Brush Cleaning

Pthaloblue

Hey guys, so I have a lot of brushes and generally I'll just use gamsol, beat the paint off and then wipe with paper towels. This seems to work great for like filberts and fans and such but my wider brushes seem to have stiffened some.

How can I get these brushed to like new again? Do I spend hours with spirits and paper towels just working the old pigment out? Will dawn and olive oil wash hurt the brushes? Any help here would be much appreciated!

tel

I still don;t get why more people don't paint with water mixable oils, they behave exactly like regular oils without the hastle when cleaning up....just sayin 😆

indicationofart

tel - I really really really want to use water mixable. Is the firmness the same as standard oils? And, can you switch over gradually? In other words, replace with water mixable when a color is used up but continue to use with standard oils.

indicationofart

In my experience you have a couple of options. A few washes with dish soap and oil will work, but, your bristles are going to splay out. The second is a brush cleaner and conditioner. I buy that at Home Depot. Let the brushes soak until you can get all of the paint residue out. May take an overnight soak. Either way, management of the bristles while drying is important. Wrap them in a paper towel, a sheet of paper, or slip them into a baby sock to keep the bristles in check.

indicationofart

Here is how I clean my brushes.
https://www.twoinchbrush.com/articles/saving-brushes

tel

Yes and yes, the two work perfectly together...in fact that's what i did myself. The firmness is on a parr with Winsor and newtons "Winton" range which i used to use all the time and which were thick enough for wet on wet application.
I now use Winsor and Newton "Artisan" water mixables which i use in conjunction with Artisan linseed oil, if using Bobs liquid white the brush used to apply it will need to be cleaned with spirits....Hope this helps! 😄

indicationofart

tel Thank you so much Tel. Those questions, with no one to ask, have been to only thing holding me back from switching. I am so excited to get rid of mineral spirits now!

tel

I am forced to paint in the house and so that was my main reason for changing as the smell was becoming intolerable. The question of "is the firmness the same as standard oils?" is of course subjective as i don't know what you are used to using but as stated i personally find them of a thick enough consistency to paint wet on wet, Price wise the Winsor and Newton Artisan range cost about the same as the standard oils

indicationofart

tel I use a mix of Winsor Newton and Gamblin 1980 so I think it should be fine. Thanks again.

indicationofart

tel Just thought of another question. Do you use standard liquid white/clear, or, make your own with the water mixable linseed oil?

tel

On the rare occasion that i use liquid white i use Bob ross formulation amd i have one brush that i use to apply it , unfortunately it does mean breaking out the white spirits . I did try my own formula for LW but prefer Bobs

indicationofart

tel OK. So that answer forms another question. If you're not using liquid white, what do you use?

Ninoum

indicationofart I use the Gamblin Solvent-free gel. But I thought you were too... no?

indicationofart

Ninoum I do Nancy. I want to change to water mixable and was wondering how Tel uses liquids but keeps water clean up.

tel

I really like to diversify when it comes to subject matter and not all paintings require LW as a base coat. I usually use LW if doing a land/seascape with a big sky or expanse of greenery. I occasionally add a little oil to the tip of the brush if i am struggling to move the paint around. :

tel

The name "Water mixables" is a bit misleading as the paints are NOT mixed with water at all, it simply means that your brushes can be cleaned using just water. Bobs liquid white is not of course water mixable and requires spirit cleaning

indicationofart

tel I bought a small set of W&N water mixable and tried them out. I admit I had a hard time working them over liquid white. They seemed very sticky to me. Great for breaking but not so good for smoothness and blending. Added a little thinner and they worked much better.

tel

Really i am surprised you had problems blending as i always thought this to be one of the better features, stick with it (no pun intended) and i'm sure you will get used to using them. Kudos for giving them a try