how to keep your brushes looking new

[tuffy]

How do you keep you brushes looking new I buy the top of the line brushes and rollers but I never can seem to get them clean enough or something after 1 use the brissels are often hard especially down by the feral any tips or tricks thanks.:help:

 

[nealtw]

Try to keep the pain away from the feral. With water based paints I use dish soap to wash things. At one time I took the cage off a roller and put a longer straight shaft in it. put the shaft thru a bucket lid so you could spin the water of the roller in the pail. Or just put back on the roller handle and hang it from a ladder and let it drip dry.
With brushes I use a finger nail brush to work any hard paint out of the brush. And hang it to dry.

 

[bud16415]

I spend more time cleaning paintbrushes than most people do and I still never get them perfect. Only tip I have is during the job when done I wrap them in sandwich wrap and put them in a zip lock bag and put them in the freezer till the next day or week or month. I also buy a fair amount of throwaways. The rest I just clean them well and hope for the best.

 

[tuffy]

Thank you guys:thbup:

 

[nealtw]

I had a neighbour that was a painter and he had a little closed trailer for his equipment, one day when I went by he had the back door swung wide open. I have never seen so many different bushes all hung neatly and clean on the back of the door.
I stopped to take a picture but he asked me not to. I would have loved to post a picture.

 

[jeffmattero76]

I wash the brushes using soap and water and a brush comb, which really helps. After it is cleaned and rinsed, I wrap a few layers of paper towel around the bristles, and thoroughly wet that. I then hang it on a nail to dry (if I have completed the job), or put it in a gallon freezer bag (if I plan to use the brush again in the next few days). The wet paper towel seems to draw out any remaining paint as the towel dries. I don't put them in the freezer since I don't want to wait for them to thaw.

 

[Gary]

I wrap brushes & rollers in plastic grocery bags and put them in the freezer out in the shop. I can use and reuse them many times that way. I tend to use plastic core rollers as the cardboard cores get soft and fall apart after awhile.

For my pinstriping & lettering brushes (using 1 shot enamel paint) I wash them out with mineral spirits and then lay them in motor oil. An old trick I learned decades ago from an old sign guy. The next time I need a brush I wash the oil out with mineral spiirits, dry and use. The oil keeps the brush hairs nice and soft, which is an absolute nesssesity for striping and lettering. Those brushes are many many years old and still work like new.

 

[bud16415]

I wrap brushes & rollers in plastic grocery bags and put them in the freezer out in the shop. I can use and reuse them many times that way. I tend to use plastic core rollers as the cardboard cores get soft and fall apart after awhile.

For my pinstriping & lettering brushes (using 1 shot enamel paint) I wash them out with mineral spirits and then lay them in motor oil. An old trick I learned decades ago from an old sign guy. The next time I need a brush I wash the oil out with mineral spiirits, dry and use. The oil keeps the brush hairs nice and soft, which is an absolute nesssesity for striping and lettering. Those brushes are many many years old and still work like new.

As a kid most paint was oil based and coffee cans just started getting plastic lids.

I almost forgot but reading your post reminded me of my dad cutting a slit in the plastic lid and sticking a brush handle thru the slit so the brush would be held off the bottom of the can. He would then put some concoction of thinner and oil (motor oil) in the can and set the whole thing on the shelf in the garage. I’m pretty sure he cleaned them well first. It was like you say a conditioner and might have been mostly oil. And the thinner might have been kerosene.

All I remember is I used one once and stuck it too far to the bottom of the can when done and the end of the brush bent over and stayed that way and I caught hell.

 

[Snoonyb]

I use 10W non detergent and any particles of remaining paint coagulates and is easily removed upon cleaning prior to their next evolution.

 

[Flyover]

Back when I was a 19 year-old assistant to a general contractor we did a lot of housepainting. He taught me to wash brushes by running water over them: first you let the water hit the bottom of the sink, and right there you sort of dab the brush hard against the sink. Then once the water runs out of it a bit clearer, you turn the brush upside down so the water is going straight into the bristles, and you sort of work the bristles with your other hand until the water runs out of it a bit more clearer still. Then you repeat that until the water running out of the brush is perfectly clear.

Then you take a hard wire brush and run it over the bristles, away from the handle of course, to remove the paint that's hardened there.

Then you rinse the brush well, spin or shake it until no more water flies out, smooth the bristles back into place, and then leave to air dry the rest of the way.

Takes about 5-15 minutes per brush if you're doing it right, but you can keep a good brush in very good shape for years that way.

 

[slownsteady]

All good advice. The only thing that I'm going to add is be as careful as you can in keeping the paint only on the tip of the brush. Don't dunk into the paint all the way, and don't lay it down where the paint can get up near the top.