Cleaning brushes and "texture" questions

[GamerDad]

I am on a painting spree and have done nothing but paint my Tau army over the last few days. As such, my basecoat brush has taken a beating and even my WN S7 brushes are starting to splay a bit. I thought of buying one of those paintbrush cleaner wax/soap, but then I remembered I have some Fairy Power Spray that I have been using to strip a few models. I tried FPS on my brushes and it did take out a good deal of gunk. However, I wonder if this is good for my brushes? Can I soak my brushes in FPS overnight or for a certain period of time or should I just wash-and-rinse?

Also, I have noticed that my drones have a certain "texture" to them... they're not smooth like my other minis. I wonder if this is because I made a mistake when priming them? I usually prime by putting the minis on a plank of wood, then spraying the primer on the minis, turning and moving the minis/primer to get the primer in all places. However, as I was priming a lot of small bits (drone, drone guns, etc.), I decided to put them in the Tau battleforce box and spray the primer into the box. It was quite windy so maybe I overkilled a bit on the primer? I'm getting tempted to strip my drones and guns now.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Right brushes need love! Get some brush soap or failing that dome DOVE soap and wash them in that.
FPS will have damaged the natural bristle, brush soap or Dove will help recover the bristles.

Oh an don't use FPS on brushes again, especially sables. Clean water and brush soap will be your best friend.

 

[ten ball]

yep, warm water & soap

 

[Zab]

I tried FPS on my brushes and it did take out a good deal of gunk. However, I wonder if this is good for my brushes? Can I soak my brushes in FPS overnight or for a certain period of time or should I just wash-and-rinse?

Okay, I passed out for a second there. :tremble: Brush soap or dove and if you really need to clear out them use a brush restorer you can soak in, but only do it once in a while as too much cleaning will wreck your brushes too. If they start to fray or get stray hairs apply some hair conditioner to the brushes shape them and then leave them over night. Rinse them in the morning and that should restore them.

 

[Chrispy]

Yep- anything used to strip minis will have nasty chemicals that upset the oil balance of natural hair brushes. If you don't have access to any kind of brush soap that specifically states it will renew brush oils, a shampoo and conditioner will work too. Shampoo is for cleaning hair and that's basically what natural bristles are so it helps out a lot. I use a product called Mona Lisa pink Soap that states it will get rid of dried on paint AND will renew natural oils of a brush- I've also used it to strip minis and can be used over and over. As for texture, it could be a spray primer problem but I've noticed that when I'm airbrushing plastics even though I've used brush-on primer I still have weird texture. If it is part of the casting, you need some really high sand paper to buff it down, or else you'll get scratches.

 

[Demihuman]

Yeah I use the wife's fancy shampoo and conditioner on the sable brushes. when I am done I shape the brush into a nice point and leave a little conditioner in it, then try to give that brush a rest for a week or so like that.

Texture could be primer or could be too much paint in one spot. Or, if you are impatient like me, and put wet paint onto not quite dry paint you can get some weird textures/cloudy films. If it's a table top piece you can try to hit it with a little sealer or matte varnish sometimes that helps. If display then it's probably time to hit it with a tooth brush

 

[timewizard]

I use Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner & Restorer for my brushes. I bought a 16ounce bottle a couple of years back and still have over half of it left. It cleans and conditions the brushes very well. If you have a brush with dried acrylic paint on it, an overnight soak in this product will dissolve the pain so the brush can be cleaned without damaging the brush itself.

The price is reasonable, many local suppliers carry it. Very highly recommended.