best way to clean paint brushes....

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

hey all… just wondering if someone could give me some help… whats the best wasy to clean paint brushes? coz i think im damaging my brushes (hairs sticking out away from the point of the brush). from what ive read, ur not supposed to press the brush againts the bottom of the jar, not tap it against the side of the jar. are u just supposed to swirl it round in the jar/? coz i feel that the brushes dont get cleaned very well that way… im using laquer thinners to clean the brushes, and i have 2 jars, one clean and the other dirty for my brushes

cheers!!!

2

I swirl mine around and than wipe them on the edge of the container.

For drying I got a brush-hanger that is attached to the bowl where I wash my burshes, once they are clean they are hung there to dry.

If you are using laquer thinner get good brushes as the thinner can dissolve the glue that holds the bristles together on the cheaper ones. All my brushes the hairs are tied together and than inserted into the handle(ie no glue used).

But than I am getting my brushes fom japan, got a few now that are still holding their point after 7yrs.

3

NEVER press the brush hairs straight on against the bottom of the jar – that’s the best way to put it out of shape quickly. Take note also that some brushes may not take too kindly to lacquer thinner, specially if you get the thinner into the ferrule (may weaken the brush hair binders). For me, swishing in thinner is enough to clean my brushes. If not, I massage the hairs gently between my fingers. I don’t use lacquer thinner since I don’t use any paint “stronger” than oil-based enamels for handbrushing. My cleaning container also has a ribbed bottom which helps in scraping paint bits from the brush hairs. Light swishing passes, as if I’m painting the bottom of the container, do the work. After that, I take the brush out of the thinner and use a tissue or rag to wick the excess thinner in the brush. To store, I coax or shape the hairs to a point while moist with thinner, place the protective tube over them, and put the brush in the holder hair side up.

Cheers,
onyan