"Acrylic brush care" Topic

I am temporarily ditching my enamels for a project involving painting plastic figures with acrylics.

Any idea where, in the UK, you can get one of those pots that suspend brushes in clean water so the point isn't ruined please?

You can make one with a bit of card and a jam jar.

I use a clothes peg to suspend the brush in the water jar.

Vespasian, suspending the brush in water is the last thing I would do to a brush, apart from going at it with scissors. If you want to keep the point on a natural hair brush, make sure you rinse it often while painting to keep paint from drying on it; do not allow paint to reach the ferrule; and wash with brush soap after each session, rinsing thoroughly, before re-shaping the point and then laying the brush down flat until it dries. If you want to keep the point on a synthetic brush, buy a new one as soon as the point starts hooking on the one you have.

I know its a terrible gaffe to actually answer the question asked on TMP, but:

link

Vespasian, if this isn't what you want you will find plenty of alternatives from this supplier. Ken Bromley,very useful and reliable for UK customers

My clothes peg is a lot cheaper than £5.75 GBP …

Being a longtime painter in oils and acrylics, I endorse what Jeffreyw has said. If you require evidence, check out the National Portrait Gallery.

I have been using acrylics paints for years. Suspending the brushes in water has helped enormously in removing paint after use and avoiding damage to the point. I also use brush soap to clean brushes.

The big problem with acrylic paint is that once it dries it is difficult / impossible to remove it from anything – including brushes.

The trick therefore is to avoid letting the paint dry on the brush. The easiest way to do that is to suspend the brush in water after use.

Brush cleaner and conditioner is the way to go.

You can get a nice pot of it on Amazon for less than $7 USDusd

The problems that can arise from suspending the brush in water relate to wood handles. Water will wick up into the ferrule and absorb into the wood, swelling it, splitting any paint on the handle, and loosening the handle from the ferrule.

I have never done this…

Isn't the idea that you keep the brush suspended in water only during the inevitable short interruptions while you are painting? Then -that sounds like a very good idea to keep acrylic paint from hardening on the brush.

Once you have finished a painting session, you would wash using brush soap and then suspend upright, point down, point off the ground, not in water? I just keep mine upside down in a bit of plastic straw which protects the point and keeps the hairs above ground level.

Yes, brush soap is they way to go.

I'd stick with jeffreyw's advice so far.

Been acrylic painting for two decades. I have never had dried paint problems on a brush. Just rinse in water, between each colour or at a short interruption. And when I remember, I use brush soap to clean it, maybe once a month that's all.

Thanks chaps for all the useful info. Suspending in water was intended to be a short term thing whilst swapping brushes, answering the phone etc. Brush soap sounds like an excellent idea as so many of you mention it.

I use a plastic film canister with a hole poked into the lid to hold the brush. I usually use it to soak a brush in rubbing alcohol for heavy duty cleaning. YMMV ;-)

All the valuable advice above applies to natural hair brushes. In my experience synthetic hair brushes don't change shape if left in water.

While painting, I rinse my brushes frequently and gently squeeze out any paint with a wet paper towel. When I'm done, I give the brushes a thorough rinse and make sure all the paint is out, then reshape the tips and put them in a can, tips up, until needed again.

That's worked adequately for about 30 years of acrylic painting with all sorts of brushes, from sable brushes for water colors to cheap synthetic all-purpose brushes.