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Ok, so I recently got as a gift a GW (what they consider fine anyway) fine detail brush. IN THE FIRST HOUR of use, its splayed everywhere.

I have never had a brush last more than 4 or 5 painting sessions before it becomes a drybrush. I know the fault is mine. I rinse with water pretty often. But I recently got a great deal on some kolinsky brushes, and would like to actually make an effort to keep these in good shape as long as possible.

What tips do you have to maintain your brushes? Also is it possible the way I paint is damaging them too? Mabye putting too much pressure on it when moving it across the model? Loading it up with too much paint?

This is what you want to clean your brushes. http://www.amazon.com/General-Pencil-Company-Masters-Preserver/dp/B0009RRT9Y/ref=pd_sim_201_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=512oIauSQjL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR149%2C160_&refRID=15WXEW53HJ4CTCDP7EAA

As far as treating, loading too much paint is a common culprit. You don't want the paint to get up the the ferrule (the metal part past the hair). Also, try not to let the bristles bang the sides, or bottom of the water glass when you rinse out a color.

Enjoy those new WN7s you just got on Amazon for cheap! What a steal!

Also, don't use them for metallics, use cheap or synthetic brushes for that as the metal flakes do a number on real sable.

Oh I use metal alot thanks.

This is my favorite product:

http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-4-Ounce-Cleaner-Restorer/dp/B005M4W1VK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452328790&sr=8-1&keywords=winsor+newton+brush+cleaner

There is a giant liter size that lasts like, a year.

How I use:

1. I decant a little bit into a glass mixing jar. When I say a little bit, I mean a tiny amount, like 15ml or so. About half way up a Tamiya mixing jar.

2. I take the dirty brush, press it against the side of the glass jar, and gently twirl it until all the paint is gone.

3. I rinse the brush in a water pot, or, if I'm done for the night, under running water in the sink.

The stuff is like magic: it separates paint from the bristle, but it does take a little bit of friction to rub the paint off. Keep in mind that this stuff is fine against the bristles and ferrule (it will actually condition the brush), but it will destroy most paints on the handles. So keep it off the handle, or rinse it off right away if you get it on there. Oddly, the old Citadel brushes were impervious.

For large brushes (especially drybrushes), I use the Master's brush soap. I'm not fond of Masters for little brushes (fine detail types), because it's hard to work up a lather, and you end up messing up the bristles or breaking them off.

Brilliant. Great tips. Have any of you resorted to boiling water to reshape your brushes? I get a lot of split / splintered brushes after a while and I was hoping to also fix that.

 otahak wrote:
Brilliant. Great tips. Have any of you resorted to boiling water to reshape your brushes? I get a lot of split / splintered brushes after a while and I was hoping to also fix that.

I’ve heard that hot water can melt/mess up the glue that holds things together under the ferrule. I would not attempt this, nor have heard of it being done. YMMV, I’m no expert.

 otahak wrote:
Brilliant. Great tips. Have any of you resorted to boiling water to reshape your brushes? I get a lot of split / splintered brushes after a while and I was hoping to also fix that.

I'd be very careful doing so, but I seem to remember seeing someone having some success with reshaping their brushes. Memory is pretty fuzzy on the details, though, and I have no idea for how long they lasted after.

But if you have a split brush that's useless anyway then giving it a go can't really make it much worse, so worth a shot.

Seconding the brush soap or restorer.
If you're in a bind, a small (as in wipe your finger on the nozzle) touch of hair conditioner can work to restore shape. Long term it's not ideal.

People always say to buy brush soap, I've been using regular hand soap for a few years now and it works fine for me, my brushes last for ages. Use a cheap bar of soap (I use Imperial Leather here in Australia, but I've tested others and they work), don't use the liquid hand soap as they tend to not work as well.

I just swish the brush in the water, the gently rub the bristles over the soap (I just keep a chunk of the soap sitting in my palette) and then rinse it off again. I do it every few minutes when painting with acrylics to avoid paint drying in the bristles, if I'm using oils which take ages to dry I just do it at the end of the painting session (usually under running water for oils).

As for painting, just avoid getting paint near the ferrule. Someone said to avoid using metals, I still use my sable brushes for that but I just clean them very regularly. I'd say avoid using washes with good brushes, or if you do, clean them frequently, as the wash has a tendency to wick it's way up the bristles and in to the ferrule and it can be hard to get out. When extracting paint from my pot to put on my palette I use an old brush rather than one of my good ones to avoid getting paint up near the ferrule.

If you watch GW tutorials, they are good, but the way he uses his brush will lead to a short life as he coats the bristles all the way up to the ferrule.

The GW video tutorials are an excellent example of what not to do if longevity of your paints or tools is of any value whatsoever. Which makes sense, given that GW would have no interest in your getting years and years out of your paints and brushes.

Hand soap (bar) and brush soap have very similar formulations.
Neither are designed to strip oils from your skin, and both are designed to condition rather than dry out. Think about traditional soaps made from fats and milks. Soap is often greasier than you'd expect.

The benefits of brush soap imo:
Casing = Portability - I'd like to see someone pack up a wet bar of hand soap and stash it as quickly as simply screwing a lid on the brush soap. It also allows you to simply have it on your paint station and swish your brush as much as you like.
Extra conditioning - higher paraffin content than hand soap.
Arguably better at cutting certain types of stain - due to not needing to be hand-safe, it can contain ingredients that hand soap needn't.

For the sake of a few pounds, I'll take a screw lid. But then I paint on the run.

kb_lock wrote:
The GW video tutorials are an excellent example of what not to do if longevity of your paints or tools is of any value whatsoever. Which makes sense, given that GW would have no interest in your getting years and years out of your paints and brushes.

LOL. Yeah, it makes me wince when I see paint stuffed right into the ferrule.

The vast majority of GW brushes will never last years, though -- at least not the new ones. The synthetic rounds and filbert have a terribly short lifespan even when treated with kid gloves :(

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
For the sake of a few pounds, I'll take a screw lid. But then I paint on the run.

It's not the money, it's just I walked in to my bathroom, picked up a bar of soap, and went "oh, this works"

I don't have any art shops near me that sell the brush soap, I pass about 100 shops which will sell a bar of hand soap before I hit the one (about an hour and a half away) that will sell me brush soap I could but it online, but I never get around to it because my brushes last forever just using hand soap, lol.

I've actually revived a few brushes I thought were dead by using them with oils (I tend to not use my good brushes with oils) and then thoroughly washing them with hand soap and low and behold they came back to life.

Casing = Portability - I'd like to see someone pack up a wet bar of hand soap and stash it as quickly as simply screwing a lid on the brush soap

Are you a spy painting models behind enemy lines or something? I just cut off a 1" or so piece of soap and it rests in one of the paint wells on my palette. Stuff screwing a lid on and off, it just stays there taking up zero additional space

 Talys wrote:

kb_lock wrote:
The GW video tutorials are an excellent example of what not to do if longevity of your paints or tools is of any value whatsoever. Which makes sense, given that GW would have no interest in your getting years and years out of your paints and brushes.

LOL. Yeah, it makes me wince when I see paint stuffed right into the ferrule.

The vast majority of GW brushes will never last years, though -- at least not the new ones. The synthetic rounds and filbert have a terribly short lifespan even when treated with kid gloves :(

Plus leaving the pots open while he paints, two coats of base paint followed by total coverage of 2 coats of layer.

It's a piss take, but i love me some Duncan

Yes I'm a spy. I'm secretly a woman sent here to learn how to paint and take down the paintriarchy.

Or you know, I go to other people's houses, stores and occasionally hotel rooms to give advice and get out of the house.

Whichever is more likely to result in screw lid soap,

You... you leave... you leave the house?

I use a complex tunnel network to avoid coming into contact with people and sunlight.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
Yes I'm a spy. I'm secretly a woman sent here to learn how to paint and take down the paintriarchy.

Or you know, I go to other people's houses, stores and occasionally hotel rooms to give advice and get out of the house.

Whichever is more likely to result in screw lid soap,

Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I've been in a hotel room with a pretty girl... err... painting...ummm.... models.... yes.

I can safely say I've never been in a hotel room with a pretty girl. Painting or otherwise...

Though I do own a high power LED lamp that folds down to the size of an A4 book for such late nights. Quite a lot of hotels insist on low energy bulbs, so it's saved my neck a good few times.

...

...

Brush soap?

Having an extra girl or two can be very pleasant in hotel rooms. They can hold the lights while your painting.

It entirely depends how many chairs there are. Many hotels, including Travellodge, seem dead set on only one of you sitting down. Plus, no ceiling lights, only a lamp on a side table.

What happened to chilling in hotel rooms with a book? Is the assumption that we only go there to be horizontal for various reasons, now? :/

Most of the advice I have has been pointed out. But to sum up, the things I do to keep my brushes clean are:

1. Never let paint into the Ferrule (the metal bit that holds the bristles in). Immediately clean the brush if this happens. The paint will dry between the bristles and push them apart, causing flaying.
2. Clean your brush in your water pot very often, not just when you change color. When you need to load your brush up with more paint, always rinse it off first. There's still paint on it and it's slowly drying, which will lead to the splaying of your bristles. Rinse it off before loading up again.
3. Between sessions (or sometimes in the middle of a long session), clean your brush with soap. I'd recommend just picking up a jar of The Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver. http://amzn.com/B0009RRT9Y
4. Use cold water when cleaning your brush. Often the bristles of the brush are held to the ferrule using wax or a hot glue. Hot water can soften it, causing the bristles to unset and start to flay. Cold water will clean well enough.
5. Keep some cleaner on when storing. The brush cleaner I linked to is also a preserver. After you've cleaned your brush, run it gently through the soap again while twisting it to get a point. The soap will cover the brush and hold it together, keeping the tip while storing. It will dry hard and prevent it from puffing out or flaying, keeping it's shape very nicely. The cleaner does no harm by staying on the brush for extended periods of time. Just rinse it off in your pot before doing any painting.
6. Metallic paints can damage brushes. Just note this if you're going to use metallics with your sable brushes that they can strip them. Ideally use a lesser brush, but if you still want the feel and control of your sable make sure you clean your brush fully after using metallics. Also always change your water pot after using a metallic because it will seep into your other colors.

I've had good sable brushes last years doing this.

Guess Im a little late to this particular party

You utter monster

What nurgling got into your brushes?

Holy cow, Ratius... you must take pleasure in torturing your brushes

Those brushes look pretty standard to my paint pot...oops

One top tip for keeping you brushes alive is after rinsing in clean water, to suck on the tip and spin it into a point with saliva. The sucking helps remove any traces of the paint and makes a nice tip to the brush.

However this has three side effects,
1. Accidental swallowing of paint.
2. Lips and tong appear covered in paint if you forget to rinse first
3. An almight smack on the head when the GF sees either the act or the evidence.

Seriously don't do this, its just something I pick up as a kid and I do without thinking these days.