Saturday, February 27, 2010

What is the best process for quickly cleaning and resuing a brush when painting in oils?

I am new to oil painting, and need some advice.What is the best process for quickly cleaning and resuing a brush when painting in oils?
First remove excess paint with a rag or paper toweling, then use Mineral spirits or turpentine to clear the remaining paint from your brushes, pour some into a can or jar, insert a piece of screen with corners bent down to raise it from the bottom and drag your brush across the screen to clear the bristles, now wash them with soap (I use Dove dish soap) and water to clean them; condition the natural hair or bristle with your favorite hair conditioner and shape them before you store them. Storing the brushes hanging bristles down will assure longivity( I use a coil strung under a shelf and just press the handles into the coil). For long term storage of natural hair or bristle brushes condition with coconut oil or cold pressed olive oil and place in insect proof container. Synthetic brushes do not need conditioner or oil based storage...just wash, shape and hang





Edit: The wire brush technique works to clean dried paint out, but is really hard on your brushes.What is the best process for quickly cleaning and resuing a brush when painting in oils?
Turpentine.


The first thing people will say is paint thinner but it SMELLS and can be costly.





Put your brush in the oils, paint, then rinse it in turpentine as if it's water.





To speed up the process, have a few paper napkins around to wipe the wet brush (then put start the process again...oil-paint-start painting-rinse repeat)
Wipe your brush with a rag while your painting. Put a piece of window screen in the bottom of a jar with turpentine, and rub your brush on it, at the end a painting session. If it's dry already then soak over night it in brush cleaner, (or turps), then take a wire brush, remove excess paint and repeat as necessary. For natural hair brushes, treat as your hair, (soap and conditioner), for final cleaning. Dry upside down.
Turpentine is your best bet. But you can use murphy's oil soap too (it's just soap for hardwood floors)

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