Paintbrush Wear and Tear

[Rurouni Benshin]

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding paintbrush maintenance.

I notice that after extended use of my paintbrushes, the bristles start to bend, and eventually start to bend into different directions.  This is most apparent when I'm painting with a small brush (ie - a 10/0 brush), and when I'm trying to do some small to fine detail work, the bristles aren't "closed together", so to speak, and then I get paint on parts of the model I'm trying to avoid.

Is there a way to fix this, or a way I can adjust my painting technique to cope with it?  Or should I just get a new brush all together?

Thanks a lot!
~Ben

[jfoodmaster]

Well, there are certain bristles that should be used depending on the paint being used.

I use GW paint and the GW brushes and have no probs. When I use GW paint with cheap synthetic brushes, they curl like crazy.

I would look at the paint and see what they recommend.

[Rob S]

I've found that it is normal wear and tear, but it shouldn't happen fast.  The biggest thing to watch out for to keep up the shape of them is your cleaning of them.  While I'm sure you're careful, make sure you always wash them off completely (never let paint dry on the brush), don't press the paintbrush against the bottom of the water pot/bowl when washing them, and leave them out of the water when not needed.  I've also kept the plastic coverings the paintbrushes come with and always put them back on.  It makes sense to me that it would stop separation.

Also, make sure you use the brushes for what they're intended.  Don't drybrush with a fine detail brush, don't use a small drybrush to basecoat large things.

Another alternative is to do what you're doing with cheap brushes, so that when they start going bad you can replace them and still spend less than one good brush. 

[Rurouni Benshin]

Thanks, Rob.  I've done just about everything you've suggested, and yet they still tend to bend and separate.  I'll do my best to be extra careful, I guess.

One other question:  When cleaning them, I do notice a build up of paint towards to area of the brush where it connects to the brush handle.  I usually use my finger nail to kind of scrap it off by scraping towards the tip of the brush.  Should I continue doing this, or is there another way of getting rid of that build up?

Thanks again!

[Rurouni Benshin]

Well, there are certain bristles that should be used depending on the paint being used.

I use GW paint and the GW brushes and have no probs. When I use GW paint with cheap synthetic brushes, they curl like crazy.

I would look at the paint and see what they recommend.

The paint I use is the GW brand.  The paint brushes I use come from a hobby shop, who have their own line of painting tools and products.  They also sell and promote Warhammer, so I'm confident that their materials and tools are intended for usage along with GW related things.  So unless there's something else I'm missing, I guess the only thing I can do, like I said before, is be extra careful.

Thanks!

[Achillius]

I've recently started using "Pink Soap", got it in Michaels, a friend of mine recommended it. Pink Soap is designed for cleaning paint brushes. I've try to clean off my brushes at the end of each painting session. From what I can tell by the color of the water, it's certainly getting my brushes cleaner than I am using just water and a paper towel.


Cheers,
Alan

[Rob S]

Thanks, Rob.  I've done just about everything you've suggested, and yet they still tend to bend and separate.  I'll do my best to be extra careful, I guess.

One other question:  When cleaning them, I do notice a build up of paint towards to area of the brush where it connects to the brush handle.  I usually use my finger nail to kind of scrap it off by scraping towards the tip of the brush.  Should I continue doing this, or is there another way of getting rid of that build up?

Thanks again!

That paint is actually one of the most dangerous to the paintbrush.  The best way to fix it is to simply avoid doing it.  Don't dip your brush in far enough to get the paint there, try to avoid brushstrokes that will push the paint in there.  If paint does get there, I'd usually say try a chemical instead of scraping it off.

[Opforce3]

I buy new brushes 'cause I'm lazy :/

[Captain Bryan!]

i just spend more time fixing those inevetible mistakes that i will make...because i dont make much money