paint brushes..any way to reform /tidy the ends

[steveo3002]

ive got a collection of reasonble brushes , they laid unused for sometime and the ends straggly and splayed out a bit

is there any tricks to coaxing them back into a uniform shape again?

[Eric Mc]

Wash the brushes in warm water and, at the same time, massage the heads with washing up liquid. Shape the wet bristles into a point or a wedge (depending on the syle of brush) and leave to dry on kitchen paper.

[dr_gn]

steveo3002 said:

ive got a collection of reasonble brushes , they laid unused for sometime and the ends straggly and splayed out a bit

is there any tricks to coaxing them back into a uniform shape again?

If it's for half decent work, I'd buy some new ones for what it's worth (about £4 each from Hobbycraft). After washing them, keep them with their original protectors fitted, or use old drinking straws pushed over the bristles.

[Yertis]

When using them in a professional capacity I found spit to be quite good at keeping expensive sable brushes in good shape, once they've been thoroughly cleaned per Eric's method. (Though obviously I never thought of it as "Eric's Method" in those days, I just did it in the same way he advises.)

Also try never to let paint get into the ferrule, it wrecks the brush in no time. Just dip the bottom 1/3 of the bristles into the paint.

[Eric Mc]

Yertis said:

When using them in a professional capacity I found spit to be quite good at keeping expensive sable brushes in good shape, once they've been thoroughly cleaned per Eric's method. (Though obviously I never thought of it as "Eric's Method" in those days, I just did it in the same way he advises.)

Also try never to let paint get into the ferrule, it wrecks the brush in no time. Just dip the bottom 1/3 of the bristles into the paint.

I learned that cleaning technique from reading an Alan Hall aricle in Scale Aircraft Modelling back in the early 80s. So it's really "Alan's Method".
If there is some dried up paint stuck in the hairs, I work the hairs with an old toothbrush (or even a scrubbing brush) to try and coax the paint particles out. If some of the hairs have been damaged beyond repair, I just pluck or trim them.

Sometimes however, the only solution is to chuck 'em and buy some new ones. Even then, an old brush can be used as a liquid polystyrene cement or thinned white glue applicator.

Edited by Eric Mc on Monday 6th December 16:43

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

Yertis said:

When using them in a professional capacity I found spit to be quite good at keeping expensive sable brushes in good shape, once they've been thoroughly cleaned per Eric's method. (Though obviously I never thought of it as "Eric's Method" in those days, I just did it in the same way he advises.)

Also try never to let paint get into the ferrule, it wrecks the brush in no time. Just dip the bottom 1/3 of the bristles into the paint.

Even then, an old brush can be used as a liquid polystyrene cement or thinned white glue applicator.

Some of the knackered ones are great for dry-brushing, so long as they are still soft, but just splayed out all over the place.

[MilnerR]

The best technique I have found is to first give them a good wash to get any excess paint out of the ferrule. Then put the brush into boiling water for about 30 secs, this softens the glue; you can then use your lips to reshape the brush