#Fraying brushes

41 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

manic snow
#

My new brush is starting to fray on its second use already. I made sure to be careful to properly clean and store the brush after the first painting session with it and it was completely fine at the beginning of the second session, but after I painted a tiny bit of metallic paint it started to fray very badly. I know better than to get paint in the ferrule, which I haven't let happen, and I don't think I let any paint dry on it. I tried three remedies to straighten it out but none of them worked as it'd fray as soon as I twisted it into a point. Any tips how to restore the brush and prevent it from happening again?

20231108_000734.jpg
young marsh
#

I wouldn't call what you have there flaying really.

#

Going by the picture

#

That's pretty common to happen with new brushes

#

Ther'es often a few rogue hairs that won't behave. You can very carefully try to remove them but I usually just ignore them

manic snow
#

Here's two more pictures. One is the brush losing its point after the water dried out. The other image is two hand-me-down brushes w/o a point that I also tried the remedies on. Do these just require reshaping, and not have paint dried in the ferrule?

20231108_003326.jpg 20231108_003228.jpg
young marsh
#

Brushes lose their point once dry

#

That's normal

#

Which is why you want to use something like a brush soap with conditioner to shape it once you're done so it stays in the desired shape

#

And you dont want to twist it while reshaping it when you're cleaning it but when painting you can twist and swirl it to get it into shape.

manic snow
#

Got it

#

I'll have to write this down haha

young marsh
#

Get something like masters brush soap or jentastics drunken brush goop. They're 2 in 1 products so you don't have to get both soap and a conditioner if you don't already have those.

#

There are other brands as well but those are the ones I remember from the top of my head.

uneven veldt
#

if you do try to remove the unruly hairs, make sure you cut them instead of pulling them out

#

you want all the material in the ferrule to remain there or else you might weaken it and cause other hairs to fall out

quiet arrow
#

Just as another voice, I put conditioner (like, borrow some from the shower) in all my brushes for an hour or two and then rinse them out .. like once every other week. Try it:)

kind lion
#

I didn't think conditioner (brush or hair) had any impact on synthetics?

kind lion
young marsh
#

The white haired ones look like synthetics, the other I'm not sure about

#

Looks more natural to me due to the colour shift and the fact that a few hairs are splaying out to the side, don't recall synthetcis doing that to me

quiet arrow
#

Oh is it synthetics

#

Ignore me then my bad

manic snow
#

Does that mean conditioner won't work on it unless it's a natural brush?

young marsh
#

It will work to prolong the life of the brush a little longer but synthetics will always wear down very quickly

manic snow
#

Noted. Once I am ready, where should I go for a natural hair brush?

young marsh
#

Depends on where you live

#

But Raphael 8404 and Windsor & Newton Series 7 kolinsky sable brushes are the top two recommended brands on this server.

manic snow
#

Thank ya

uneven veldt
#

da vinci meastro 35 gets high praise alongside those 2 as well

manic snow
#

Watercolor brush?

uneven veldt
#

yeah we use watercolour brushes

#

the paint we use is fairly delicate so it doesn't need the stiff, thick bristles you see used for heavy body or oils

manic snow
#

I am learning so much brush lore. I thought acrylic brushes were what they were called.

uneven veldt
#

there's some crossover

#

but brushes marketed as acrylic and not watercolour are generally for heavier duty work

shell lantern
#

Metallic paints will leave small particles in the body and cause the brush to flay outward unless it's completely clean. I keep a particular brush just for metallics because of this and save the rest for things that won't ruin them. I also keep a synthetic brush just for washes.

quiet arrow
#

Think it’s mostly in peoples heads honestly

shell lantern