Cleaning Brushes: Possible or Cruel Hoax?

[Steve H Graham]

I have to ask: is it actually possible to clean paint brushes?

I'm using oil-based paint to cover a shelf I made. The paint takes 24 hours to dry, and it looks like it's going to need at least 4 coats. That means I have to clean the brush 4 times.

I soaked the brush in turpentine and did my best to get the paint out. Left it sitting to dry overnight, and when I picked it up to use it, the bristles were stuck together. I had to use turpentine to get it working again.

This always happens to me when I try to clean brushes. Is there a secret they only teach to Masons or what?

[Barry McFadden]

I've had good luck with putting the brush in a zip lock bag and putting it in the freezer between coats of paint...

[Steve H Graham]

The thing I don't get is that self-help gurus always say, "If you keep your brushes clean, they'll last for years." I've never been able to do a good job of cleaning a brush once, let alone over and over. There is always paint hiding up under the ferrule. And it seems like you would end up using $50 worth of thinner to keep a $10 brush going.

[Steve H Graham]

I checked Youtube for helpful videos. I saw some guy cleaning white oil-based primer out of a brush. He used about a quart of thinner. That would cost about four bucks. If you keep the brush and use it ten times, that's forty dollars. Seems to me it makes more sense to throw the brush out.

I hate tool experts who give bad advice.

[Jerry Thompson]

There is always the aggravation factor. If the brush doesn't clean well no matter how meticulous is follow instructions I will toss it. With great pleasure I might add.

[Steve H Graham]

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

[Stan Calow]

I am so glad I am not the only one with this problem.

[Steve H Graham]

I admit I started the thread while in a post-brush-cleaning rage. But there seems to be some legitimacy to my complaint.

[Prashun Patel]

I hate using solvent based finishes with brushes too. I found keeping them soaked in MS during a project works well. Also, keep your 'old' ms as paint cleaner. It doesn't have to be totally clean to be reusable. You then only need a little fresh stuff to finish out the job.

Also, try a brush spinner. It's amazing what a little centrifugal (yeah I know, centripetal) force can do...

[Julie Moriarty]

Years ago my grandfather showed me how he cleaned paint brushes. That was when oil based paints weren't as rare as unicorns. First of all, he was pretty neat when he was painting. That meant the bristles only got paint on them to about half their length. He was very patient but the results showed it.

For cleaning, he'd dip the brush in solvent and "paint" the bottom of the container over and over. Then he'd start with fresh solvent and push the bristles hard against the bottom, one side to the next, being careful to not to distort them. Next he'd take something like SpicNSpan and mix it in warm water and repeat the process. After that he'd take some of the cleaner granules and rub it into the bristles and rinse. He'd finish with a milder cleaner and rinse thoroughly. Then he'd take a paper towel and neatly wrap the brush so the bristles kept their shape and didn't fan out. Prior to him teaching me that, I threw a lot of brushes away.

In between coats, he'd wrap the brush in aluminum fail, the same way as the paper towel method and put it in the freezer overnight. You could do that for 3-4 days but any longer and you'd have to clean the brush.

[Allan Speers]

The thing I don't get is that self-help gurus always say, "If you keep your brushes clean, they'll last for years." I've never been able to do a good job of cleaning a brush once, let alone over and over. There is always paint hiding up under the ferrule. And it seems like you would end up using $50 worth of thinner to keep a $10 brush going.

The trick with that is to pre-treat the brush before painting. Completely dip it in whatever you use to thin / clean the paint (turps, etc) then wipe the main part of the brush dry.

This also works great with brushing laquer, etc.

[Scott Holmes]

Steve,

I'm going to guess you use your brush dry when you start... That's why paint gets up in the Ferrule. Watch the video I did for American Woodworker a few years ago. It's the "Sticky Note" at the top of the finishing forum.

Conditioning your brush before you use it WILL make it last for years and years. AND it will clean up easily. The brush in the video has been used for varnish for many years (oil based paint is varnish with pigment added); it is actually better than new.

Why do I say this? Well when a quality brush is new it will lose a few bristles during use; once it is broken in it may only lose a bristle once or twice a month, if that often.

If you have a brush that has "seen better days" you can clean it using a chemical stripper as you would to remove old finish.

FYI a $10 brush is not a quality VARNISH brush; more like 4 times that much. The one in the video is a good brush not my best brush; video guy and editor said the brush I used showed better on the video than my $45 2" Gramercy ox hair brush...

[Prashun Patel]

Scott-
Does pre-soaking the bristles in water have the same effect for latex paint brushes?

[Mike Ontko]

I don't know if it's still appropriate or not, but years ago (1978) in a vocational program I took in painting/finishing we were given the following pointers regarding brush care, and it's always worked pretty well for me:

- Dip sparingly when loading your brush, you only need to submerge maybe the first third or half of the bristles in the medium you're using. The idea is not to allow the material to wick all the way up into the ferrule.

- Wash well after each use and whenever the brush begins to get gummed up, first using an appropriate solvent to remove the paint, shellac, etc., and then with a light detergent (dish soap or Wisk is what we used at the time) to remove any residue left by the solvent. Be sure to wash all the way down and into the ferrule.

- Shake out the bristles after washing and then fold into a paper towel to maintain the shape and draw out moisture.

- Store the brushes by hanging, if possible, with the bristles pointing down, or keep wrapped in a dry paper towel to maintain the shape.

[Steve H Graham]

I don't go anywhere near varnish. You practically have to have a Ph.D. to apply that stuff.

[Steve H Graham]

I'm going to bite the bullet and see if I can do this right, just once. I appreciate the suggestions.

The shelf has all sorts of ridges in the paint, so I think the best thing is to start wet-sanding between coats.

[Howard Acheson]

i have brushes that have been clean hundreds of times. Some of my best brushes are 50+ years old and originally were owned by my father. Here's how most professional clean their brushes.

First, the best way to make a brush easier to clean is to dip the bristles into mineral spirits before you start to use the finish. This will prevent finish from getting up into the ferrule.

For cleaning, use a big 3# coffee can. I pour in some mineral spirits and work the brush in it until is is as clean as you can get it. Then twirl the brush handle between your hands to remove the cleaner. Then pour the cleaner into a smaller 1# coffee can. Now pour some more mineral spirits into the large can, work the brush, twirl it and pour the cleaner into a second small 1# coffee can. Cover both coffee cans. The solids will settle out and the next time just pour off the liquid from the first can you used into the large can for the first rinse, then pour off the liquid from the second can for the second rinse and so on. When the first rinse can gets too full of solids, pour off the remaining liquid into can #2 and add some kitty litter and discard the coffee can with the solids. Can #2 now becomes can #1 and you start a new can #2 with fresh mineral spirits. This way you never have to discard mineral spirits.

I final clean my brushes with water rinsable brush cleaner--which I save also--followed by liquid dishwashing detergent. Use warm water, not hot. Shake them as dry as possible and brush them back and forth on paper towels, then wrap in brown paper, fold it over t0 shape the chisel end of the bristles and hold with a rubber band.

You should never have to throw out mineral spirits and your brushes will be soft as new when you go to use them again.

If the bristles are stiff when you go to use the brush later, just put the brush into the brush cleaner for a few minutes and it will be soft as new. Shake out the brush cleaner and work the brush in a little mineral spirits to remove the brush cleaner before using the brush.

[Steve H Graham]

I decided to try it, so I went and got a natural bristle brush 2.5" wide. I got home and took out some Mason jars for the mineral spirits. Guess what? The opening in a Mason jar is about 2.498" wide.

[Steve H Graham]

Okay, the new brush has been soaked in mineral spirits. But here is something that puzzles me. In the video, the brush goes straight from soaking in mineral spirits to applying varnish. If I do that, won't I be applying mostly mineral spirits to the work? Shouldn't I be doing something to remove the excess thinner from the bristles?

[Steve H Graham]

I used the brush and tried the 3-jar method, but the spirits in the third jar are still pretty blue. It's hard for me to believe this brush would be okay to use with white paint after this.

[Scott Holmes]

Edit:

This reply was to the question about pre conditioning the brush with water for a latex or water-borne finish.

Absolutely. Almost mandatory if you are using one of the new high-tech water-borne wood finishes with a brush.

[Scott Holmes]

Wet sanding is not a good idea between coats. The wet dust can get trapped in the wood pores and/or slight depressions and cause problems with the new coat. Just dry sand with 150, 180 or 220 open coat paper. Wipe with clean damp rag. Dampened with water or mineral spirits.

[Steve H Graham]

Thanks. I will either take your advice or give up and not sand at all. This thing is giving me fits.

[Allan Speers]

Okay, the new brush has been soaked in mineral spirits. But here is something that puzzles me. In the video, the brush goes straight from soaking in mineral spirits to applying varnish. If I do that, won't I be applying mostly mineral spirits to the work? Shouldn't I be doing something to remove the excess thinner from the bristles?

Just give it time to evaporate.

- But also note that Steve mentioned finishing with brush cleaner (or dish detergent). This flushes out some of the mineral spirits.

For brushes used with oil-based paints & finishes, I like to use Murphey's oil soap. It helps break down the residual stuff, and I'm pretty sure it also helps condition and preserve the bristles. (Much like the brush cleaners made for fine-art brushes.)

[Steve H Graham]

I started sanding this thing with a 180 sponge, and it seems like it doesn't even budge the ripples. I feel like the best option is to go ahead and paint it, put it to use, and maybe try the project again later. It looks like the only way to get it right would be to completely strip it, and since it has a deep recess which is painted, that would be a major ordeal.

[Gary Viggers]

For brushes used with oil-based paints & finishes, I like to use Murphey's oil soap. It helps break down the residual stuff, and I'm pretty sure it also helps condition and preserve the bristles. (Much like the brush cleaners made for fine-art brushes.)

I get good results using Simple Green to clean waterborne paint from nylon and other synthetic brushes.

[Mike Null]

Back in my DIY days I did a lot of painting and found early on that money spent on quality brushes was money well spent.

I would offer--don't look at the cost of the cleaners versus the cost of the brush. You paid big bucks for the brush in order to get professional quality painting results. You can buy a cheap brush and save on the cleaners but what kind of painting results are you going to get?

I pre-condition my brushes and I clean them properly. I have brushes that are decades old. Brush cleaning ain't for the faint of heart.

[Steve H Graham]

I really miss my spray gun.

[Steve H Graham]

Here is what I have so far. I am thinking that I may sand it down in the future and see if I can improve the finish, but I really need to get this crap off the floor and my table saw extension, so I am using it as-is for now. I just hope "for now" doesn't turn into "until I die."

320976

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I've had good luck with putting the brush in a zip lock bag and putting it in the freezer between coats of paint...
This works for months on oil base. There's always a primer brush in my freezer. I've saved hundreds on thinner. Enough to buy lots of new brushes.

[Shawn Pixley]

Yes it is possible to clean brushes. Go water based if you can. Prep the brush with solvent. Don't over dip the brush. Keep the paint or finish out of the ferrule. Wipe off the excess before cleaning in your solvent. (I wouldn't use turpentine) Clean carefully until cleaner runs clear. Use a brush comb. Hang and point to dry. I have brushes 30 plus years old. Buy good brushes, clean and treat them well and they will last forever (or at least a really long time).

For short-term the freezer is your friend.

[Steve H Graham]

I was doing pretty good until I left the brush in mineral spirits overnight. The blue stuff wicked up into the ferrule. Looks like a $25 experiment is going up in smoke.

[Allan Speers]

.....Wipe off the excess before cleaning in your solvent. (I wouldn't use turpentine) ....


Why not turps? It dissolve paint better than OMS, which is good if you have a brush with slightly hardened paint, and you have to be careful disposing either one, anyway.

I'd never use the smelly garbage they sell at Home Depot, that stuff is full of creosote, oil byproducts, dead rodents, and who knows what else. - but you can get a decent turps (not quite fine artist quality) for a decent price with the "Klean Strip" brand. (available at Ace Hardware, among others.) It's reasonably pure and smells like pine trees.

[Shawn Pixley]

Real turpentine can gum up. I know this from years of oil painting. Synthetic turpentine is dependent upon the formulation. I have no opinion on the synthetic.

I use Lacquer thinner or other noxious material (Xylene, etc…);not Turpentine or MS. I don't buy from a Borg.

[Len Rosenberg]

Steve, if you have ridges in your painted finish, it may not be the brush, it may be that your finish is too thick. Try adding Floetrol about 10%, that helps thin out the finish and make it self leveling.
Works like a charm.

Len