much ado about fragged brushes

[Deadite]

I\'ve been using GW sable brushes, and whatever else I could find, for some time now as they\'ve been the cheapest and most easily accessible.

However, like most of the brushes I\'ve found, they don\'t seem to work too well with GW paints.

GW paints dry awfully fast. Making assembly line work, drybrushing or even large painting projects and real chore for the brushes.
Invariably, GW paint will dry up on the bristles. Despite your best efforts at a clean brush, it never fails that you didn\'t quite get it all out. The next time you use it, you end up breaking the paint and the bristles fan out, making the brush useless (this is especially the case with brushes used for \"drybrushing\").
With some paints in GW\'s line, you have to clean the brush with every use (because the paint\'s naturally tacky), which increases wear and tear.

Obvious answer is \"don\'t use GW paints\". However, it\'s not always the case. With all acrylics I\'ve used, if I\'ve painted for any length of time, the paint seems to dry on the brush.

So, are there any ways to prevent this fragging?

Are there ways to remove the dried paint from the bristles without ruining the brush?

What brands of brushes do you find more durable and can hold their shape better through long periods of wear and tear?

 

[Corvus]

First of all I\'d like to tell you that drybrushing is deadly for any brush, even the most expensive brushes are ruined as fast as let\'s say the GW ones. Therefore you should only use old brushes for drybrushing...

A good way to take care for your brush is dip it into water during painting. If you notice there is some paint drying on the brush, immediately dip it in water and wipe it a few times over a rag. That\'s the best way to avoid large clumps of dried paint on the start of the bristles.

I\'ve once seen a page with a lot of tips on paintbrush care... I might look it up again and post it here, becuase it\'s something a lot of people need to know...

 

[Corvus]

I\'ve found them again!

check out the thread called \"The Ten Commandments of PAPA\"

cheers

 

[airhead]

Retarder

Try using retarders with your paint.

Future Floor Finish
Liquitex retarder
etc.

Dip the brush often in water. Helps thin the paint and keeps the tip pointed.

Use old brushes for drybrushing.

 

[mouse]

what people said...

what corvus and airhead (experienced painters they are) said are true.

Never allow paint to dry on your brushes, notwithstanding GW, Vallejo or Pro-paints. In-between painting, always wash your brushes in short intervals if you\'re planning to maintain the lifespan of your brushes. This holds true regardless of the brushes used.

Drybrushing will also hurt the most tough brushes. Like what Corvus said, it\'ll kill your brush in no time. If possible, minimise dry-brushing or else use brushes that are meant for that job (even then, it wouldn\'t last long) or those brushes that are already \"wasted\".

Lastly, I also realised that just swirling your brush in water does remove all the paint stuck between the hairs. What I did was to swirl then run the brush along paper or something that\'s very absorptive and you\'ll notice streaks of paint. Do this until you only notice water along these streaks and not paint.

Oh...last lastly , have two cups of water available to clean your brushes. That\'s my mantra.

Happy painting.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Deadite
Are there ways to remove the dried paint from the bristles without ruining the brush?

I found a product called \'brush conditioner\' I let my \'ruined\' brushes soak in in for about a day. Much to my joy, I was able to save a few of the better ones. Some were beyond help, and are now known as \'glue stirrers\'.

I can make no promises, but it is worth a try.

I\'m sorry I don\'t know the brand name, but it was sold at a craft store. It has the look and feel of \'olive oil\' but it is a little thicker.

 

[Lurch]

I use a product called Pink Soap by Mona Lisa (HoustonArt)

I have found that, even on older brushes that have dried, I can get more use out of them AND really condition them at the same time. It is really scary to see how mush paint can be pulled out of the ferrule of a \"cleaned\" brush with this stuff.
I found it at my local art shop but you can get it online at http://www.houstonart.com

 

[FroozenDoodler]

Get a 500mL bottle with eye drop dispenser. I found my Bausch Lomb contact eye lense all in one bottle to be perfect. Add some flow aid, retarder, detergent and water and you basically got a all in one dilution solution. 1:1 ratio for normal applications, 1:3 for highlights, and 1:5 if you have that much time to waste.

This should solve GW paints tackyness as you can transfer with a used brush and add the \'magic wash\'. For a more detailed explanation the article on \'magic wash\' is an awesome reference.