Pre-treat Brush With Appropriate Solvent Prior to Use

[George Bokros]

I saw this in two places, one was Woodsmith and the other I do remember.

The tip was to submerge the brush to the heel in the appropriate solvent for the finish being applied to make the brush easier to clean after use. May thinkiing was that the solvent would run down the bristles and reduce the finish being applied. I tried this today and it appeared that I may have been correct in my thinking.I did squeeze as much mineral spirits our and also squeezed the bristle in a paper towel so it would not drip.

Do you do this to your brushes prior to use?

Thoughts on this practice?

Thanks

[Bill White]

I always pretreat with the appropriate solvent. I've got 20 year old brushes that are as good as new. Just a habit I guess.
I buy good brushes, and don't wanna junk 'em up.
Bill

[Kent A Bathurst]

I always pretreat with the appropriate solvent. I've got 20 year old brushes that are as good as new. Just a habit I guess.
I buy good brushes, and don't wanna junk 'em up.
Bill

Yeah - what Bill said. Absolutely, positively, always - when I am using the top-end brushes.

One key function is for the solvent to seep up into the ferrule -- so that the bristle ends up there do not get filled with gunk.

I suspend my brush in a mix cup of solvent as I start assembling the stuff for the task. Suspended so the bristles don't touch the bottom, and the solvent level is somewhere around the middle of the bristles.

Unload it against the side of the mix cup
Seriously unload it with a couple Scott Blue Towels - lint-free
The first couple strokes will be slightly thinner than the ones to follow - never caused a problem.,

[George Bokros]

Thanks for the responses guys. I have started doing this and find it works fine. I do like Kent suggests absorb as much as possible with a shop towel.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks for the responses guys. I have started doing this and find it works fine. I do like Kent suggests absorb as much as possible with a shop towel.

George - FWIW, if you are putting on multiple coats of finish over multiple days, all you gots to do is rinse the brush in solvent [I use "pre-used" where the solids settled, and I decanted the "clear"], then suspend it as noted above.

No need to completely clean it. I think the general rule is maybe a week in suspension? Although, one instance I am aware of - - a fella walked over to a corner of the shop, and saw one that had been there for 2 months :eek:. And - it was one of the high-end Gramercy brushes :eek: :eek: . Cleaned up fine, and worked well ever since. :)

This, of course is this other guy I am aware of. I would never do something stupid like that......:o

[Lonnie Gallaher]

Living in So. Cal. my painting consists of water based products. Because water based paints dry quicker than oil based the brush can become a mess in a short time. If I am painting continually I will clean the brush completely every couple of hours. If I am painting something that needs time between the recoat I will clean the brush during the waiting time. I know some say to store the brush in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator and such things like that, and I have done this with ok results. I still would rather spend the time cleaning the brush and know that it will live to work another day. I too have trim brushes that are well over twenty years old. They get used often, but not daily or even weekly.

I forgot to mention that I do condition the brush before using it. With water, I give it a soaking under the tap and then shake out as much of the water as I can. I then make sure the brush is well loaded with the product. This minimizes the paint being too thin when the brush is introduced to the work.

[Scott Holmes]

George take a look at the video at the top of the Finishing forum the stick note.. Bushes 101.

The brush I used in that video has been used and cleaned several hindered times. I do not use a paper towel to remove the MS a quality brush does not drip MS. Yes it thins the first dipping of the brush; I usually dip the brush unload it on the side of the pan then reload.

[glenn bradley]

I don't brush often but, always "pre-treat".