Thank god there's finally a video on this with someone with a science background and knows the subject matter. There's so little good information, and a lot of dubious marketing around brush products.
I suspect that a lot of the specialty soaps do have marginal advantages with the various blend of conditioners they use... but for an old fashioned deep clean just use whatever works! :-)
Even well intentioned advice is sometimes (often!) wrong. What I love about Brent's videos is that he tests his assumptions -- the real scientific method! I often mention to others his videos about the relative merits of priming and varnishing models to prevent damage. People have all sort of beliefs that sometimes don't correspond to reality (also see: how many people claim you absolutely MUST wash your plastic sprues with water and soap? I seldom remember to do this, and it makes little to no difference with most brands of minis).
@@mrheisenberg83 I think that's a possibility. People are told one thing ("mold release agent") that may be true of some processed, and then never update their beliefs when those processes or materials change.
In 25 years of warhammer hobby, I'm embarrassed to say I never understood that cleaning the brush could actually restore the tip. Bought 99,5% IPA , and it worked like a charm.
As a signwriter who uses russian sable brushes for most of my signs, use neatsfoot oil (from a saddlery shop) to keep your brushes well oiled when you re not using them, when I store mine I never know when I will need them next and its a fantastic product to stop your brushes from drying out from under use
Brent casually answering every single question regarding the painting sode of the hobby i had the last 20 years while beeing amazingly charismatic. A pleasure to watch.
I have used my wife's hair straightener to fix curled synthetic tips with mixed results. I figured it wasn't really worth the trouble but might be worth looking into.
As an artist who spent a lot of their early years in STEM, this was *so refreshing*. So much of what are considered 'trade important products' don't actually explain the science behind them beyond marketing. Please keep doing videos like this!
This video got me while I was searching the net for some new brushes. What a godsend. You’ve single-handedly saved a bunch of my Da Vinci brushes because I used your method and restored them back to almost as good as new. Thanks so much!!
Well done. Wwaaayyyyyy back when I was in high school I had an amazing art teacher and at the end of each semester a few of us would join him to do a deep clean of the tables and brushes. As we were using acrylics we used Isopropyl to clean and recondition them. Nice to see it validated all these years later.
This could not have come at a more perfect time. I'm new to miniatures and was using basic brushes but finally ordered some better ones. So this is a godsend.
I really enjoy using "The Masters" brush cleaner. It works really well for helping a worn out brush forming a sharp point again. A container of that will last a lifetime.
I honestly didn't know before you made these videos that Army Painter brushes use natural hair. I always thought they were just higher quality synthetics. I already thought that they offered a good value when looking at hobby-branded brushes, but that value and appreciation just went up even more.
I use shampoo and hair conditioner on mine (I paint on canvas as well as miniatures) and they come out lovely and soft and springy again. The cheap stuff is best. It makes them easier to clean if you do it regularly.
@@Dezkoi I never leave mine sitting in water or covered in paint, I don't smash them against the bottom of the water jar to clean, always lay and dry flat and shampoo and condition every few days they last for years. Eventually they wear down to a splayed nub and I use them for painting trees and bushes, then they graduate to drybrush university before I cut the handle down for a sculpture tool if it has not fallen apart. I get very attached to them lol I hate throwing them away it feels like a funeral.
Now this is an idea I'm gonna try! Some of my brushes need a deeper clean than that so I'm gonna use iso or the tiny amount of chroma brush soap I have left to get all the remaining paint and pigment out and then use some shampoo to get any residue and remaining particles out and start to re-form the point (the brush soap is great for getting just about anything out of the bristles but it also dries my skin out so much so I try not to use my fingers with it, so using the shampoo as a second cleanse means I can make sure they're clean!) - and then the conditioner can make the brushes soft again 😊
@@ericconnor8419 Have you tried using those silicone paint pucks with the little nubs that gently separate the bristles to clean paint from the inner bristles? The ones I like come as part of a rinse cup with silicone grippers around the rim that hold your paintbrushes point-down to dry. I wish they'd been invented sooner.
Once I learned you were a Phd Chemist your videos like this became instant watch. I support a bunch of really smart chemist as part of my job and you are every bit as thorough as they are. Understanding what's happening to your brush with every paint, solvent, cleaner is eye opening compared to pseudoscience "in my experience" A lot of mini painters are amazing artist without understand why X,Y,Z gives them certain results.
That was so informative, thank you! I loved seeing the bristles under the microscope. I'm super hard on my brushes since I do a lot of scumbling and pouncing. After seeing how well the natural bristles restore and how kinked the synthetic get (most of my brushes are synthetic and have very damaged tips, (I try to only used those old damaged brushes for scumbling and oiling out) I think I may need to make the switch to natural! PSA: Wear gloves when washing brushes. In the video you demoed rubbing a brush in your hand with soap to clean it. I used to do this until I was informed that, especially when combined with soap, certain pigments such as cadmiums and other heavy metals and toxic compounds can penetrate and be absorbed through the skin. Less of an concern if you're very careful choosing non-toxic pigments, but still a good practice. Ps. I just read in the comments that you're a phd chemist. Please let me know if I was misinformed about the safety concern of washing brushes without gloves.
This is soo helpful. Having been painting minis for years now I have never seen a video for a creator as large as you talking about this. Wonderfully helpful.
25 years ago, The Artist Magazine, showed a brush storage system that simply used wood spring clothes pins to hold a brush tip down. No water or liquid can sit in the ferrel so you minimize the damage. The trick is to take the clothes pin, clamp it shut tightly and drill a hold from the front to the back. Release the clamp and test fit a brush handle. Then tie the clothes pin to another horizontal dowel and hang all your brushes tip down after cleaning. Been using this method for a long, long time. I still have some brushes i bought in 1980. Red Sable. Winsor Newton. They are still springy and pointed.
Thank you, you guilted me in to a brush cleaning session before I pack in for the night :) I hadn't heard leaving the soap in the brush tips going to try that tonight
So fascinating. Thank you for taking time to get into this. it really helps the hobbyist make science based decisions on how to upkeep, restore and finally when to replace brushes of all types. Much appreciated.
This was a great topic Brent! Thank you for your time and effort getting these videos out 🙂My most favourite moments are your chemistry lessons: the videos about epoxies and super glue were awesome and continue to share these with my peers several months after first coming across them. I would love to learn more about the chemistry behind both paint removing and pain thinning from you/your channel if not too much to ask. 😊
Ive been using alcohol denatured with heptane i got for free from my lab, and if a brush gets too messed up, i rinse it in the alcohol then use masters brush cleaner to recondition the hairs. Ive been using the same $1 natural hair brush for a couple years and it still has a good tip!
@@GoobertownHobbies lol it's all good, it's a much smaller amount that I took than gets accounted for as lost during the extraction process we use it for. That and my bosses don't care lol. We also make finished consumer products and my bosses let me take whatever I want for myself!
I had some decent success for the care of my synthetic brushes with a combo of hot water and Mastersons brush cleaner when forming the bristles into a tip after every use to not get into the hook-tip in the first place. I leave some diluted soap in the brush to dry when forming the tip. Seems to be working rather nice with my synthetic Kolinsky imitation brushes from the 8344 series from Raphael. Been using one set of size 2-1-0 now for 3 months and almost daily use and so far I can see no sign of them wearing out and hooking is all but absent. I usually run through a set of the natural hair 8404 brushes about once a year. Considering the price difference between the 8344 and 8404, if I can make the 8344 work for at least 4 months before replacing them, I am saving money.
Your science background really makes this the go to video for this sort of thing. I really love your unique take on this hobby. Kudos to you Brent! Any shot you can give pointers (no pun intended) on restoring/reforming the points on brushes?
Thank you for making this video. I really appreciate your careful science-based approach to these sorts of problems. Once again you have cut through all the folk knowledge to get to the actual truth.
I'm glad to see this video. Tackling the idea of restoring hooked synthetics is especially helpful, at a certain point it's just not worth the effort on a cheap brush.
I'm excited to try IPA. I'm not sure what the ingredient is in Winsor & Newton Artists' Brush Cleaner & Restorer either, but i followed the instructions on that and it completely removed the glue in the ferrel on specifically my Green Stuff World Brushes. My cheaper brushes were fine though. Thank you for the very informative and well constructed video as always
Another excellent video, Brent. In my mind you are now the Mr. Rogers of Miniature Painting. Solid, data-based recommendations, a genial manner, and a sense of humor. (I'd also call you the Mr. Rogers of smallmouth bass fishing, but your lures are a bit on the odd side. 🙂) By the way, I use that fancy soap and conditioner in the tan plastic tin for final cleaning of my brushes at the end of a work session. While painting I use a bottle of water (of course) and a jar filled with windshield washer fluid for mild cleaning. For hard cases I also use Createx 4012 thinner. Unfortunately, as a model railroader it's still difficult to avoid getting paint above the bristles when using an old-school bottle of paint. Cheers from Wisconsin!
I've had pretty good luck with the Windsor and Newton. Its nice because it works on any type of paint I could throw at it, including enamel and even wax paints.
Funnily enough, in Gunpla, we use Purple Power or other degreasers to take Plating off of certain runners when doing repaints. Gave me a giggle to see it took the plating off the brush ferrul too.
For a bit of a messy painter like myself, this is a good send. I keep getting paint in the ferrule because I'm silly. Isopropyl is great for reversing your (my) silliness.
I am SO glad you've mentioned leaving in a layer of brush soap in after cleaning, because that's what I've been doing after every use. As a beginner I try to be very fussy about brush maintenance, since I've destroyed more than enough expensive brushes on first use. Still trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, since my new-ish set of sable brushes is also facing the issue of not having a proper pointy tip anymore. Funny enough, I always end up using an old kolinsky brush I found in an old art box because that seems to be the only brush that manages to withstand my painting technique.
I have been using denatured alcohol for cleaning my brushes. It does a great job dissolving acrylics I used to work as a pro painter. I had to use better if not the best brushes for some of the work I did and I did not throw way brushes. In my opinion the tools you use should reflect what you and how you work. I do love to paint minis and models and I have used what I have been taught painting homes and businesses to my hobby brushes. I prefer natural brushes but I will use synthetic brushes when I have to. Thanks for a great video and sharing what you know.
Dude. Thank you so much. You're like a hobby tool necromancer. Thanks to you I now have about a dozen formerly dead brushes back in the game, as good as new. I'm going to see if i can tip you somehow, seeing as i'll probably now save a fortune on new brushes. Thank you again!
As a painter (acrylic) I agree with you, and as for the synthetic brushes, they will get some wear and tear no matter how much you take care of them, but, that does not make them useless (at least not when you paint on canvas and such) I have heavily damaged brushes that are PERFECT for foliage for example :) so even damaged brushes can still be of use! I do give my natural brushes a gentle hair treatment 2 times a year, either for just a few hours if they look kinda ok, for rougher once I leave it overnight. Otherwise I use child friendly soap or shampoo for my brushes (if it´s good enough for babies, it´s good enough for my brushes) and as a last resort I use 99.5% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) which is really good for cleaning my glasses too (and electronics, also handy when soldering, and cleaning in general) Sorry for the long comment, just got excited when I saw your video :) and wanted to share what works for me.
something you can also remember is, clean them WHEN you finish using them, not a day or 5 later, I have some signwriting brushes I have had for 20 years and yes they are natural, but always cleaned when finished and stored flat, with oil, neatsfoot (saddle oil) is best but any oil will work, just clean them with a soft soap before use
Good stuff to know. My son is not careful with brushes, and they could really do with some attention. I have some IPA though so I am apparently prepared.
Great video! Definitely have to try just using IPA to clean my brushes, I've always used brush soap so far. On a side note, the "don't get paint near the ferrule" tip. I'd only partially agree. Yes, it makes the brush last longer and easier to clean. However, it also makes paint application, especially on smaller brushes, much harder since the paint you have on the tip can more easily dry up and becomes harder to apply.
Thanks for speaking to the effects of IPA on the bristle glue. I kept hearing people say it will dissolve it but I've never had any issues. Since everyone else is listing their routines, here's mine: immediately after a painting session I rinse everything in room temp water. Any brushes with globs of paint or paint up to the metal I hit with IPA and a cotton swab. Then all brushes go through the tan puck until they aren't leaving paint on it anymore. Only takes a few minutes each night and everything stays clean!
@@witoldskrzydlewski6827 I haven't had any issues with them so far but I haven't owned any natural brushes for more than a year so I don't have any long term data to back up my methods. So far so good though!
My buddies call you “creepy chemist guy”. And this is exactly why I come back. Good stuff here. I never thought of using isopropyl for my brushes. Thank you sir!
Yeah, W&N Brush cleaner and restorer is pretty serious stuff. I have had it debond the glue in the ferrule a few times (albeit on a cheaper synthetic brushes) and it always starts removing the paint and silk screening on brush handles if it drips or gets that far down. Interesting that the fumes did the same! Now I only use the Purple Super Clean for the worst offending brushes and Masters after.
I was pretty bummed out by the laziness of the W&N brush cleaner MSDS... There are clearly some organic solvents in there that folks should be aware of.. But yeah, whatever gets the gunk out! :-)
Aw man, I also didn't realize the fumes would do that! Considering I've used the stuff for real bad decades-old crusted brushes, acrylic and oil both, it's why I've recommended it to folks 😕
Just tried this on ten of my dead brushes that were rock solid and I cannot understate how well this worked. While not all of them form a good point anymore, they are all as silky as the day I got them, even the one I had been using to spread glue on miniature bases!! They are all synthetic brushes, and it was a mix of Golden Maple, Solve (makeup brushes), and Royal Crafter's Choice brands. One note though, of the several Royal Maple brand brushes I cleaned, one of them did have the glue dissolve and the hairs fell out of the ferrule. Not sure why it only happened on one and not the others, but I'm not too upset about it, that brush was long gone.
A thing I learned from a painter master, but for normal brushes. You can use hard soap and massage it into the bristles and shape it. It will harden and this will keep your brushes in the shape. I guess it would,l work well for smaller brushes
Thank you for this video. It was more helpful than you know. Your calm voice also apparently puts the wee ones to sleep. Have you ever considered recording yourself reading a few bed time type stories?
Great video man. I like to give my nice brushes a dose of hair conditioner after cleaning and then wash/wet the bristles before I paint with them. I don't know if that extends the life of the brush, but they look nice when they're laid out on my brush rack :)
It is nice to see some hearsay techniques tested and compared I tend to view synthetic brushes this small as consumables anyway. When they get this bad, it gets a different job (texture paint, glue, boogers, varnish, pigment powders) until they end up in the trash can.
I've had quite a bit of success in reshaping synthetic brush tips by holding them into the steam coming out of my kettle spout and then reshaping the tip with my hands while trying not to get burned. Since steam carries a lot mor enrgy then hot water and is actually at 100°C it might explain why it worked better.
Great video, I am about to embark on my first real foray into acrylics, and this has been substantially informative to reducing cost and experimentation. Thank you kindly.
Great and informative video! Would love to see a similar one about whether one should wash miniatures (with for example dish soap) before priming, based on whether they're plastic/metal/resin and whether they've been handled a lot or not.
Probably been said a thousand times in the comments, but I'll feed the algorithm. Even the best brushes with the best care wear down. But many can be reporposed either as other types of brushes or for other purposes. Examples could be as a dry brush, to clean an airbrush, or even to apply glue (this is usually the last stop for my brushes).
Very interesting video again. I have got this related question for a long time: what to do with almost dried paint? In particular, I tried to add isopropanol to metal paint and only obtained an horrible goo. Any advice? Many thanks for all your videos
This sounds a bit crazy but trust me it works: Purchase some cheap hair straightening tongs. Sandwich the tip of any brush in-between some oven parchment paper and the hair tongs and gently squeeze together, rotating the tip as you go.. It straightens the tips brilliantly, the heat along with a flat surface and some gentle pressure works wonders. :) Great video by the way. PA is a great cleaner.
One that wasn't mentioned and has been my go-to for years is automotive hand cleaner. It's designed to remove grease and oil and also has a bit of grit to it. Works great if you find a brush that somehow didn't get cleaned and has hard dried paint in it. I just put a drop in my palm and work it into the brush, swirling it around until it looks clean. Rinse it out then use some regular brush cleaner/conditioner on it and reshape it. I've already got it under the sink for when I need it after repairs, so it's a great tool when needed for my hobby.
Brent..... New fundraising idea.... you could use the trimmings of your luscious locks to create "Limited edition" Goobertown brushes.... $500 per.... Watch out Winsor & Newton
IPA will definitely strip out some of the conditioners, so it's not for everyday use... but I'm always skeptical of the chicken-soup style hearth wisdom, it took my brushes from completely unusable to good enough to paint some relicblade minis :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies I agree. I use brush soap every day but I have a nice Raphael 808 that i want to bring back to life that, prior to this video , would not have used IPA to restore. Now Im going to try it. :) Love the science and facts you bring to the hobby.
Thanks for posting. I've used alcohol for removing the paint from dice pips and never thought to use it to clean brushes. You may well have saved a couple of my favorite broken toad sables from being relegated to drybrushes.
Heck yeah man! Ive been so looking forward to this video since you got the "ENHANCE" machine! So awesome to debunk and learn new stuff within the hobby!
Great video. I have IPA for resin printing; but I was holding off using it for brush cleaning, since I assumed it would kill the glue. Following your video I'm going to give it a shot with some really old brushes - as you say, those brushes are otherwise dead anyway.
I just use a dollar store unscented body soap for my brushes after each paint session. Haven’t had to buy new brushes in forever. I have several of the heavier products available but like you said prevention is key. I really think the branded brush soaps are not doing much more special than any standard soap would.
This is wild. I haven't had any updates for this channel in ages, but I checked today only to find you had done some new ones. I miss the videos. I hope all is well on your end. Take care.
use soap daily with cold water! i noticed in long time hot water ruins the brush in a way or another, maybe affect the glue. As a passionate "brush cleaner" XD i totally share with you the same methods! cool to see in the microscope! thank you again!
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
What on earth is that little bunny creature model with the turnip?? I desperately need to get one!
Akadh botanist :-) www.relicblade.com/shop/p/akadh-botanist
@@GoobertownHobbies big thanks!
Oops, I was getting all mixed up! Ignore me!
@@GoobertownHobbies have you tried hair streighteners on brushes?
Thank god there's finally a video on this with someone with a science background and knows the subject matter. There's so little good information, and a lot of dubious marketing around brush products.
I suspect that a lot of the specialty soaps do have marginal advantages with the various blend of conditioners they use... but for an old fashioned deep clean just use whatever works! :-)
Even well intentioned advice is sometimes (often!) wrong. What I love about Brent's videos is that he tests his assumptions -- the real scientific method! I often mention to others his videos about the relative merits of priming and varnishing models to prevent damage. People have all sort of beliefs that sometimes don't correspond to reality (also see: how many people claim you absolutely MUST wash your plastic sprues with water and soap? I seldom remember to do this, and it makes little to no difference with most brands of minis).
The science lens on all the videos is what keeps me coming back. Love the methodology and approach to problems we all have
@@theandf could that be people confusing plastic and resin?
@@mrheisenberg83 I think that's a possibility. People are told one thing ("mold release agent") that may be true of some processed, and then never update their beliefs when those processes or materials change.
Scientific method brought to paint brushes, that's why I love this channel.
Me too!
Your video saved 51 of my brushes. B4 I came across your video I was sad but now I feel like a boss lol
that's great! back to work, brushes, back to work! :-)
In 25 years of warhammer hobby, I'm embarrassed to say I never understood that cleaning the brush could actually restore the tip. Bought 99,5% IPA , and it worked like a charm.
There is always room to learn!
Ah great, I was scanning to see if anyone had tried the good stuff.
As a signwriter who uses russian sable brushes for most of my signs, use neatsfoot oil (from a saddlery shop) to keep your brushes well oiled when you re not using them, when I store mine I never know when I will need them next and its a fantastic product to stop your brushes from drying out from under use
I thought about abusing back-channels last week just to recommend you do this exact topic. Thank you! My poor abused brushes are going to be so happy.
hehehehe, I'm still learning over here, but we're starting to get it figured out! :-)
@thepoorhammerpodcast and mine 😆
Poorhammer spotted
Who else loves it when Brent deep dives on a topic and really uses that chemist brain?
Yep. The resin printer fluid and paint chemistry videos were great!
I am all for more brush under a microscope content!
I don't know why it was so satisfying to watch, but I agree
Me too!
weve moved beyond painting minis
its time for painting micros
Brent casually answering every single question regarding the painting sode of the hobby i had the last 20 years while beeing amazingly charismatic. A pleasure to watch.
I have used my wife's hair straightener to fix curled synthetic tips with mixed results. I figured it wasn't really worth the trouble but might be worth looking into.
As an artist who spent a lot of their early years in STEM, this was *so refreshing*. So much of what are considered 'trade important products' don't actually explain the science behind them beyond marketing. Please keep doing videos like this!
This video got me while I was searching the net for some new brushes. What a godsend. You’ve single-handedly saved a bunch of my Da Vinci brushes because I used your method and restored them back to almost as good as new. Thanks so much!!
Well done. Wwaaayyyyyy back when I was in high school I had an amazing art teacher and at the end of each semester a few of us would join him to do a deep clean of the tables and brushes. As we were using acrylics we used Isopropyl to clean and recondition them. Nice to see it validated all these years later.
nice! I bet that was a fun day of restoration hehehehe :-)
This could not have come at a more perfect time. I'm new to miniatures and was using basic brushes but finally ordered some better ones. So this is a godsend.
I really enjoy using "The Masters" brush cleaner. It works really well for helping a worn out brush forming a sharp point again. A container of that will last a lifetime.
I honestly didn't know before you made these videos that Army Painter brushes use natural hair. I always thought they were just higher quality synthetics. I already thought that they offered a good value when looking at hobby-branded brushes, but that value and appreciation just went up even more.
1:13 good to see the real expect of the show giving them a proper check over!
You have inspired me to clean a brush for the first time ever
I love it so much when you get all science on a subject. So good.
I use shampoo and hair conditioner on mine (I paint on canvas as well as miniatures) and they come out lovely and soft and springy again. The cheap stuff is best. It makes them easier to clean if you do it regularly.
@@Dezkoi I never leave mine sitting in water or covered in paint, I don't smash them against the bottom of the water jar to clean, always lay and dry flat and shampoo and condition every few days they last for years. Eventually they wear down to a splayed nub and I use them for painting trees and bushes, then they graduate to drybrush university before I cut the handle down for a sculpture tool if it has not fallen apart. I get very attached to them lol I hate throwing them away it feels like a funeral.
Now this is an idea I'm gonna try! Some of my brushes need a deeper clean than that so I'm gonna use iso or the tiny amount of chroma brush soap I have left to get all the remaining paint and pigment out and then use some shampoo to get any residue and remaining particles out and start to re-form the point (the brush soap is great for getting just about anything out of the bristles but it also dries my skin out so much so I try not to use my fingers with it, so using the shampoo as a second cleanse means I can make sure they're clean!) - and then the conditioner can make the brushes soft again 😊
@@ericconnor8419 Have you tried using those silicone paint pucks with the little nubs that gently separate the bristles to clean paint from the inner bristles? The ones I like come as part of a rinse cup with silicone grippers around the rim that hold your paintbrushes point-down to dry. I wish they'd been invented sooner.
Once I learned you were a Phd Chemist your videos like this became instant watch. I support a bunch of really smart chemist as part of my job and you are every bit as thorough as they are. Understanding what's happening to your brush with every paint, solvent, cleaner is eye opening compared to pseudoscience "in my experience" A lot of mini painters are amazing artist without understand why X,Y,Z gives them certain results.
That was so informative, thank you! I loved seeing the bristles under the microscope. I'm super hard on my brushes since I do a lot of scumbling and pouncing. After seeing how well the natural bristles restore and how kinked the synthetic get (most of my brushes are synthetic and have very damaged tips, (I try to only used those old damaged brushes for scumbling and oiling out) I think I may need to make the switch to natural!
PSA: Wear gloves when washing brushes. In the video you demoed rubbing a brush in your hand with soap to clean it. I used to do this until I was informed that, especially when combined with soap, certain pigments such as cadmiums and other heavy metals and toxic compounds can penetrate and be absorbed through the skin. Less of an concern if you're very careful choosing non-toxic pigments, but still a good practice.
Ps. I just read in the comments that you're a phd chemist. Please let me know if I was misinformed about the safety concern of washing brushes without gloves.
This is soo helpful. Having been painting minis for years now I have never seen a video for a creator as large as you talking about this.
Wonderfully helpful.
the timing on this video could not have been more perfect, I am in need of finally cleaning some of my brushes, so I really appreciate this.
25 years ago, The Artist Magazine, showed a brush storage system that simply used wood spring clothes pins to hold a brush tip down. No water or liquid can sit in the ferrel so you minimize the damage. The trick is to take the clothes pin, clamp it shut tightly and drill a hold from the front to the back. Release the clamp and test fit a brush handle. Then tie the clothes pin to another horizontal dowel and hang all your brushes tip down after cleaning. Been using this method for a long, long time. I still have some brushes i bought in 1980. Red Sable. Winsor Newton. They are still springy and pointed.
Thank you, you guilted me in to a brush cleaning session before I pack in for the night :) I hadn't heard leaving the soap in the brush tips going to try that tonight
that's the spirit! clean them brushes :-)
Probably one of the most useful videos I've ever seen.
extra thank you to your assistants for helping give us such an informative video ;) exactly what i needed
soft voice, cat, liking even before watching the whole stuff
Gave this a shot today with IPA, rescued a bunch of gw layer brushes I inherited. Thanks for the video!
Wish I could give a golden thumbs up or something like it. One is just not enough for this kind of content.
So fascinating. Thank you for taking time to get into this. it really helps the hobbyist make science based decisions on how to upkeep, restore and finally when to replace brushes of all types. Much appreciated.
This was a great topic Brent! Thank you for your time and effort getting these videos out 🙂My most favourite moments are your chemistry lessons: the videos about epoxies and super glue were awesome and continue to share these with my peers several months after first coming across them. I would love to learn more about the chemistry behind both paint removing and pain thinning from you/your channel if not too much to ask. 😊
Ive been using alcohol denatured with heptane i got for free from my lab, and if a brush gets too messed up, i rinse it in the alcohol then use masters brush cleaner to recondition the hairs. Ive been using the same $1 natural hair brush for a couple years and it still has a good tip!
nice! yep that's a very reasonable system... but be careful about leaving a digital footprint about what you're taking home from work ;-)
@@GoobertownHobbies lol it's all good, it's a much smaller amount that I took than gets accounted for as lost during the extraction process we use it for. That and my bosses don't care lol. We also make finished consumer products and my bosses let me take whatever I want for myself!
I had some decent success for the care of my synthetic brushes with a combo of hot water and Mastersons brush cleaner when forming the bristles into a tip after every use to not get into the hook-tip in the first place. I leave some diluted soap in the brush to dry when forming the tip. Seems to be working rather nice with my synthetic Kolinsky imitation brushes from the 8344 series from Raphael. Been using one set of size 2-1-0 now for 3 months and almost daily use and so far I can see no sign of them wearing out and hooking is all but absent. I usually run through a set of the natural hair 8404 brushes about once a year. Considering the price difference between the 8344 and 8404, if I can make the 8344 work for at least 4 months before replacing them, I am saving money.
Your science background really makes this the go to video for this sort of thing. I really love your unique take on this hobby. Kudos to you Brent!
Any shot you can give pointers (no pun intended) on restoring/reforming the points on brushes?
Thank you for making this video. I really appreciate your careful science-based approach to these sorts of problems. Once again you have cut through all the folk knowledge to get to the actual truth.
Very well done video, much appreciated the microscopic demonstrations to prove a point 👍
I'm glad to see this video. Tackling the idea of restoring hooked synthetics is especially helpful, at a certain point it's just not worth the effort on a cheap brush.
Two of my favorites, hobby science and cats!!! Love this video, great informative content!!!
Yes!! A goobertown video always makes the day better!!
Absolutely love when you do these science based videos 😁❤️👍🏼
Another video I can point people to for an educated approach that makes so much sense!
I'm excited to try IPA. I'm not sure what the ingredient is in Winsor & Newton Artists' Brush Cleaner & Restorer either, but i followed the instructions on that and it completely removed the glue in the ferrel on specifically my Green Stuff World Brushes. My cheaper brushes were fine though. Thank you for the very informative and well constructed video as always
Ever heard the saying "You learn something new everyday" I can guarantee that this Channel lives up to that saying.
Super helpful stuff! Been meaning to get better about my brush care and now i know whatll probably serve me the best!
Another excellent video, Brent. In my mind you are now the Mr. Rogers of Miniature Painting. Solid, data-based recommendations, a genial manner, and a sense of humor. (I'd also call you the Mr. Rogers of smallmouth bass fishing, but your lures are a bit on the odd side. 🙂) By the way, I use that fancy soap and conditioner in the tan plastic tin for final cleaning of my brushes at the end of a work session. While painting I use a bottle of water (of course) and a jar filled with windshield washer fluid for mild cleaning. For hard cases I also use Createx 4012 thinner. Unfortunately, as a model railroader it's still difficult to avoid getting paint above the bristles when using an old-school bottle of paint. Cheers from Wisconsin!
I'm surprised at how effective the IPA was. Good video!
Exactly what i was looking for and it released a minute ago, like you knew it. Thank you Brent!
I've had pretty good luck with the Windsor and Newton. Its nice because it works on any type of paint I could throw at it, including enamel and even wax paints.
Funnily enough, in Gunpla, we use Purple Power or other degreasers to take Plating off of certain runners when doing repaints. Gave me a giggle to see it took the plating off the brush ferrul too.
I always enjoy Dr. Goobs breakin' out the science
And I thought that "I" was hard on my brushes........Awesome video, thanks for sharing !!
Yaaaasss! I’ve been sitting with my isopropyl since your last video… just waiting. Time to clean. Thank you for sharing yon wisdom.
Hehehe have fun!! :-)
For a bit of a messy painter like myself, this is a good send. I keep getting paint in the ferrule because I'm silly. Isopropyl is great for reversing your (my) silliness.
I am SO glad you've mentioned leaving in a layer of brush soap in after cleaning, because that's what I've been doing after every use. As a beginner I try to be very fussy about brush maintenance, since I've destroyed more than enough expensive brushes on first use. Still trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, since my new-ish set of sable brushes is also facing the issue of not having a proper pointy tip anymore. Funny enough, I always end up using an old kolinsky brush I found in an old art box because that seems to be the only brush that manages to withstand my painting technique.
heheh, well... at least you found a favorite brush that works! SOME kolinsky sable brushes hold up very well!
I have been using denatured alcohol for cleaning my brushes. It does a great job dissolving acrylics I used to work as a pro painter. I had to use better if not the best brushes for some of the work I did and I did not throw way brushes. In my opinion the tools you use should reflect what you and how you work. I do love to paint minis and models and I have used what I have been taught painting homes and businesses to my hobby brushes. I prefer natural brushes but I will use synthetic brushes when I have to. Thanks for a great video and sharing what you know.
Dude. Thank you so much. You're like a hobby tool necromancer. Thanks to you I now have about a dozen formerly dead brushes back in the game, as good as new. I'm going to see if i can tip you somehow, seeing as i'll probably now save a fortune on new brushes. Thank you again!
As a painter (acrylic) I agree with you, and as for the synthetic brushes, they will get some wear and tear no matter how much you take care of them, but, that does not make them useless (at least not when you paint on canvas and such) I have heavily damaged brushes that are PERFECT for foliage for example :) so even damaged brushes can still be of use!
I do give my natural brushes a gentle hair treatment 2 times a year, either for just a few hours if they look kinda ok, for rougher once I leave it overnight.
Otherwise I use child friendly soap or shampoo for my brushes (if it´s good enough for babies, it´s good enough for my brushes) and as a last resort I use 99.5% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) which is really good for cleaning my glasses too (and electronics, also handy when soldering, and cleaning in general)
Sorry for the long comment, just got excited when I saw your video :) and wanted to share what works for me.
something you can also remember is, clean them WHEN you finish using them, not a day or 5 later, I have some signwriting brushes I have had for 20 years and yes they are natural, but always cleaned when finished and stored flat, with oil, neatsfoot (saddle oil) is best but any oil will work, just clean them with a soft soap before use
I really love Josonja Cleaner/Conditioner. It is the most effective option I've found without being caustic
Good stuff to know. My son is not careful with brushes, and they could really do with some attention. I have some IPA though so I am apparently prepared.
Great video! Definitely have to try just using IPA to clean my brushes, I've always used brush soap so far.
On a side note, the "don't get paint near the ferrule" tip. I'd only partially agree. Yes, it makes the brush last longer and easier to clean. However, it also makes paint application, especially on smaller brushes, much harder since the paint you have on the tip can more easily dry up and becomes harder to apply.
Thanks for speaking to the effects of IPA on the bristle glue. I kept hearing people say it will dissolve it but I've never had any issues. Since everyone else is listing their routines, here's mine: immediately after a painting session I rinse everything in room temp water. Any brushes with globs of paint or paint up to the metal I hit with IPA and a cotton swab. Then all brushes go through the tan puck until they aren't leaving paint on it anymore. Only takes a few minutes each night and everything stays clean!
Can you use IPA and hot water on natural brushes?
@@witoldskrzydlewski6827 I haven't had any issues with them so far but I haven't owned any natural brushes for more than a year so I don't have any long term data to back up my methods. So far so good though!
@@theorganicshadow Understood, thank you.
My buddies call you “creepy chemist guy”. And this is exactly why I come back. Good stuff here. I never thought of using isopropyl for my brushes. Thank you sir!
Yeah, W&N Brush cleaner and restorer is pretty serious stuff. I have had it debond the glue in the ferrule a few times (albeit on a cheaper synthetic brushes) and it always starts removing the paint and silk screening on brush handles if it drips or gets that far down. Interesting that the fumes did the same!
Now I only use the Purple Super Clean for the worst offending brushes and Masters after.
I was pretty bummed out by the laziness of the W&N brush cleaner MSDS... There are clearly some organic solvents in there that folks should be aware of.. But yeah, whatever gets the gunk out! :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies next video you'll be showing us GC MS and how you determined what's actually in there...
Aw man, I also didn't realize the fumes would do that! Considering I've used the stuff for real bad decades-old crusted brushes, acrylic and oil both, it's why I've recommended it to folks 😕
I would LOVE to do that.... but them things are expensive 🙂@@triruns
@@GoobertownHobbies I was surprised at that when you mentioned it. I cannot believe it is accurate in the least.
Just tried this on ten of my dead brushes that were rock solid and I cannot understate how well this worked. While not all of them form a good point anymore, they are all as silky as the day I got them, even the one I had been using to spread glue on miniature bases!! They are all synthetic brushes, and it was a mix of Golden Maple, Solve (makeup brushes), and Royal Crafter's Choice brands.
One note though, of the several Royal Maple brand brushes I cleaned, one of them did have the glue dissolve and the hairs fell out of the ferrule. Not sure why it only happened on one and not the others, but I'm not too upset about it, that brush was long gone.
Good to know! I hope you get of use out of those veteran brushes :-)
Try Reshaping synthetic brushes with a strong hair gel like V05 matt clay, as suggested in Midwinter Minis' video.
Speechless. Never seen such a detailed video of its subject. Fantastic work.
A thing I learned from a painter master, but for normal brushes. You can use hard soap and massage it into the bristles and shape it. It will harden and this will keep your brushes in the shape. I guess it would,l work well for smaller brushes
Thanks for this! My brushes are still in quite good condition but it's good to keep this in mind for the future.
Hit the lottery by finding your channel as I’m two years into painting. Thank you.
Cheers man, this video is an absolute godsend for all your fellow hobbyists.
Thank you for this video. It was more helpful than you know. Your calm voice also apparently puts the wee ones to sleep. Have you ever considered recording yourself reading a few bed time type stories?
Hehehehe, happy to help! I hope everyone has a good night :-)
Great video man. I like to give my nice brushes a dose of hair conditioner after cleaning and then wash/wet the bristles before I paint with them. I don't know if that extends the life of the brush, but they look nice when they're laid out on my brush rack :)
I appreciate that you've not left us hanging, and hope that you continue to with putting out a bit more regular content :)
It is nice to see some hearsay techniques tested and compared I tend to view synthetic brushes this small as consumables anyway. When they get this bad, it gets a different job (texture paint, glue, boogers, varnish, pigment powders) until they end up in the trash can.
I've had quite a bit of success in reshaping synthetic brush tips by holding them into the steam coming out of my kettle spout and then reshaping the tip with my hands while trying not to get burned.
Since steam carries a lot mor enrgy then hot water and is actually at 100°C it might explain why it worked better.
Brent, thank you! It’s always a great time watching your vids. Reminds me of How It Works but for modelers! Well done, mate!
Thanks again Brent. Another awesome and useful video
Great video, I am about to embark on my first real foray into acrylics, and this has been substantially informative to reducing cost and experimentation. Thank you kindly.
Fantastic video, Brent. Much appreciated.
Great and informative video!
Would love to see a similar one about whether one should wash miniatures (with for example dish soap) before priming, based on whether they're plastic/metal/resin and whether they've been handled a lot or not.
Probably been said a thousand times in the comments, but I'll feed the algorithm. Even the best brushes with the best care wear down. But many can be reporposed either as other types of brushes or for other purposes. Examples could be as a dry brush, to clean an airbrush, or even to apply glue (this is usually the last stop for my brushes).
Very interesting video again. I have got this related question for a long time: what to do with almost dried paint? In particular, I tried to add isopropanol to metal paint and only obtained an horrible goo. Any advice? Many thanks for all your videos
This sounds a bit crazy but trust me it works: Purchase some cheap hair straightening tongs. Sandwich the tip of any brush in-between some oven parchment paper and the hair tongs and gently squeeze together, rotating the tip as you go.. It straightens the tips brilliantly, the heat along with a flat surface and some gentle pressure works wonders. :) Great video by the way. PA is a great cleaner.
I gotta try this! thanks for the idea :-)
One that wasn't mentioned and has been my go-to for years is automotive hand cleaner.
It's designed to remove grease and oil and also has a bit of grit to it.
Works great if you find a brush that somehow didn't get cleaned and has hard dried paint in it. I just put a drop in my palm and work it into the brush, swirling it around until it looks clean. Rinse it out then use some regular brush cleaner/conditioner on it and reshape it.
I've already got it under the sink for when I need it after repairs, so it's a great tool when needed for my hobby.
Brent..... New fundraising idea.... you could use the trimmings of your luscious locks to create "Limited edition" Goobertown brushes.... $500 per.... Watch out Winsor & Newton
I have been looking for info on how to clean natural hair brushes and I have seen sevrtal sources say to avoid ISO. Im glad you made this video.
IPA will definitely strip out some of the conditioners, so it's not for everyday use... but I'm always skeptical of the chicken-soup style hearth wisdom, it took my brushes from completely unusable to good enough to paint some relicblade minis :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies I agree. I use brush soap every day but I have a nice Raphael 808 that i want to bring back to life that, prior to this video , would not have used IPA to restore. Now Im going to try it. :) Love the science and facts you bring to the hobby.
Great video Brent.
So many dirty brushes I hope they are all nice and clean now!
So many still to clean! :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies lols
Thanks for posting. I've used alcohol for removing the paint from dice pips and never thought to use it to clean brushes. You may well have saved a couple of my favorite broken toad sables from being relegated to drybrushes.
I was looking forward to this video and as usually you do NOT disappoint. Thanks for the helpful tips!
Heck yeah man! Ive been so looking forward to this video since you got the "ENHANCE" machine! So awesome to debunk and learn new stuff within the hobby!
I genuinely use lighter fluid and a paper towel works everything for paints including acrylic
hehehehe, be careful! :-)
Great video. I have IPA for resin printing; but I was holding off using it for brush cleaning, since I assumed it would kill the glue. Following your video I'm going to give it a shot with some really old brushes - as you say, those brushes are otherwise dead anyway.
Give it a shot and see how it goes! :-)
I would recommend using Tamiya brush conditioner to reshape your brush. It will take time to reshape but it does its job.
I just use a dollar store unscented body soap for my brushes after each paint session. Haven’t had to buy new brushes in forever. I have several of the heavier products available but like you said prevention is key. I really think the branded brush soaps are not doing much more special than any standard soap would.
This is wild. I haven't had any updates for this channel in ages, but I checked today only to find you had done some new ones. I miss the videos. I hope all is well on your end. Take care.
You are the Bob Ross of painting
use soap daily with cold water! i noticed in long time hot water ruins the brush in a way or another, maybe affect the glue. As a passionate "brush cleaner" XD i totally share with you the same methods! cool to see in the microscope! thank you again!
heck yeah! keep 'em clean! :-)