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Care of Brushes

Good-quality paint brushes are expensive tools, and if they are not kept clean and in good condition will not apply paint properly.

Ideally, all brushes should be cleaned immediately after use. The best way of doing this is first to remove as much paint as possible by means of a stick or some similar device which will not injure the bristles, and then clean them with turpentine or white spirit and wash them in slightly soapy water. Take care to get rid of all paint not only from the tips of the bristles but from the heel of the brush as well. After washing, they should be carefully dried and kept in a moderately warm place where there. is good air circulation. Mildew tends to form on bristle which is damp and stored in a poorly ventilated place.

In practice, when a brush is only put aside for a time, or overnight, and is to be used to apply the same material again, thorough cleaning is seldom carried out and, instead, the paint brush is usually suspended in water which prevents the paint in it from hardening. The brush should nevei be left standing on its bristles in a pot of colour, even for a short period as this destroys their shape and makes the tool useless. It must be suspended so that the tips of the bristles do not come into contact with the base of the container. This can be done by boring a hole through handle of the brush and passing a stout wire through it, the wire fixed across the top of the container that the bristles are kept clear of the bottom. There are various forms of ready-made brush suspenders, brush-keepers,designed for this.purpose, and their use is recommended. One such brush keeper is Brush Mate®.(SHOW DETAILS)

There is some difference of opinion as to the advisability of suspend brushes in water. Those who condemn the practice maintain that water makes the bristles soft and flabby; this may be the case when a brush is wetted in this way, but after it has been used the paint in it serves as a protection. Probably the water causes little or no harm provided brush is kept in it for a limited time only, as, for example, overnight. is certainly better to use linseed oil instead of water, but the latter is cheap and readily available. Turpentine should not be employed as it tends to make the bristles stiff. Brushes which have been used to apply some of the new forms of paint, such as the synthetic resin variety, should not, however, be suspended in oil, but should be cleaned with the thinner recommended for the paint in question, washed, dried, and laid on a flat surface.

It is good practice after cleaning a brush to comb out the bristle; if the tool is not likely to be used for some time, wrap it in grease-proof paper before putting it away, and lay it flat in a dry place. Bristle is liable to be attacked by moth, so that some kind of moth repellant should be kept in any drawer or container in which the brush is stored.

If string-bound brushes (e.g. round french brushes)are kept in water for a time, the water should not come up to the binding.

Varnish brushes should never be placed in water but, if not cleaned, should be suspended in linseed oil—or a mixture of about two-thirds oil and one-third turpentine. Before using a varnish brush treated in this way, care should be taken to wash out the oil from the bristles by means of solvent.

Paint or varnish brushes, the bristles of which have been allowed to get hard through lack of care, can often be restored to service by the use of one of the various proprietary brush renovators. Some of these, however, contain strong alkalis which are injurious to the bristle if too strong a solu­tion is employed, and may also attack the setting of a cheap brush if the setting is not proof against alkali. A good quality non-caustic type of paint remover is probably safer to use for the purpose, though here again, unless the setting is resistant to the action of strong solvents, it may be affected.

Emulsion brushes should be washed thoroughly clean, after the day’s work, with a mild neutral soap, rinsed well, as much surplus water as possible expelled by vigorous shaking, and the brush hung up, bristle down­wards, to dry. It should never be kept suspended in water and should be thoroughly dry before it is used again. A damp emulsion brush has little spring in it.

Fitches and writers’ sables should be well rinsed with turpentine or white spirit after use, special care being taken to see that all paint is re­moved from the heel. When dry, tallow should be worked into the hairs which should be drawn to a fine point between the fingers, to maintain the shape of the brush. Before being used again, the tallow should be removed by means of turpentine or other suitable solvent.

To remove any kind of painting material from a brush, a good general rule is to employ for the purpose the thinner recommended for the material in question. Thus, for oil paint, use turpentine or white spirit; for emulsion, use water; for knotting, use methylated spirit; for brushing cellulose, use cellulose thinner.

Brushes come in a very wide range of sizes from tiny artists points to 12" flats. They also come in a wide variety of shapes and specialist materials.

Artists. Generally small brushes for delicate work

Fitches. Small long handled (usually flat or rounded) for intricate and difficult to reach areas.

Flats. Term applied to brushes more than six inches wide.

Sash-tools. brushes not bigger than 1½ inches.

French. Brushes with a round head as well as a round handle. bristles are pre-shaped.

Ovals. A variation on the French brush.

Slashers. Brushes over 4 inches wide used for large areas.

Some common kinds of brushes;
Flat wall brushes The much favoured traditional flat wall brush with copper ferrule and fixings to prevent rust and discolouration. With high quality bristle, normally used with emulsion paints.
Radiator Brushes A traditional wire handled ,Flag, brush for radiators, crevices and other hard to reach places.
Premium Paint Brushes - Pure black China bristle clear polished handle Premium quality paint and varnish brush - Pure black China bristle, clear polished handle.
Nook and Cranny Brushes - Angled. Angled paint brush to get into the most difficult places. Standard size is 1 to 2 inch head, 15 inch handle, angled about 45% last two inches.
Stencil Brushes Strong construction stencil brush for repeated use by professionals.
Sash Paint Brushes - Pointed Pointed sash brush ideal for painting Georgian window frames and sashes.
Flat Lining Fitches - Slant Cut Slant cut flat lining fitches - pure white bristle on a plain handle Fitches - Round Round fitches - pure white bristle on rat tailed handles.
Artist Brushes - Pure Sable short pointed High quality artists brush with short pointed sable head.
5 Piece Paint Brushes Set Medium quality brushes suitable for professional contractor use. Now in a cost effective set which includes 2 x 1 1/2 inch, 2 x 2 inch and 1 x 3 inch brushes. Brushes are now commonly sold in sets. Stonework Brushes - (4 inch) Pure bristle Stonework brush for masonry. Pure bristle 4 inch, 100mm with yellow plastic handle.
Flat Wall Brushes -Pure Bristle and Polyester mix Fit for the job Wall Brushes for easy application of emulsions and solvent-borne paints to flat wall surfaces. Medium quality brush suitable for professional contractors. Pure bristle and polyester mix with stainless ferrule and moulded plastic handle
Striker Paint Brush - 2 inch Pure Bristle with 24 inch High quality pure bristle striker brush. 2 inch diameter head with stainless ferrule, and bolt attachment. Complete with 24 inch untreated wooden handle.
Round Fitches Brush Set Artists pure bristle brush set. Contains 12 different round fitches with varnished wooden rat tailed handles from sizes 1 through to 12.
Professional Oval Paint and Varnish Brush - Pure Bristle Oval paint and varnish brush. Premium quality pure black bristle, with stainless steel ferrule and moulded green plastic handle.
Medium Quality Flat Wall Brush -Pure Bristle and Polyester Mix Medium quality flat wall brush with polyester filament and pure bristle mix for long life. Moulded plastic green handle, with copper plated ferrule.