likely to find deviation beyond +/- one size between brands, in most cases. There are more exceptions when it comes to tip size and shape, though, with specific brush (sub)types. Some manufacturers offer "miniature" or "detail" brushes that use the same numbers to denote size, but will have significantly shorter bristles, which changes the brush's behavior. I'd avoid these, as the tips on a normal round will be equally sharp (if the brush is of decent quality) and the larger belly will serve you better (also easier to keep paint gunk from building up around the ferrule if the bristles are longer) in pretty much all cases.

Regarding Master's brush soap, it does also serve as a conditioner and tip shaper. Bear in mind, though, that only natural hair bristles will actually benefit from the conditioning. All it can do for synthetic brushes is loosen old paint residue and hold the tip in shape, temporarily - it's not actually repairing anything, just cleaning and coating.

Ahhhh, I see. So the answer, really, is to get a decent brush and maintain it. Well, at least I've already got the Masters. Time to invest in a few better brushes.

Any specific place people like to buy brushes? Say, Amazon for example? I should invest in some better brushes and some solution. All my brushes are torn up pretty bad now, good time to upgrade.

Buy some Raphael brushes from Secret Weapon Miniatures. I've used Winsor & Newton Series 7 and the Raphael brushes, I love the Raphael now. Compared to W&N, Raphael beats them hands down. If you read on Secret Weapon Mini, they have an article showing and comparing the two brands and the quality you get with them. Having that larger reservoir in the Raphael really makes a difference. I also tend to abuse my brushes to see how far they go, and the Raphael is still holding up with a perfect tip. My W&N has already started to fray just a little. The feel you also get out of a longer reservoir is also really good in the Raphael.

Here's also pictures of what brushes I've got from them, comparing the various sizes. From Left to Right: 0 S7 Miniature Series, 00 S7, 1 S7, 0 R8404. Realize that there is also two types of Series 7 W&N, Series 7 and Series 7 Miniature.

Thanks, will take a look.

Went and looked at my Citadel Fine Detail brush and it looks like a mad scientist frizzed hair, much less than optimal condition.

 itsacoyote wrote:
Buy some Raphael brushes from Secret Weapon Miniatures. I've used Winsor & Newton Series 7 and the Raphael brushes, I love the Raphael now. Compared to W&N, Raphael beats them hands down. If you read on Secret Weapon Mini, they have an article showing and comparing the two brands and the quality you get with them. Having that larger reservoir in the Raphael really makes a difference. I also tend to abuse my brushes to see how far they go, and the Raphael is still holding up with a perfect tip. My W&N has already started to fray just a little. The feel you also get out of a longer reservoir is also really good in the Raphael.

Here's also pictures of what brushes I've got from them, comparing the various sizes. From Left to Right: 0 S7 Miniature Series, 00 S7, 1 S7, 0 R8404. Realize that there is also two types of Series 7 W&N, Series 7 and Series 7 Miniature.

In those pictures, the brushes look a lot bigger than what I thought the sizes would represent. The 0 Raphael looks a little bigger than the S7 size 1, and the 00 S7 looks bigger than the 0 S7!

What I imagined (in terms of the sizes) was that a size 1 would be like the GW "standard" brush, but both the Raphael 0 and the S7 1 look more like a GW "wash" brush. I really want those brushes, but now I'm confused about what size to get... any other more specific info on those sizes? Do you happen to have any GW brushes to look at and compare them to?

 Tangent wrote:

 itsacoyote wrote:
Buy some Raphael brushes from Secret Weapon Miniatures. I've used Winsor & Newton Series 7 and the Raphael brushes, I love the Raphael now. Compared to W&N, Raphael beats them hands down. If you read on Secret Weapon Mini, they have an article showing and comparing the two brands and the quality you get with them. Having that larger reservoir in the Raphael really makes a difference. I also tend to abuse my brushes to see how far they go, and the Raphael is still holding up with a perfect tip. My W&N has already started to fray just a little. The feel you also get out of a longer reservoir is also really good in the Raphael.

Here's also pictures of what brushes I've got from them, comparing the various sizes. From Left to Right: 0 S7 Miniature Series, 00 S7, 1 S7, 0 R8404. Realize that there is also two types of Series 7 W&N, Series 7 and Series 7 Miniature.

In those pictures, the brushes look a lot bigger than what I thought the sizes would represent. The 0 Raphael looks a little bigger than the S7 size 1, and the 00 S7 looks bigger than the 0 S7!

What I imagined (in terms of the sizes) was that a size 1 would be like the GW "standard" brush, but both the Raphael 0 and the S7 1 look more like a GW "wash" brush. I really want those brushes, but now I'm confused about what size to get... any other more specific info on those sizes? Do you happen to have any GW brushes to look at and compare them to?

Tanget, do you have a hobby lobby or a Micheals in your area? If you do, I would suggest going by as both carry a good lines of brushes, include W&S7 in the one near me. I find that getting hands on the actual brushes helps in selecting the ones you want.

Actually, I live in the UK, so no Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I have no idea what the equivalent UK store would be... haven't been here long.

I don't use any Games Workshop brushes, but here's a random Citadel Starter Brush I got from a kit in a trade. It's on the far right of the brushes.
On the lineup from left to right:
00 W&N Series 7
0 W&N Series 7 Miniature
1 W&N Series 7
0 Raphael 8404
? Citadel Starter Brush

For some good kolinsky sable brushes in the UK, you might want to check out Rosemary & Co. I hear their quality is good and it's based in the UK.
Another set of brushes that might be interesting to see how they turn out, are the Games & Gears Pro Studio Brushes. They've got a kickstarter going on for their brushes, which they claim to be as good as W&N and at a better price.

Awesome, thanks! I think that Raphael 0 is what I'm looking at, and I could do with a brush the size of the 00 S7. As for shops, I can actually order both US and UK stuff - I'm American living here, and I've got a US address and a UK one.

I checked out that kickstarter and I think I'll probably put some money into it. A lot of the different levels are already sold out! Crazy. Thanks for putting me onto that.