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Yes, I have cheap brushes--they start out ok though. I was wondering if anyone has info on how to refurb a brush...THX!

It depends.

If you have dried paint in the ferrule (the metal part where the bristles are glued), the brush has pretty much reached the end of its lifespan. The paint will start to damage the glue and when it dries, it spreads the bristles out making it more difficult to hold a point. Also, since you mentioned having cheap brushes, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you are using brushes with synthetic bristles? If so, no matter how well you take care of them they will eventually start to curl at the tip and will no longer hold a point. It is one of the downfalls of synthetic brushes.

If you are using natural hair brushes (even cheap ones), you can purchase some brush soap to clean and restore them. The most popular kind is Master's Brush Soap. It is readily available in the big-box arts/crafts store in containers of various sizes. It is an absolutely must if you use natural hair brushes, especially if they are expensive. You can use it to clean synthetic brushes as well. It looks like this:



I would recommend purchasing a couple high quality Kolinsky sable brushes (at least a size 1 and 0) and some brush soap. The increase in quality is definitely worth the extra money you pay for them. Be warned though, Kolinsky brushes are currently hard to come by in the US because of a disagreement between the government and the importers of natural hair brushes.

Masters cleaner has saved me maybe three times it's cost (around £8.99 where I got it in the UK) thus far.

Thanks. I agree once you get paint up in the ferrule and the bristles start spreading the brush is done for.

But as far as other wear and tear/curling, does anyone bother carefully trimming the brush tip to form a new tip, like with manicure scissors or a razor? I imagining something like when they create the brush--come to think of it, how do they shape brushes at the factory?

Also, real hair wont do that little curling/bending thing at the tip?

mjp808 wrote:
Thanks. I agree once you get paint up in the ferrule and the bristles start spreading the brush is done for.

Brush cleaning liquid may be able to help get some of the paint that is stuck in the ferrule. I have never tired it, but I've read about it before.

But as far as other wear and tear/curling, does anyone bother carefully trimming the brush tip to form a new tip, like with manicure scissors or a razor?

I would recommend against that. The bristles in a brush are put where they are for a reason and if you go about cutting them, it will most likely ruin the brush. However, trimming a stray hair here and there is fine.

I imagining something like when they create the brush--come to think of it, how do they shape brushes at the factory?

I found this: "In general most paintbrushes are still assembled by hand with brush tips made from either natural or synthetic hairs. These hairs are bound together with cord or nylon rope and then set into the metal ferrule with a wax based adhesive. The wooden or plastic handle is then pushed into the back of the ferrule and held in place with a crimp. Knowledge of how a paintbrush created is important, because it allows you to properly care for your brush. Because the adhesive that holds the brush hairs is wax based, you should never rinse your brushes in hot water. This can melt the adhesive, causing the hairs to unseat themselves, losing the valuable pointed shape necessary for fine control. Also, the contact point between the handle and ferrule is not waterproof. Any moisture that collects within this area from indiscriminate washing will cause a wooden handle to swell and then contract, resulting in loose paintbrush handles."

Also, real hair wont do that little curling/bending thing at the tip?

It shouldn't, especially if you take care of it.

I really can't stress it enough: get yourself a high quality Kolinsky sable brush and some cleaner/conditioner. It is one of the best things you can do to improve your painting. The difference between a high quality natural hair brush and a cheap synthetic is night and day.

Thanks for that thorough response SPJ! I like to see one of those How its Made videos about Kolinsky detail paint brushes

Another tip for natural hair brushes is to periodically - every few months or so, to apply hair conditioner to them. The same stuff your Mrs, mums and sisters use religiously on their hair.

As a rule of thumb for your kollinskys, dont do things to them that you wouldnt do to your own hair and they stay nice for a long time. I've got some that have seen frequent use for 2 years and still have more of a point than anything in GW

mjp808 wrote:
But as far as other wear and tear/curling, does anyone bother carefully trimming the brush tip to form a new tip, like with manicure scissors or a razor?

Yes, with caveats. I do this with synthetic brushes that have not just curled, but totally mushroomed out. It doesn't magically make a nice new point, though - it simply keeps those wildly straying hairs from dragging things around where they shouldn't. Those brushes have already been relegated to the "rough tasks" pile - drybrushing, stippling, glue spreading, coarse paint splodging, etc. - and aren't leaving it. I'm just extending their "second life" a little, not actually reviving them. Serious restoration is tricky with natural hairs and nigh impossible with synthetics. Best to just put them aside (if not bin them, outright) and move on.

a brush beyond repair still has its uses - if theres bristles left its good for moving paint from a pot to a pallete and mixing with. This saves your nice ones that bit more and extends their lifespan a bit. - a really done for brush, totally ckaed in paint could be 'saved' with solvents.. itle ruin the brush for actual painting, all the spring will be gone and the brush just ownt be the same, but itd be fine for the above mentioned moving paint from pots and mixing colours together on a pallete. - I use a trusty #2 round synthetic brush thats been with me for over 10 years for this job its such a ruined brush lol, youd never put it to a model for anything really.