0:50 These techniques are also useful if you want to use the water for other hobby projects such as making a cup of tea, cooking pasta or having a very uncomfortable bath.
Important tip: if washing them in boiling water dont dip the brush beyond the top of the metal ferrule. The boiling water can get inside the metal part and melt/wash away the glue. Then the bristles will come out and stick to your models.
@@Weaver_Games "Run Coward" cool icon. I didn't know this, but I know I've destroyed a brush in the past with boiling water. Maybe it isn't so much of an issue these days?
As a cheapskate modeler, I LOVE this video! When there are absolutely NO bristles left on the brush, the handle is great for tree armatures, small dowels, or even flight bases, if you're not too picky about them being clear.
03:00 moment of silence for the veteran brush. It gave its life in service of the Emperor Midwinter. 03:12 Time to transfer this hero into a dreadnought via a few snips. Even in death it shall serve!
Great video. Just want to add one more important tip: Dont let your brushes stand up when they dry. Water will soak into the wooden handle. The wood will expand and the head of the brush becomes loose. Brushes should lay down to dry :)
now you know the pain women go through with all their makeup brushes :D Wash and condition them, dry flat over a towel, store in a special case rolled up, etc.
...like a leaf... in summer provides shade and clorophile, in the fall the amazing colors and once dead on the ground it rots and becomes food for his master....
I just love the Miniature painting community, it doesn't matter with what issue i'm confronted, there are dozens of tutorials about that specific problem. Keep it up y'all
Thanks for this, Guy. Everyone only talks about care for expensive sable brushes, but not the cheap stuff. This'll help me a lot as I use mostly synthetics.
This is perhaps the most timely possible video for me. Just the other day I was agonizing over whether I should continue on a rather complex free handing job with my current beat-up brushes or just nip out and get a nice new one with a dagger sharp point. You have saved me the decision and the money!
Never thought of hair clay, just used a bar of soap. I'll give it a go. After painting over 400 Napoleonic 15mm figs and going through only two brushes, I think I've done well.
@@stonkotron319 Redgrass brushes are overrated. I got a pair with their first wet palette KS (also overhyped, though the second iteration is exactly what we hoped for the first time) and they didn't hold up well, despite the fact that I take very good care of my brushes.
Great video, but one small thing: some brushes can be really really damaged by dipping into hot or boiling water. The hair is kept bunched together by glue in the ferrule. Hot water can dissolve this glue and actually worsen your fraying or even cause fraying on a perfectly shaped brush. This won't happen every time, but it's a risk you should be aware of.
The best art advice I was ever given was “Use your materials.” Don’t hold off using your good tools. The right tools can change everything about how you create. My weakness was discovering Robert Simmons’ Titanium brushes. They completely transformed how I felt when working with oil and large canvases. True joy. Don’t wait. Use your materials. That’s what they’re there for!
Huge thanks, this saved my brushes! I started the hobby recently and the kits are greatly expensive (so are the tiny brushes...), so prolonging the life of what I have is a huge life saver. Thank you again!
I'm an artist, and a commercial industrial painter. There is nothing wrong with using thinners, or higher grade solvents, as long as you use them properly, and with respect to the type of bristles you are cleaning. The idea is to dissolve the paint out, and leave the bristle clean. Once that is achieved, then returning the bristles to a stable PH is required, removing any residual solvent in short order. If you use high heat, you could soften the epoxy in the hilt that holds your bristles in place, being just as bad or worse than using solvent. There are two main things I use for cleaning away solvents, Dawn dishwashing soap, followed by fabric softener, Dawn is high PH, and fabric softener is low, returning the bristles to neutral. To get out stubborn paint and heavy buildup, the solvent in conjunction with a fine wire brush will do the trick, getting into all the areas nearest the hilt removing and breaking up all the things. Your work arounds are only clever if you do not consider a more successful method.
Honestly, thank you so much for this video! For a reason I haven't figured out yet, a lot of my brushes seem to die quite quickly, and I couldn't find, either on the internet or at my local art shop, any brush maintenance tips other than spitting on the bristles to re-shape them. But I did what's here in this video and my brushes are so much better now! It even restored some of the brushes I thought to be dead to a state that are usable! Thank you so much!
Hi guys, Guy here from Midwinter Minis. All you need to do is walk around Colchester until you've found enough hobby supplies on the floor or in bins, and then you'll just need to throw them in the vague direction of your models. Then, you clean up any mistakes you've made, and in less than 18 seconds, you've got a fully painted 2,000 point army.
I've been struggling with hooked synths for a while now. I cant get ne new brushes atm, and this did the trick nicely 👌 not used the clay but just a quick clean in boiling water and vinegar helped reshaped the tips. Thankyou so much, saved me some money for now and given me hope to be able to carry on with my models 👍
So I've been teaching my son to paint. This has also meant that many of my brushes were sacrificed in the process... And because I'm Dad, he knows best and RUclips becomes handy for validating me 🤣 So, thanks for this, I'll send him the link to watch and maybe he can rescue the 13 brushes he has.... acquired from me!
@@MidwinterMinis I do believe that the term free is subjective. I have bought his plastic crack and also fed and clothed him his entire life. I believe he owes me..... 🤣🤣🤣
They say it is better to teach a man to fish than simply give him the fish. With kids you have to give him the fish first so they can watch and learn while they eat lol.
Great tips! The Hair Clay is a new one on me... Will have to give that a shot. I like that the procedure is non-toxic. But most brushes with caked on dry paint are not truly shot. Soak them in Acetone for a minute or so, just long enough to release the dried up paint. Soak for too long the glue in the ferrule could come loose, but I've had decent luck with doing this to revive seemingly useless or spent brushes. Use some leave in hair or brush conditioner to soften the bristles and they're back to being usable again (though not "good as new"). Won't work on all brushes, but you can bring most back to a state that they can at least be used for other tasks (not fine painting).
I’m 100% doing this! Also I never thought about using stipple brushes to do battle damage on the edge of models. This channel is one of my favourite warhammer related channels out anything just for guys silky voice.
You know what I love about our craft, the amazing people who are in it, who enjoy it and who share their wisdom. Love you all, the Creators, the watchers and the players, Long live this Hobby :)
If it's a bin it or boil it situation you can risk some damage to the ferrel glue. Am using this to bring back a lot of borked brushes that master brush soap cannot help, some of them may die bug it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.
I tried this on a black sable brush with tried oil paint and it worked! Didn't expect to restore the brush without aggressive chemicals. Thanks for sharing!
Have been a hex & counter gamer for decades. I have only just last month started painting my minis that I have bought last century to use in fist full of lead rules/skirmishes I have been buying lots of paint n brushes and some more figures. I need all the help I can get and this video is fantastic. My century has changed your young adult I do a lot of plastic models and painted them maybe not so well, still have quite a few of them but they need facelifts repairs new paint thankful I'm retired I would never have enough time to try to get all this done. And also I have GHQ micro armor that needs to be finished The ones I did paint I never did the treads, road wheels or underneath... Arthritis be damned I am so thoroughly enjoying learning how to paint (or at least put in a good effort) going to sub. Thanks. I've done a few videos of some of my models I'm painted and the skirmish combat that I'm using with them.
Thanks, I love these types of videos. Great to see inexpensive options, tools and techniques. I always feel like I make almost any brush work and nice to see how to rejuvenate even these inexpensive brushes.
An additional tip: Don't use hot water for your regular painting... It can cause the ferrule to expand, which will allow pigment to get lodged in there, and will make it so you need to use the above technique sooner then ever.
Finally had to do this with my brushes after a few years. I added a 5 minute soak in acetone (aka nail polish remover) before hand to help get rid of the paint. Since that's another cheap step that most people will have in their house or can easily get for cheap. It worked like a charm I brought one brush that I'd relegated to dry brushing and had 5 years of use and being the only brush to paint an entire 1:35th scale tiger tank back to life with this.
It's been decades since I used to paint miniatures, however I had a habit that pretty much prevented me from having to ever clean my brushes....I literally had my paintbrush in my mouth most of the time, usually rinsing between two cups of water between working and having it in my mush. This kept the tips of my points clean, tight and even, and I made sure that I never had any metallics in my mouth at any point....or at least, made sure they were cleaned first. Non-toxic, definitely.
Those brushes you trimmed right near to the ferrule also work amazing for cleaning the plastic and resin out of gummed up diamond files if the bristles are stiff enough.
I'm using a kind of brush soap to clean my brushes during and after use and that seems to help a lot, too. It reduces the buildup of old paint while also sorta reshapes the tip.
That's really the best way to go. I own an art supply store and I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who go the diy route making sub par versions of the real thing. Especially when proper brush soap doesn't cost that much more than these home remedies.
Excellent vid, but I'll add again in case anyone didn't catch it somehow: Do NOT use this method on expensive, natural brushes. It will destroy your investment quickly.
Most natural brushes will be absolutely fine. In fact, natural brushes are generally a lot more resistant to caustic liquids than synthetic ones. A few million years of evolution (and having your life depend on your fur's ability to handle a bit of acid) can do wonders. ;-) The problem with boiling water and solvents is that some brushes (both natural and synthetic) rely on glue inside the ferrule to keep the bristles in place, and whatever you use to get paint and glue off the bristles can also weaken _that_ glue.
honestly this channel is headed sky high. You abslutely deserve the traction you're gettnig. Probably the best tips for people who aren't super handy (like me) you can find.
To reshape my brushes I just wipe them back and forth on a BAR of Ivory soap. YOU shape them with your fingers and let them dry with the soap still in them. Then once you are ready to use them again, just rinse them first before you start to paint. They hold the shape better than anything I have tried ..ever.
Hey, this looks good and I’ll definitely give it a go. I had heard that you shouldn’t use hot water to clean your brushes as it can start to melt the glue that holds the bristles in place, but if the brush is past it anyway, what’s to lose?
I really need it is because the brush is on currently using in a lot to me they don't give them to me by my nana for Christmas before she passes so they have a lot of sentimental value to me. I am very glad I found this video Thanks mid winter Minnie's you are One again a life saver
Thank you very much, I've started painting only recently (after around 20 years of grey minis ^^") and your channel, together with other ones and a couple of GW painting manuals, really helps me. Just one question: isn't it dangerous to use boiled water to clean brushes? I though the basic advice was to always use cool water. Perhaps is because one thing is to clean them normally during your painting and another one is to fix the most compromised ones?
Getting my first 40k miniature set. Got 10x Adeptus Mechanicus Rangers. Just a start, I'm used to military miniatures so I'm hoping some skills translate over. Thanks for the videos for reference!
I would definitely recommend you paint your dudes without attaching the legs to the torsos. It makes painting the inside of the capes infinitely easier ;)
@@Babyluigikarting That's something I was curious about. I know from experience and from a few videos lol. I'll be getting new paints but anyone know if Testors (what I currently have) would be any good for these models? I'm sure they would work, but do they have much value when it comes to 40k minis?
@@Plaguedice If the testors you have is the enamel paints I would switch to ny good acrylic paint, the are water soluble and much easier to use , GW, Vallejo, Reaper or army painter..what ever fits your budget.
I needed this. I have loads of brushes I don't use do to hooking and fraying. Thank you. First i got my eldar scheme from you and now this. You are the best
Great tips! Plus tip: Try not to dip your brush in water past the metal ferrel (1:14 wooden part of handle gets under water). The water will eventually creep between ferrel and wooden part, make the ferrel rust and weaken the wood, resulting in a wobbly ferrel. Especially if you use water that hot! Cheers to an even longer life for your brush! Long live the brush!
Just a word of warning about heating water in a microwave. You need to be very careful if doing this as it can be heated above it normal it's normal boiling temperature and become superheated. This can cause it to basically vaporise into boiling steam instantly and explode. Great tips on saving your brushes though. The matte clay one is a thing of genius. Probably just better to use a kettle and use the remainder for a cup of tea.
Although dangerous it is quite an interesting effect when you superheat coffee then go to stir it with a spoon. Nice little fountain of coffee. 10/10 would not suggest🤣
I recently turned away from synthetic brushes to more expensive mohair or other types or brushes. But i missed the rigidity of my synthetic ones. This did the trick! Now im back to buying 5 brushes at a time, for a fraction of the price of 1! THANK YOU! :)
Awesome ideas I’m going to try. What I’ve been doing (and it works well) is periodically as I’m painting, when I go to rinse the brush in my water pot, after I give it a rinse, I’ll place the brush on a piece of plastic, and put a couple drops of rubbing alcohol on the brush. Even brushes you think are “clean” will still have a bunch of paint magically appear. I’ll work the brush around I the alcohol a bit until it seems I’ve gotten most of the paint out and give it another rinse in water. This is helping me maintain brushes weeks longer than than used to.
Your local hobby store that sells artist painting supplies (oils on canvas type of seller) should have a few pots or bars of masters brush soap. Wet the recently cleaned brush and run the bristles across the masters soap. Not looking to suds up again just getting a little diluted film. Then shape your brush close as you can to it’s correct shape without rinsing things off. I often make use of the crook between my thumb and index finger for this bit. Vince Ventruella (search for hobby cheating) has a nice vid on brush care. Most of the time if you do the masters soap to clean and reshape you shouldn’t need to do this videos kind of deep cleaning very often.
i've been using what we in the netherlands call "green soap" (groene zeep) for cleaning my oil painting brushes, vinegar is from what i've noticed sometimes too aggressive for sable or other organic brushes because it seems to dissolve the natural oils in the hairs as well as the caked on oil paint and sometimes the hairs will start to curl up aggressively. So soaking them in a cup of warm water with a dinner spoon of green soap and letting it soak for a bit has been my go to for those types of brushes.
I have a question that's been bugging me since I watched this video. I've always read and been told buy fellow hobbyists and even traditional painters that you should never use water above a luke-warm temperature as it will soften and weaken the glue that mounts the bristles into the ferrule. This would lead to bristle loss and brush death sooner than later. So, why boiling water if this is the case? Is this actually true or basically an artists equivalent to an "old wives tale"? Really curious to know. Thanks.
I think if you're only doing this with brushes that would otherwise get tossed because they were too filled with paint and glue, then it doesn't matter as much because you're getting a few more uses out of it. For not-trashed-yet brushes I use Pink Soap to clean them
@@LexLaptopCoffee Also, you're using it for a few seconds at a time. Maybe it does damage them if you do it on the regular, but if it's just every now and then to revive them, it doesn't really have time to do much damage.
It does fix the shape of the bristles. It also melts the glue especially if you dip brushes beyond the top of the metal ferrule. Personally I just use a little boiling water and just dip the bristles.
Me: Lives in a place where Matt clay doesn’t exist* Also me: In the grim darkness of the current present I don’t have a none greasy hair care product for brush cleaning
Nice tips! When I went to art college, my instructor had a few tips. When you get done painting, dip the brush in rubbing alcohol. This will clean all acrylic paints, white glues and mod-podge. Whip it clean on a paper towel. Then insert the brush in your mouth. Form the brush tips slightly as you remove the brush. The saliva with make the brush keep it's true form. It does sound gross. BUT because you are using rubbing alcohol, it is completely sanitized. And about as cheap as you can get.
It's a good tip for synthetic brushes, but it will quickly ruin natural brushes. The alcohol strips away the natural protective oils in the bristles, and leaves it brittle. In fact, this leads to the brush losing its shape and shedding more quickly.
@@HeadHunterSix That only happens if you don't use the spit method as I described above. I have many brushes that over 25 years old. Some cheap, some not.
@Leonidas Piledriver I heard they just shave the Golden Taklons like they do sheep. Getting them to sit still and wear the barber's cape is the hardest part of the process though, and they never want to talk about their holidays
Be VERY careful about the type of brush that you use these cleaning techniques on! Some brushes have bristles which are held by a glue which is sensitive to heat. This means your brush could be losing its bristles / hairs when you clean them with hot water as shown here. Of course, if your brush is ruined anyway, you might wanna risk it, but if you are just looking to get your brushes in a bit better shape, make sure hot water won't ruin them.
After a paint session I tend to give all my brushes a thorough rinse with clean water, then use hair conditioner: rub a load in, leave to sit for a min, rinse the majority of it out but leave some residue in the bristles. Works a treat
Looks at my "best" brushes... hmmm, maybe I should give them some TLC? An "old t-shirt"? I'm sorry, I don't understand that concept. Those were great paint brush tip tips.
Thank you so much, had 10 year old stay with me this weekend, brilliant artist for her age but used nearly every one of my brushes and didn't even rinse one - just grabbed a new brush. I have just bought her a cheap set for next time she's round.
Hahaha! I’m so happy! You pronounced my surname correctly Guy! I had a commanding officer many years ago, I was in her command for two years and she couldn’t even get it right!
0:50 These techniques are also useful if you want to use the water for other hobby projects such as making a cup of tea, cooking pasta or having a very uncomfortable bath.
I find thinning the boiling water with some water helps apply it to the bath better. about 130 litres of water should do it.
Idea for a vid: Top 10 Tips for more delicious paintwater.
For those times you forget which cup is your tea and which is your paint water and accidently drink the wrong one.
While boiling baths are nice, just remember that third-degree burns are best taken in shifts.
@@racek87 that's why I make one tea and one coffee. Paint water tastes better caffeinated.
Exactly what I needed ! I keep murdering my brushes after like 5 minis.
How often are you rinsing your brush? I find that it's best for me to rinse it after every section of a miniature I paint
I rinse the brush whenever I change the colour I’m painting, so I’m probably not doing it often enough.
@@Babyluigikarting Yeah, that's definitely not enough
I rinse mine pretty often, but what I end up doing to them still qualifies as genocide.
Same
You, good sir, are the hero we need AND deserve
OH YOU
YES!
Important tip: if washing them in boiling water dont dip the brush beyond the top of the metal ferrule. The boiling water can get inside the metal part and melt/wash away the glue. Then the bristles will come out and stick to your models.
Really wish I read the comment section before following these instructions or that the creator would’ve given a warning 😡
Thanks for the tip
Remember, always just the tip
Most bristles are attached with a two part epoxy. Boiling water will not melt that.
@@Weaver_Games "Run Coward" cool icon. I didn't know this, but I know I've destroyed a brush in the past with boiling water. Maybe it isn't so much of an issue these days?
As a cheapskate modeler, I LOVE this video! When there are absolutely NO bristles left on the brush, the handle is great for tree armatures, small dowels, or even flight bases, if you're not too picky about them being clear.
You can buy clear handle paint brushes.
@@Jimalcoatl Genius idea!
Been painting models 25 years, worked for GW for five years and I'm still learning some things that feel like they should be basic. XD Great video
GW?? how was it?
03:00 moment of silence for the veteran brush. It gave its life in service of the Emperor Midwinter.
03:12 Time to transfer this hero into a dreadnought via a few snips. Even in death it shall serve!
We Sault you brush
Great video. Just want to add one more important tip: Dont let your brushes stand up when they dry. Water will soak into the wooden handle. The wood will expand and the head of the brush becomes loose. Brushes should lay down to dry :)
now you know the pain women go through with all their makeup brushes :D Wash and condition them, dry flat over a towel, store in a special case rolled up, etc.
I trained up as an illustrator and this is news to me! Brb, got 20 years of paint brushes to fix.
I finally have a use for my matt clay after losing my hair. Thanks.
😭
3:07 EVEN IN DEATH I STILL SERVE
Dreadbrush!
...like a leaf... in summer provides shade and clorophile, in the fall the amazing colors and once dead on the ground it rots and becomes food for his master....
ONLY IN DEATH DOES DUTY END
I just love the Miniature painting community, it doesn't matter with what issue i'm confronted, there are dozens of tutorials about that specific problem. Keep it up y'all
Thanks for this, Guy. Everyone only talks about care for expensive sable brushes, but not the cheap stuff. This'll help me a lot as I use mostly synthetics.
This video provides insight and advice you could charge money for, yet you gave it so generously with excellent narrative.
This is perhaps the most timely possible video for me. Just the other day I was agonizing over whether I should continue on a rather complex free handing job with my current beat-up brushes or just nip out and get a nice new one with a dagger sharp point. You have saved me the decision and the money!
Never thought of hair clay, just used a bar of soap. I'll give it a go. After painting over 400 Napoleonic 15mm figs and going through only two brushes, I think I've done well.
Most excellent
Can the hair product technique work on natural hair red grass game kolisky sable hair brushes? I got one recently and it’s shit at keeping its shape
@@stonkotron319 Redgrass brushes are overrated. I got a pair with their first wet palette KS (also overhyped, though the second iteration is exactly what we hoped for the first time) and they didn't hold up well, despite the fact that I take very good care of my brushes.
Great video, but one small thing: some brushes can be really really damaged by dipping into hot or boiling water. The hair is kept bunched together by glue in the ferrule. Hot water can dissolve this glue and actually worsen your fraying or even cause fraying on a perfectly shaped brush. This won't happen every time, but it's a risk you should be aware of.
I think you just don't dip it all the way to where the wood handle and the metal thingy meets, cause that's where the glue is
This just happened to me. Ruined a bunch of brushes doing this just now
Yyyyu
I don't paint minis; I'm practicing painting in watercolour and this gives me more confidence to use my more expensive brushes. Cheers!
The best art advice I was ever given was “Use your materials.” Don’t hold off using your good tools. The right tools can change everything about how you create. My weakness was discovering Robert Simmons’ Titanium brushes. They completely transformed how I felt when working with oil and large canvases. True joy. Don’t wait. Use your materials. That’s what they’re there for!
Huge thanks, this saved my brushes! I started the hobby recently and the kits are greatly expensive (so are the tiny brushes...), so prolonging the life of what I have is a huge life saver. Thank you again!
I'm an artist, and a commercial industrial painter. There is nothing wrong with using thinners, or higher grade solvents, as long as you use them properly, and with respect to the type of bristles you are cleaning. The idea is to dissolve the paint out, and leave the bristle clean. Once that is achieved, then returning the bristles to a stable PH is required, removing any residual solvent in short order. If you use high heat, you could soften the epoxy in the hilt that holds your bristles in place, being just as bad or worse than using solvent. There are two main things I use for cleaning away solvents, Dawn dishwashing soap, followed by fabric softener, Dawn is high PH, and fabric softener is low, returning the bristles to neutral. To get out stubborn paint and heavy buildup, the solvent in conjunction with a fine wire brush will do the trick, getting into all the areas nearest the hilt removing and breaking up all the things. Your work arounds are only clever if you do not consider a more successful method.
Honestly, thank you so much for this video!
For a reason I haven't figured out yet, a lot of my brushes seem to die quite quickly, and I couldn't find, either on the internet or at my local art shop, any brush maintenance tips other than spitting on the bristles to re-shape them. But I did what's here in this video and my brushes are so much better now! It even restored some of the brushes I thought to be dead to a state that are usable! Thank you so much!
Less than 5 minutes and 100% informational. Bravo!
Hi guys, Guy here from Midwinter Minis. All you need to do is walk around Colchester until you've found enough hobby supplies on the floor or in bins, and then you'll just need to throw them in the vague direction of your models. Then, you clean up any mistakes you've made, and in less than 18 seconds, you've got a fully painted 2,000 point army.
My channel in a nutshell
@@MidwinterMinis It's great. Never change.
last time i was this early, Chaos Androids were still murdering Squats
I member!
Though, I dont remember squats in Space Crusade.. ;)
Assembly_Language ya, that’s a miss on my side, tho the ways of Iммateriuм are strange...
Nice
I have a bunch of those block Android's still. Wtf
You know this channel is the best, just perfect, wholesome and helpful. Music is spot on as well
I've been struggling with hooked synths for a while now. I cant get ne new brushes atm, and this did the trick nicely 👌 not used the clay but just a quick clean in boiling water and vinegar helped reshaped the tips. Thankyou so much, saved me some money for now and given me hope to be able to carry on with my models 👍
So I've been teaching my son to paint.
This has also meant that many of my brushes were sacrificed in the process...
And because I'm Dad, he knows best and RUclips becomes handy for validating me 🤣
So, thanks for this, I'll send him the link to watch and maybe he can rescue the 13 brushes he has.... acquired from me!
Free labour! Haha
@@MidwinterMinis I do believe that the term free is subjective. I have bought his plastic crack and also fed and clothed him his entire life. I believe he owes me..... 🤣🤣🤣
They say it is better to teach a man to fish than simply give him the fish. With kids you have to give him the fish first so they can watch and learn while they eat lol.
Fish? Pizza and Pepsi my man!
This is the video I was looking for when I started painting 40K!
I'm glad future hobbyists will have less painful starts than I had, thanks Guy!
Here within the first hour, got my name read out, and got a handy tip that will save all my brushes. Oh, what a joyous day.
Great tips! The Hair Clay is a new one on me... Will have to give that a shot. I like that the procedure is non-toxic. But most brushes with caked on dry paint are not truly shot. Soak them in Acetone for a minute or so, just long enough to release the dried up paint. Soak for too long the glue in the ferrule could come loose, but I've had decent luck with doing this to revive seemingly useless or spent brushes. Use some leave in hair or brush conditioner to soften the bristles and they're back to being usable again (though not "good as new"). Won't work on all brushes, but you can bring most back to a state that they can at least be used for other tasks (not fine painting).
Subscribed because of the dry brushing episode. These are the real videos for people getting into the hobby!
Just came across your channel and your enthusiasm towards Warhammer is just simply contagious! Keep up the great work! Subscribed!
I’m 100% doing this! Also I never thought about using stipple brushes to do battle damage on the edge of models. This channel is one of my favourite warhammer related channels out anything just for guys silky voice.
I've just finished painting my necrons and your first video really helped!
You know what I love about our craft, the amazing people who are in it, who enjoy it and who share their wisdom. Love you all, the Creators, the watchers and the players, Long live this Hobby :)
I needed this for my crispy brushes today
I don’t know if I’m just very high rn but I’m so excited to try this out in the morning
I always heard NOT to do this because the hot water will melt the adhesive that helps hold the bristles in place.
But will still try!
If it's a bin it or boil it situation you can risk some damage to the ferrel glue. Am using this to bring back a lot of borked brushes that master brush soap cannot help, some of them may die bug it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.
I tried this on a black sable brush with tried oil paint and it worked! Didn't expect to restore the brush without aggressive chemicals. Thanks for sharing!
You actually listened! I suggested this when you asked for ideas not long ago
Have been a hex & counter gamer for decades. I have only just last month started painting my minis that I have bought last century to use in fist full of lead rules/skirmishes
I have been buying lots of paint n brushes and some more figures. I need all the help I can get and this video is fantastic. My century has changed your young adult I do a lot of plastic models and painted them maybe not so well, still have quite a few of them but they need facelifts repairs new paint thankful I'm retired I would never have enough time to try to get all this done. And also I have GHQ micro armor that needs to be finished The ones I did paint I never did the treads, road wheels or underneath... Arthritis be damned I am so thoroughly enjoying learning how to paint (or at least put in a good effort) going to sub. Thanks. I've done a few videos of some of my models I'm painted and the skirmish combat that I'm using with them.
For my brushes I use a regular bar of soap instead of hair care products and it works well too. Great video 👍
Thank you for teaching me the hand crevice trick turns out that all I needed
I can't help to think that you're smiling when you're speaking.
Also great vid, helped me immensely!
Thanks, I love these types of videos. Great to see inexpensive options, tools and techniques. I always feel like I make almost any brush work and nice to see how to rejuvenate even these inexpensive brushes.
An additional tip: Don't use hot water for your regular painting... It can cause the ferrule to expand, which will allow pigment to get lodged in there, and will make it so you need to use the above technique sooner then ever.
Finally had to do this with my brushes after a few years. I added a 5 minute soak in acetone (aka nail polish remover) before hand to help get rid of the paint. Since that's another cheap step that most people will have in their house or can easily get for cheap. It worked like a charm I brought one brush that I'd relegated to dry brushing and had 5 years of use and being the only brush to paint an entire 1:35th scale tiger tank back to life with this.
It's been decades since I used to paint miniatures, however I had a habit that pretty much prevented me from having to ever clean my brushes....I literally had my paintbrush in my mouth most of the time, usually rinsing between two cups of water between working and having it in my mush. This kept the tips of my points clean, tight and even, and I made sure that I never had any metallics in my mouth at any point....or at least, made sure they were cleaned first. Non-toxic, definitely.
Those brushes you trimmed right near to the ferrule also work amazing for cleaning the plastic and resin out of gummed up diamond files if the bristles are stiff enough.
Watching Midwinter Minis on a shitty day feels like coming home after a long journey.
THANK YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!
FINELY, SOMETHING WORTH WATCHING!
Last time I was this early I had usable brushes
Doing this for 17 years and I still learned something, thanks!. Great video Guy! ;)
This is easily one of the most useful painting tutorials available. Thank you
I'm using a kind of brush soap to clean my brushes during and after use and that seems to help a lot, too. It reduces the buildup of old paint while also sorta reshapes the tip.
That's really the best way to go. I own an art supply store and I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who go the diy route making sub par versions of the real thing. Especially when proper brush soap doesn't cost that much more than these home remedies.
Excellent vid, but I'll add again in case anyone didn't catch it somehow: Do NOT use this method on expensive, natural brushes. It will destroy your investment quickly.
Most natural brushes will be absolutely fine. In fact, natural brushes are generally a lot more resistant to caustic liquids than synthetic ones. A few million years of evolution (and having your life depend on your fur's ability to handle a bit of acid) can do wonders. ;-)
The problem with boiling water and solvents is that some brushes (both natural and synthetic) rely on glue inside the ferrule to keep the bristles in place, and whatever you use to get paint and glue off the bristles can also weaken _that_ glue.
honestly this channel is headed sky high. You abslutely deserve the traction you're gettnig. Probably the best tips for people who aren't super handy (like me) you can find.
To reshape my brushes I just wipe them back and forth on a BAR of Ivory soap. YOU shape them with your fingers and let them dry with the soap still in them. Then once you are ready to use them again, just rinse them first before you start to paint. They hold the shape better than anything I have tried ..ever.
This is such gold, in way less you explained so much more than other videos. LOVE IT.
Hey, this looks good and I’ll definitely give it a go. I had heard that you shouldn’t use hot water to clean your brushes as it can start to melt the glue that holds the bristles in place, but if the brush is past it anyway, what’s to lose?
I really need it is because the brush is on currently using in a lot to me they don't give them to me by my nana for Christmas before she passes so they have a lot of sentimental value to me. I am very glad I found this video
Thanks mid winter Minnie's you are One again a life saver
Thank you very much, I've started painting only recently (after around 20 years of grey minis ^^") and your channel, together with other ones and a couple of GW painting manuals, really helps me. Just one question: isn't it dangerous to use boiled water to clean brushes? I though the basic advice was to always use cool water. Perhaps is because one thing is to clean them normally during your painting and another one is to fix the most compromised ones?
What a great, educational video with a truely uplifting narration. Just what I needed.
Thank you very much.
Getting my first 40k miniature set. Got 10x Adeptus Mechanicus Rangers. Just a start, I'm used to military miniatures so I'm hoping some skills translate over. Thanks for the videos for reference!
Yesss I love admech
I would definitely recommend you paint your dudes without attaching the legs to the torsos. It makes painting the inside of the capes infinitely easier ;)
@@Babyluigikarting That's something I was curious about. I know from experience and from a few videos lol. I'll be getting new paints but anyone know if Testors (what I currently have) would be any good for these models? I'm sure they would work, but do they have much value when it comes to 40k minis?
@@samj8421 Ive been lore diving for a long time and they interested me from day 1. Also enjoying 40k: Ad Mech Heretek on the switch lately lol
@@Plaguedice If the testors you have is the enamel paints I would switch to ny good acrylic paint, the are water soluble and much easier to use , GW, Vallejo, Reaper or army painter..what ever fits your budget.
I needed this. I have loads of brushes I don't use do to hooking and fraying. Thank you. First i got my eldar scheme from you and now this. You are the best
Great tips! Plus tip: Try not to dip your brush in water past the metal ferrel (1:14 wooden part of handle gets under water). The water will eventually creep between ferrel and wooden part, make the ferrel rust and weaken the wood, resulting in a wobbly ferrel. Especially if you use water that hot!
Cheers to an even longer life for your brush! Long live the brush!
Thanks for the brush saving tip. I thought my brushes were going to need something expensive to fix them. You’re literally a brush life saver.
Just a word of warning about heating water in a microwave. You need to be very careful if doing this as it can be heated above it normal it's normal boiling temperature and become superheated. This can cause it to basically vaporise into boiling steam instantly and explode.
Great tips on saving your brushes though. The matte clay one is a thing of genius. Probably just better to use a kettle and use the remainder for a cup of tea.
wanted to point that out as well, can backfire quite harshly.
Had it happen to me before I knew better. Was scary but luckily didn't hurt me
Is this info from the same panicky scientists advising Boris Johnson?
Although dangerous it is quite an interesting effect when you superheat coffee then go to stir it with a spoon. Nice little fountain of coffee. 10/10 would not suggest🤣
That feeling when you have the same kettle as midwinter minis
Edit: That feeling when you also have the same hair gel as midwinter minis
But do you have the same pan as him... yes i do... think i have the gel too as not used it since i went grade 0 for lockdown lol
I recently turned away from synthetic brushes to more expensive mohair or other types or brushes. But i missed the rigidity of my synthetic ones. This did the trick! Now im back to buying 5 brushes at a time, for a fraction of the price of 1!
THANK YOU! :)
1:30 -- That low-key "Don't do this. Only villains do this." gesture was 10/10.
Awesome ideas I’m going to try.
What I’ve been doing (and it works well) is periodically as I’m painting, when I go to rinse the brush in my water pot, after I give it a rinse, I’ll place the brush on a piece of plastic, and put a couple drops of rubbing alcohol on the brush. Even brushes you think are “clean” will still have a bunch of paint magically appear. I’ll work the brush around I the alcohol a bit until it seems I’ve gotten most of the paint out and give it another rinse in water. This is helping me maintain brushes weeks longer than than used to.
Just ordered Matt Clay on Amazon. I guess this does also apply to natural brush?
For sure, but natural hair brushes tend to behave a little bit better, that's why they're 10 times the price ;)
I'd use specialized brush soap for real hair brushes. You want to preserve their natural oils.
The solution is so simple, and so obvious... but I never would've thought of it by myself. Thanks Guy!
Me: looks at pile of warped brushes and feel sad
Guy: "here's how to fix your warped brushes"
Me: °-°
Holy hells dude, you have no idea how much of a blessing this video is for me. Thanks a tonne!
I can only find that matt clay for $15 per. Any other ideas for a product that would work?
any cheap hair clay should do, just make sure it's matte (not gel). your local supermarket or pharmacy should stock it
Your local hobby store that sells artist painting supplies (oils on canvas type of seller) should have a few pots or bars of masters brush soap. Wet the recently cleaned brush and run the bristles across the masters soap. Not looking to suds up again just getting a little diluted film. Then shape your brush close as you can to it’s correct shape without rinsing things off. I often make use of the crook between my thumb and index finger for this bit. Vince Ventruella (search for hobby cheating) has a nice vid on brush care. Most of the time if you do the masters soap to clean and reshape you shouldn’t need to do this videos kind of deep cleaning very often.
i've been using what we in the netherlands call "green soap" (groene zeep) for cleaning my oil painting brushes, vinegar is from what i've noticed sometimes too aggressive for sable or other organic brushes because it seems to dissolve the natural oils in the hairs as well as the caked on oil paint and sometimes the hairs will start to curl up aggressively. So soaking them in a cup of warm water with a dinner spoon of green soap and letting it soak for a bit has been my go to for those types of brushes.
I have a question that's been bugging me since I watched this video. I've always read and been told buy fellow hobbyists and even traditional painters that you should never use water above a luke-warm temperature as it will soften and weaken the glue that mounts the bristles into the ferrule. This would lead to bristle loss and brush death sooner than later. So, why boiling water if this is the case? Is this actually true or basically an artists equivalent to an "old wives tale"? Really curious to know. Thanks.
I think if you're only doing this with brushes that would otherwise get tossed because they were too filled with paint and glue, then it doesn't matter as much because you're getting a few more uses out of it. For not-trashed-yet brushes I use Pink Soap to clean them
@@LexLaptopCoffee Also, you're using it for a few seconds at a time. Maybe it does damage them if you do it on the regular, but if it's just every now and then to revive them, it doesn't really have time to do much damage.
It does fix the shape of the bristles. It also melts the glue especially if you dip brushes beyond the top of the metal ferrule. Personally I just use a little boiling water and just dip the bristles.
Boiling water is needed to soften the plastic/acrylic that forms the paint.
Oh, and a very useful vid, Guy. Thanks! I'm a bit of a hoarder, and have drawers of dead brushes I've saved in case of a bit of brush necromancy.
Me: Lives in a place where Matt clay doesn’t exist*
Also me: In the grim darkness of the current present I don’t have a none greasy hair care product for brush cleaning
Just use a little conditioner. It will rinse right out and not affect your paint next time you use it.
I didn't know how much i needed this vid until I read the title. Thanks Guy!
last time i was this early Slaanesh didnt exist yet
Nice tips! When I went to art college, my instructor had a few tips. When you get done painting, dip the brush in rubbing alcohol. This will clean all acrylic paints, white glues and mod-podge. Whip it clean on a paper towel. Then insert the brush in your mouth. Form the brush tips slightly as you remove the brush. The saliva with make the brush keep it's true form. It does sound gross. BUT because you are using rubbing alcohol, it is completely sanitized. And about as cheap as you can get.
It's a good tip for synthetic brushes, but it will quickly ruin natural brushes. The alcohol strips away the natural protective oils in the bristles, and leaves it brittle. In fact, this leads to the brush losing its shape and shedding more quickly.
@@HeadHunterSix That only happens if you don't use the spit method as I described above. I have many brushes that over 25 years old. Some cheap, some not.
Another good thing about synthetic brushes - no animals were harmed!
@Leonidas Piledriver I heard they just shave the Golden Taklons like they do sheep. Getting them to sit still and wear the barber's cape is the hardest part of the process though, and they never want to talk about their holidays
I'm Tina jay from USA & a beginner painter live your tips I'm glad I found you thanks 🙏😊
Have a good day everybody!
Thank you 🙏
I am very glad how big you have become! Your production value really gets up their too!
Be VERY careful about the type of brush that you use these cleaning techniques on! Some brushes have bristles which are held by a glue which is sensitive to heat. This means your brush could be losing its bristles / hairs when you clean them with hot water as shown here.
Of course, if your brush is ruined anyway, you might wanna risk it, but if you are just looking to get your brushes in a bit better shape, make sure hot water won't ruin them.
I do not paint miniatures but i do customise shoes and this was sooooo helpful.Cheers buddy!
0:50 *laughs in boiling water tap*
Show off! Haha
Man i can't thank you enough! All wat youre saying works as you mentioned and my brushes 🖌 never looked so great and ready for next use.
I’m a Dapper Dan man!
Ha!
You have no idea how much I needed this video
How’s penny doing? It’s been a bit since she’s made a cameo
After a paint session I tend to give all my brushes a thorough rinse with clean water, then use hair conditioner: rub a load in, leave to sit for a min, rinse the majority of it out but leave some residue in the bristles. Works a treat
Looks at my "best" brushes... hmmm, maybe I should give them some TLC? An "old t-shirt"? I'm sorry, I don't understand that concept.
Those were great paint brush tip tips.
Thank you so much, had 10 year old stay with me this weekend, brilliant artist for her age but used nearly every one of my brushes and didn't even rinse one - just grabbed a new brush. I have just bought her a cheap set for next time she's round.
AH yes. the famous metric measurement of one 'glug'
Hahaha! I’m so happy! You pronounced my surname correctly Guy! I had a commanding officer many years ago, I was in her command for two years and she couldn’t even get it right!