brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (2024)

brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents

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  • This topic has 24 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by Cyntada.

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  • March 17, 2018 at 7:54 am#453080

    Artist1987

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        Hi

        I watched some youtube videos but have not gotten to the essence.

        Can you recommend cleaning natural hair brushes with normal soap that is is used in diluting fat from dishes?
        I wanted to avoid spirits. I have cleaned my synthetic brushes this way and it worked very well.
        Is a brush soap/ after care very beneficial?
        And is additional oil-resistant glueing near the ferrule advised? Would any glue be good?
        Cheers

        March 17, 2018 at 9:21 am#585987

        Humbaba

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            Dish soap, also known as Dishwashing liquid, will not clean completely your brushes, you can do this if you wish, they will look moderately clean, but not completely.

            Unless you purchase bad quality, really cheap brushes, they should hold up well, the only issue I have seen it is when using Acetone.

            March 17, 2018 at 9:46 am#585979

            Don Ketchek

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                I can’t recommend any dish soap, but do recommend Masters Brush cleaner sold in art stores. I haven’t used a solvent for cleaning brushes in years. Yes, takes a bit more effort, but worth it, in my opinion.

                Don

                March 17, 2018 at 9:55 am#585975

                The best soap I have found for cleaning my brushes is just a simple white bar of soap. Ivory soap is one such simple and very affordable bar, the ingredients of which are nearly identical to a wide variety of other bars on the market.

                - DeloDelofasht

                March 17, 2018 at 10:29 am#585988

                Humbaba

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                    After removing most of the paint using paper towels, mineral spirits, I use one of these:

                    brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (7)
                    brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (8)

                    This is only when I do not need to use the brushes till the next session.

                    March 17, 2018 at 10:45 am#585995

                    contumacious

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                        Try a test and see what you find….

                        Clean a brush with dish soap or whatever, then clean it with The Masters brush cleaner. Every time I have tried this test the Masters removes a substantial amount of additional paint residue from the brush. I have not found anything that works as well. I buy it in the largest tub they offer that lasts me several years, so the cost is really not an issue for me. For brushes with dried paint, I start by soaking in Murphy’s Oil Soap until the bristles are soft, then on to The Masters brush cleaner. I will shape the bristles and let the Masters cleaner dry in the bristles for a few days every 2nd or 3rd cleaning. I found that if I don’t do that they tend to splay more and more over time.

                        March 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm#585974

                        WFMartin

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                            Washing oil paint brushes with soap and water often gets a bad rap. I think that is because many people use real soap when they are obliged to work with hard water. Real soap, such as Ivory Bar Soap, tends to create scum, and to curdle when dissolved in hard water, and those who attempt to wash their brushes in real soap are dismayed with scummy substance that collects on the bristles of their brushes, thinking that is the concept that is to blame, rather than the chosen materials.

                            When you have soft, or artificially-softened water, the use of real soap works incredibly well, and it lathers beautifully. It is the sudsing, and lathering of the soap that contributes to the cleaning the bristles free of oil paint. Real soap won’t suds in hard water!

                            However, when you are obliged to use hard water, the choice of “soaps” is quite limited, and your are obliged to use detergents, rather than real soaps. Since detergents are engineered to lather in hard water, you can clean a brush effectively with them. There are many detergents, some of them being most shampoos (yes, they are usually some sort of detergent), liquid dish soaps, and possibly even some of the “soaps” that are offered by art suppliers as brush cleaners, such as Masters Brush Cleaner. Yes, I’m betting it is a detergent.

                            I use either Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap, or Zote Soap Laundry Bar Soap to clean my brushes at the end of each session. They are incredibly cheap, and because I have artificially-softened water, they perform very well for removing paint and solvent from my brushes. I often purchase Zote Soap from the dollar store a few blocks from my house.

                            At the end of each painting session, I diligently wash my brush in OMS, and squeeze it rather “dry” with a paper towel. Then, using my bar soap, I lather my brush, and I wash the solvent out of my brush with the lather. I rinse the brush thoroughly in water, and shape it with my fingers. I place it to dry in my brush caddy, to be ready for my next session.

                            wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
                            https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com

                            March 17, 2018 at 5:12 pm#585980

                            AnnieA

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                                I’m with Don and contumatious in singing the praises of the Masters Brush Soap. As mentioned, I’ve tried cleaning with regular soap, but even after the lather washes out with no color in it, a second try with Masters will reveal that there really was some color left in the bristles. I also use oil in a Silicoil jar to clean brushes during a session, as I’m trying to reduce my solvent use as much as possible. Using oil to clean generally means I end up using more brushes than I would otherwise, since it doesn’t clean as well as OMS. But that’s OK because oil is gentle on the bristles and helps keep them conditioned.

                                The Master’s biggest tub lists at roughly $30, so it’s a perfect thing to use a coupon to buy. As contumatious mentioned, the big tubs last a very long time, so it’s well worth the outlay.

                                For those who’ve mentioned using Murphy’s, could you describe the process you use? I tried it according to what I thought an instructor had advised, but ended up with a bunch of splayed brushes. brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (12) I’m working on bringing them back again, but since I tried cleaning a lot of them all at once, it’s taking a while. I did leave them in the Murphy’s liquid for quite a while, and clearly some of it migrated into the ferrules. What do you think I did wrong?

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                                “Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]

                                brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (13)http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]

                                March 17, 2018 at 5:27 pm#585996

                                contumacious

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                                    For those who’ve mentioned using Murphy’s, could you describe the process you use? I tried it according to what I thought an instructor had advised, but ended up with a bunch of splayed brushes. brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (15) I’m working on bringing them back again, but since I tried cleaning a lot of them all at once, it’s taking a while. I did leave them in the Murphy’s liquid for quite a while, and clearly some of it migrated into the ferrules. What do you think I did wrong?

                                    I only use the Murhphy’s for brushes that are already damaged due to dried oil or paint in them. Best results are with brushes thatt do not have a bunch of paint in the ferrule. If there is a bunch of dried paint up in the ferrule it might not work since you can’t get all of that out of there, but if the brush is toast already, you aren’t risking anything. The dried stuff in the ferrule causes the bristles to splay out, often worse than before cleaning it, no matter how long I have soaked some ruined brushes.

                                    Once I have cleaned all the dried paint off from several days of soaking, working the bristles, soaking again and repeat, I clean it well with the Masters then leave a clean lather in the bristles, shaping the brush and letting it dry for several days. I have saved quite a few brushes this way.

                                    March 17, 2018 at 9:15 pm#585981

                                    AnnieA

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                                        I only use the Murhphy’s for brushes that are already damaged due to dried oil or paint in them. Best results are with brushes thatt [B]do not[/B] have a bunch of paint in the ferrule. If there is a bunch of dried paint up in the ferrule it might not work since you can’t get all of that out of there, but if the brush is toast already, you aren’t risking anything. The dried stuff in the ferrule causes the bristles to splay out, often worse than before cleaning it, no matter how long I have soaked some ruined brushes.

                                        Once I have cleaned all the dried paint off from several days of soaking, working the bristles, soaking again and repeat, I clean it well with the Masters then leave a clean lather in the bristles, shaping the brush and letting it dry for several days. I have saved quite a few brushes this way.

                                        Well, I sure wish I had known that about using Murphy’s only for damaged brushes. I guess a lot of mine must have been damaged, if the splaying is a result, but I really thought the brushes were in fairly good condition. When cleaning with Masters, I often work the bristles back and forth to squeeze out any remaining wet paint around the ferrule and even use a pet slicker brush to run through them, to get down at the inside bristles. The brushes didn’t seem overly stiff to me and in fact, it seemed to cause a couple of brushes I hadn’t used much at all to splay. :sigh: I do have to admit to getting paint all over everything, including the ferrules of my brushes during painting sessions. I’m also wondering if some of this may have been the result of leaving my brushes in oil between sessions, which somebody else had suggested. I’m kicking myself now, since I always have taken such good care of my brushes. brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (17)

                                        It does seem that I’m slowly bringing some of them back from the brink. So, do you think if I use some W&N brush cleaner there might be hope of full recovery? I don’t think I’ll want to try Murphy’s ever again.

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                                        “Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]

                                        brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (18)http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]

                                        March 17, 2018 at 9:52 pm#585997

                                        contumacious

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                                            Well, I sure wish I had known that about using Murphy’s only for damaged brushes. I guess a lot of mine must have been damaged, if the splaying is a result, but I really thought the brushes were in fairly good condition. When cleaning with Masters, I often work the bristles back and forth to squeeze out any remaining wet paint around the ferrule and even use a pet slicker brush to run through them, to get down at the inside bristles. The brushes didn’t seem overly stiff to me and in fact, it seemed to cause a couple of brushes I hadn’t used much at all to splay. :sigh: I do have to admit to getting paint all over everything, including the ferrules of my brushes during painting sessions. I’m also wondering if some of this may have been the result of leaving my brushes in oil between sessions, which somebody else had suggested. I’m kicking myself now, since I always have taken such good care of my brushes. brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (20)

                                            It does seem that I’m slowly bringing some of them back from the brink. So, do you think if I use some W&N brush cleaner there might be hope of full recovery? I don’t think I’ll want to try Murphy’s ever again.

                                            I only use Murphy’s when the brush is literally stiff with dried paint or oil, making it impossible to clean with the Masters cleaner. I have only had two brushes go south from soaking in Murphy’s. One was a 1″ synthetic sable filled with dried acrylics up in the ferule, the other a really old hog bristle filbert with dried oils from decades before. When you mentioned the pet slicker brush it reminded me that I did use a special short bristle wire brush made for cleaning files, on both of them right up to the ferule trying to get the dried crud out of there. It made things significantly worse. I think it might be the fact that the bristles that were once held straight right at the ferrule by the dried paint could now bend freely at that joint and go nuts – just a logical guess as to the cause, but without question the wire brush made things way worse and I was not able to revive either of them. The 1″ end up looking like a dandy lion gone to seed. I no longer used the wire brush on anything.

                                            March 17, 2018 at 9:58 pm#585976

                                            Delofasht

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                                                Well Annie, I have done some over-cleaning on some of my brushes and ruined them, but the ones I have done very little to clean are still in pristine shape. That said, my first set of brushes were definitely ruined from my too frequent and thorough cleaning. It turned out I was using water that was too hot, letting them soak too long. Water was being absorbed into the wood handles through the ferrule, causing them to swell and thus the metal of the ferrules, ultimately causing them to push bristles in odd directions. Another brush was destroyed by the cleaner breaking down the adhesive in the brush, although the brush was a synthetic and made for acrylics AND oils. . . looks like it was really meant more for acrylics and the glue used to hold the bristles in place had just dissolved in the Mineral Spirits I had used during the cleaning process.

                                                Now days, I just thoroughly wipe the brushes on a paper towel, rinse with walnut oil, wipe with paper towel, then wash with bar soap in warm water twice. Drying and shaping bristles if need be. Since using this operation and now 3 years in, the brushes I bought back then are still in great shape, if a bit shorter than when I bought them (bristles are slowly wearing down). These are synthetic bristle brushes as well, but of a higher quality than the previous brushes I had bought.

                                                - DeloDelofasht

                                                March 17, 2018 at 10:58 pm#585992

                                                Michael Lion

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                                                    I finally bought the Master’s Brush Cleaner, and I can’t tell if it works any better than Dawn or a Dove bar, but it has a nice lemony smell and comes in a convenient container, and it looks like it will last a long time, so I guess it was worth the money. Although I think the Dove bar was the most gentle on my skin.

                                                    March 18, 2018 at 12:18 pm#585982

                                                    AnnieA

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                                                        I only use Murphy’s when the brush is literally stiff with dried paint or oil, making it impossible to clean with the Masters cleaner. I have only had two brushes go south from soaking in Murphy’s. One was a 1″ synthetic sable filled with dried acrylics up in the ferule, the other a really old hog bristle filbert with dried oils from decades before. When you mentioned the pet slicker brush it reminded me that I did use a special short bristle wire brush made for cleaning files, on both of them right up to the ferule trying to get the dried crud out of there. It made things significantly worse. I think it might be the fact that the bristles that were once held straight right at the ferrule by the dried paint could now bend freely at that joint and go nuts – just a logical guess as to the cause, but without question the wire brush made things way worse and I was not able to revive either of them. The 1″ end up looking like a dandy lion gone to seed. I no longer used the wire brush on anything.

                                                        Interesting. Yes, dried oil on my brushes is what seemed to ruin them. It sounds like your wire brush may have been significantly stiffer than mine, because I haven’t seen damage since using it, but this only is on a few brushes now and then. I did have another wire brush that completely ruined several brushes. The softer one does seem to help a little bit. Actually, the thing that seems to help with splaying the most is soaping the brush with Masters suds, shaping the brush with my fingers, and leaving the suds on overnight with the brush hanging upside down. I also frequently wrap the bristles I’ve shaped in a small piece of medium-stiff cardboard, and fastened it with a binder clip, attaching it about where the bristles come out of the ferrule. I then clean a second time to remove the Masters and again hang them upside down. It’s amazing how well this can work in the immediate sense, and with repeated treatments the brushes seem to go back to something approximating their original shape – close enough to be useable, at least. But there are some that seem to continue to be resistant to this approach. I’m going to get some W&N Brush Restorer, which has helped in the past, and if it doesn’t, out they go. It’s disappointing. Thanks for your detailed feedback, contumatious.

                                                        Now days, I just thoroughly wipe the brushes on a paper towel, rinse with walnut oil, wipe with paper towel, then wash with bar soap in warm water twice. Drying and shaping bristles if need be. Since using this operation and now 3 years in, the brushes I bought back then are still in great shape, if a bit shorter than when I bought them (bristles are slowly wearing down). These are synthetic bristle brushes as well, but of a higher quality than the previous brushes I had bought.

                                                        That sounds very much like my own basic process, except I do a final soaping with Masters before drying and shaping the bristles, and I always hang them upside down to dry. Masters really does clean very well and it’s pretty gentle. But I may be using water that’s too hot and will have to adjust that, so thanks for the tip, Delo.

                                                        I finally bought the Master’s Brush Cleaner, and I can’t tell if it works any better than Dawn or a Dove bar, but it has a nice lemony smell and comes in a convenient container, and it looks like it will last a long time, so I guess it was worth the money. Although I think the Dove bar was the most gentle on my skin.

                                                        I like the smell of Masters too, and it does seem to condition the bristles. To see for yourself that it’s better than plain soap and water, here’s an experiment you could try: first wash your brushes with regular soap and water until you think they’re all clean, but then use Masters on them. You’ll probably see more color come out of the bristles, sometimes a surprising additional amount. It doesn’t seem consistent – some pigments seem to wash out more easily.

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                                                        “Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]

                                                        brush care. Soap vs. special cleansing agents - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (24)http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]

                                                        March 18, 2018 at 1:06 pm#585977

                                                        Delofasht

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                                                            That sounds very much like my own basic process, except I do a final soaping with Masters before drying and shaping the bristles, and I always hang them upside down to dry. Masters really does clean very well and it’s pretty gentle. But I may be using water that’s too hot and will have to adjust that, so thanks for the tip, Delo.

                                                            You are welcome, I didn’t spend a ton of money on my brushes, but they have handled so well for so long now that I may not really need to buy any more really (but of course I will, because I love having a variety of them). Their good condition may also have to do with the fact that I do not use my brushes for mixing paint and only use my “ruined” brushes for scrubbing paint into a surface or on the surface blending if I can help it. The procedures I use for loading and applying paint is detailed in Brushwork Essentials by Mark Christopher Weber. I bring this is up because I found out that there was so much damage I was doing to my brushes through my handling of them. Stuff that could be easily avoided and keep my bristles in great shape with much less work on my part. Mark’s book can be borrowed from Hoopla digital library for free if your library is connected to the service. My library card allows me 5 rentals from the site per month, and it is a fantastic resource as a virtual bookshelf for me.

                                                            - DeloDelofasht

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