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So been having an issue lately with the tips of my brushes curling a bit. As you can imagine this has led to no small amount of irritation. This is partially due to the fact that I do not know what causes the bristles to curl. I keep them clean, though sometimes while painting i dont rinse them out very often, leading to some of the paint drying on the bristles. But after every painting session I clean them with Masters and try to reshape them, except once i rinse the masters off before i start the next episode of painting (usually a day or two later) they go right back to curled. What causes this phenomena, what can i do to prevent it in the future, and most importantly is there any way for me to save the brushes suffering from it now (they arent expensive but its a pain to get stuff mailed to Bahrain) Thanks in advance!

What kind of brushes are you using?

Dont have access to them at the moment (at work) but i know that they are natural and not synthetic.

Cambonimachine wrote:
Dont have access to them at the moment (at work) but i know that they are natural and not synthetic.

While I am no expert in the fine arts (I use kolinsky sable brushes for everything except oils), I have never had a natural hair brush curl before; that is typically a problem with synthetic or synthetic blends. Have you tried W&N Brush Cleaner and Restorer? It's good for removing dried paint on a brush and can help with reshaping the tip.

It might be a synth-blend, but what causes it to curl?

I havent tried W&N, i uses Masters brush cleaner since it seems to be highly reccomended here

Cambonimachine wrote:
It might be a synth-blend, but what causes it to curl?

I havent tried W&N, i uses Masters brush cleaner since it seems to be highly reccomended here

As to what causes the brushes to curl, I cannot tell you for certain. Most likely it is a just a property of the material. It is the main reason that synthetic and synthetic blends aren't as desirable as sable hair brush for what we do.

The W&N Brush Cleaner & Restorer is different than the Master's Brush Soap; the W&N stuff is a liquid and the Master's Brush Soap is, well, a soap.

Yeah I don't know why synthetic brushes curl, but they do. I've never had the same problem with Kolinsky Sable brushes.

So i guess i just oughta bite the bullet and get kolinskys huh

Cambonimachine wrote:
It might be a synth-blend, but what causes it to curl?

Synthetic bristles are almost crystalline in structure. When you use the brush you are breaking the structure on one side which causes tension from the other side to pull it into a hook. This is further aggravated by washing brushes in warm and hot water. This is a phenomenon which is known as stress relaxation.

Synthetic brushes should always be washed in cold water, and you can help reduce the impact of the structural breakdown by slowly rolling the brush while you paint with it to cause the breakdown to happen in a uniform manner. However, the manufacturing process tends to ensure that one side of the filament is under more stress than the others - and over time it will happen to all but the very best synthetic bristles (which cost a good bit more than the very best natural fiber brushes...).

Another pretty common cause is storing of the bristles in a bent manner. They have pretty good memory - which is good...when used correctly. If you paint and bend the bristles, they snap back straight. However, if you store it on its tip or resting with the bristles deflected for a significant period of time (significant being a moving target based on a number of factors) it will remember this new position and that can lead to a bend, flair or curl (careful when buying new brushes as they are often stored improperly...and so often have a bend right from the start).

Special filaments have been developed that help the issue. Tynex and Bristlon are pretty good as are the Orel tapered filaments. Taklon is probably the most common of the named fibers (as opposed to the really cheap ones which won't specify what is used) with Golden Taklon being the most common of that family. White Taklon is better quality though harder to find.

If you do want to have a go at fixing the curl - you can by annealing the bristles in hot water (not quite boiling...but close). This will relax the stress in the bristles all around. Reshape while still hot and than dunk in cold water (the cold water isn't essential - but it fixes the shape better than allowing it to slowly cool and possibly curl in random shapes if the cooling is not at the same rate throughout).

Yeah I was going to say storage, I know that caused a problem for me with those awful citadel pots

 Sean_OBrien wrote:

Cambonimachine wrote:
It might be a synth-blend, but what causes it to curl?

Synthetic bristles are almost crystalline in structure. When you use the brush you are breaking the structure on one side which causes tension from the other side to pull it into a hook. This is further aggravated by washing brushes in warm and hot water. This is a phenomenon which is known as stress relaxation.

Synthetic brushes should always be washed in cold water, and you can help reduce the impact of the structural breakdown by slowly rolling the brush while you paint with it to cause the breakdown to happen in a uniform manner. However, the manufacturing process tends to ensure that one side of the filament is under more stress than the others - and over time it will happen to all but the very best synthetic bristles (which cost a good bit more than the very best natural fiber brushes...).

Another pretty common cause is storing of the bristles in a bent manner. They have pretty good memory - which is good...when used correctly. If you paint and bend the bristles, they snap back straight. However, if you store it on its tip or resting with the bristles deflected for a significant period of time (significant being a moving target based on a number of factors) it will remember this new position and that can lead to a bend, flair or curl (careful when buying new brushes as they are often stored improperly...and so often have a bend right from the start).

Special filaments have been developed that help the issue. Tynex and Bristlon are pretty good as are the Orel tapered filaments. Taklon is probably the most common of the named fibers (as opposed to the really cheap ones which won't specify what is used) with Golden Taklon being the most common of that family. White Taklon is better quality though harder to find.

If you do want to have a go at fixing the curl - you can by annealing the bristles in hot water (not quite boiling...but close). This will relax the stress in the bristles all around. Reshape while still hot and than dunk in cold water (the cold water isn't essential - but it fixes the shape better than allowing it to slowly cool and possibly curl in random shapes if the cooling is not at the same rate throughout).

Interesting, I figured it had something to do with the way acrylics dried unevenly on the brush tip (faster on the outside) and since they shrink at they dry, it'd stress the bristles and cause them to bend, plasticly deforming the inside of the bristles.

I haven't really used much other than acrylics in the past 10 years, but I didn't think the tip curling was as much of a problem if you used paint that wasn't acrylic.

In a way...it isn't, or at least not quite as much.

If you are using oils - the solvents that go into them will actually work to soften (and potentially dissolve) synthetic bristles. This is sort of chemically annealing the fibers.

When the solvents evaporate - the bristles return to their more or less straight state. The downside is that overtime - this action can cause the bristles to become brittle (each time it strips the plasticizers and breaksdown the polymer chains) till eventually it just starts breaking up on you.

Under normal circumstances - sable (and other natural fibers like it) are not recommended for use with acrylics. This has some to do with what you mention and also because the alkali will actually dissolve the hairs. Since miniature paints are so dilute though - it isn't as big of an issue (though sables used for painting miniatures last a fraction of the time compared to ones used for something like water colors...where it isn't unheard of for a person to use the same sable brush for 50+ years).

Remember, synthetic bristles were originally developed specifically for painting with acrylic paints. The new paints (new at the time) were very hard on natural fiber brushes (both for artists as well as commercial/industrial type painting). A new type of bristle needed to be developed in order to survive longer than a week or two for professional painters who might be painting houses or other large scale painting for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Still an ongoing struggle, but as further restrictions are placed on Sable harvests - it is something to keep an eye on. I know the US has had two bans on Sable imports in the past 6 years...and there has been an effort to actually list the Siberian Weasel CITES listed even though it is considered a "Species of Least Concern" by most conservation groups. Granted most of that effort is being spear headed by tree hugging, granola chompers...but stranger things have happened.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I should also mention that one of the other big downsides is that things like real turpentine (and a few other paint thinners) will actually fuse certain fibers into a solid chunk.

My memory is a bit fuzzy this late at night, but IIRC it would be those from the polyester branch of the synthetic bristle tree - your Taklons and what not. They don't like strong organic solvents at all...and one of the fastest ways to kill them is to try to use them to paint using oil washes or other highly dilute oil based paints.

My brushes are Royal Majestic brand, 4250 is the number on all of them but not sure if that is a series or not. I store them upright, or laying flat, never ever on the bristles. I rinse in room temperature water.

I am going to try the hot/cold water thing but humor me this one (probably stupid) question: why could i not just "snip" the little bit of curl off with a very sharp blade or scissors? what sort of damage would that cause? (Just for my own knowledge's sake)

Not normally recommended.

The bristles of the brush are arranged to form a tip at a specific length. If you cut the length of the bristles down - the brush will likely no longer form a tip.

It will depend to some extent on the specific shape of the brush (liners would be more easily trimmed than something like a cat's tongue) - but it generally doesn't result in something very useable.

Once they start to go sideways - I normally just move them over to my mixing/gluing pile. When I need to apply PVA glue with care, a curled brush is perfectly serviceable. Same thing when I am mixing up pastes or other gloppy materials.

The reason they are curling is that Royal Majestic brushes are synthetics. Every synthetic brush will eventually start to curl. The best way to avoid that? Buy Kolinsky Sable brushes. They will last much longer and be much easier to work with. Grab a size 2, 1, and 0 and you should be set for 90% of your painting needs.

I can appreciate your issue Cambonimachine. When I first started painting, only two years ago, I had a new fleet of Army Painter brushes. Some of them started to bend and fray and split within the space of three models, regardless on the care I took with them.

My friends call me the brush destroyer as a result.

I have since moved to the WN brushes and they are considerably better. Normally a new one will get a random fray within a few uses, but Ill trim that off and be good for 6 months or more. So I recommend spending more initially on good quality brushes.

 Todosi wrote:
The reason they are curling is that Royal Majestic brushes are synthetics. Every synthetic brush will eventually start to curl. The best way to avoid that? Buy Kolinsky Sable brushes. They will last much longer and be much easier to work with. Grab a size 2, 1, and 0 and you should be set for 90% of your painting needs.

Eventually all brushes will fail.

I doubt any of my synthetics will last as long as any of my natural fiber brushes - but I have had some which I just use for painting what they were meant to be used for that have lasted me several years without a hint of curl. I've got Kolinskies, red sable, ox, squirrel and hog hair brushes that are older...though my oldest brushes (not exactly artist brushes) are a set of Purdy's I bought years ago for painting terrain. Nearly 15 years old and still solid.

I have also had natural fiber brushes (including Kolinsky Sable) fail in short order. Normally due to defect, sometimes due to negligence - but still, spending for a high dollar brush is no guarantee it will last. If you do not regularly condition your natural brushes, the hairs will start cracking and if you get paint up in the ferrule it can lead to significant problems.

It is better to make an informed choice for the individual than a blanket statement for all. Kolinsky Sable is excellent - but some people can't have nice things and they would be better off buying a new synthetic brush every 3-4 months as opposed to a new Kolinsky brush every 4-6.

Well the reason i was curious is because i have only painted a handful of models with them so I suppose it is a matter of you get what you pay for as far as these brushes go. Ah well, I'll just have to grit my teeth for now until I get the funds for higher quality brushes

So this thread got me thinking that I want some new brushes. Today I picked up a fine studio brush from Privateer Press. I paint with Vallejo (mainly Game Colour), Citadel, and Badger Minitaire. Are mini paints considered "true acryllics" for the purposes of getting non synthetic brushes. I figured that W&N Series 7s have been recommended for years, but I've also seen articles saying not to use them with acryllics.

Right now I mainly use Army Painter brushes, the line with the white triangular handles. So question time.

I clean my brushes with the green brush master soap. What other cleaning agents should I consider?

Dick Blick is out of stock on all of their W&N Series 7s. Where's a good place to buy in the US. ?

Also any other good brands besides the WNs?

Thanks for any assistance!

They are true acrylics - in so much as they contain the alkalids that will damage natural fiber brushes. However, it is sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

Sable brushes, in particular Kolinsky's like the Series 7 are designed for water color painting. The fiber is probably the most delicate of all the natural bristles - but it has great paint holding ability. Since most people like to thin their paints down a lot, brushes meant for water colors work best with the thinned down paint. The acrylics strip the natural oils, dissolve the proteins that make up the hair and cause it to disintegrate.

Since the paints are rather diluted though, some of the effect is minimized. Proper cleaning with a brush soap (to remove all the paint) and a conditioner (to restore the oils) will extend the life of the brush significantly. Master's is an excellent brush soap that does both at the same time. I will periodically use a liquid cleaner as well as my puck of Master's paste soap to do a deeper cleaning. You should be able to get several years worth of use out of a properly cared for brush for the casual painter - even with acrylics.

As far as finding them in the US - we are currently in the middle of one of those Siberian Weasel butt hair prohibitions again (it has been going on now for 6 months or so this time around). Readily available all around the world...can't get them into the US. If you manage to find them in stock, most brushes that are made with Kolinsky Sable will not be crap - the crap brushes won't generally spring for a high dollar fiber and than use low quality construction methods. I have W&N, DaVinci, Isabey and Escoda for my Kolinsky brushes. I've used some house brands as well - and they work fine (Dick Blick brand for example). I prefer DaVinci - mostly because they fit my hands better...though I generally add a foamy grip to my brushes.

Red Sable would probably be the next to look at in terms of comparable results to Kolinsky. It has pretty good snap, just doesn't hold quite as much water. You can get those readily - and some places still have Red Sable/Kolinsky blends in stock.

If you want to take your chances with it - you can also order from overseas...but if customs is doing their job, the package will get stopped before it gets to you. Luckily, they normally do not do their job - and you will get your brushes in a couple weeks time for reasonable shipping from places like Rosemary & Company.

Good advice Sean. Thanks very much.