"repair my W&N Series 7 ?" Topic

Hi, I'm fairly new to painting, I started in March (2016) and I've done 2000 pts Orc army and the same for a WOR army.
I've just started doing Napoleonic, and its much harder with all the fiddly braiding etc.
I usually paint with a Windsor and Newton Series 7 0 brush. ( Shade and base coat with a bigger Army Painter brush) The W&N was great because it had a fine point, The hair seems to bunch up at the top then go to a point. Or at least they did.

I painted a horse with it last week, and maybe should have switched to a bigger brush. Anyway it lost its shape a bit, and started to split the bristles. So I washed it in Washing up liquid and warm water, that fixed the splitting but now it has no point its just a like a normal brush. I bought some brush soap, and that got more paint out, but still has not restored the shape. Any one know how to fix this ? Is the brush worn out, or do they always lose the point and I just need to buy a 00 to do braid etc ?

You might try wetting the bristles and roll them into a point, and let it dry. Maybe just wetting the brush with paint the next time you paint and rolling it into a point will do the trick. Hope all goes well.

The problem is probably bits of paint stuck in the ferrule.

Keep cleaning it with "Masters" brush soap (recommended on TMP some time ago – I couldn't find it in the UK and got it from the US via eBay) – it is worth every penny and has rescued a number of my brushes that were getting a bit marginal. It may take quite a lot of goes to clean it properly.

(I use a 00 for fine detail).

yeah its the masters soap i used ( from amazon). I have only done it once though. How does it 'Know' to go to a point then ? I've tried licking it and rolling, and it looks ok but once I paint it loses its point again.

I will try multiple masters soap on it though see if that gets me any where. Thanks

Yes, multiple washes with brush soap.

Multiple washes. Brush soap. Licking the brush. All good. Only thing I've heard mentioned you're not doing is a final wash in sugar water--but I have that only by repute. My own brushes are usually cheaper and die of something else.

Sable can be a bit fragile. If the surface of your casting is rough, you can literally sand the tip off your brush as you paint, and if that happens, the brush is gone with regards to detail work. in severe cases, the bristles will actually start to curl outwards at the tip.

Hair conditioner can help. Use the soap then dip in conditioner. Leave overnight and rinse.

I know people will shoot me for saying this but you got a lot of mileage out of that brush. If washing it with Master soap a couple of times doesn't put the point back on, then just get a new one. $15 USD every nine months (or 300 figures) is no big deal, IMO. That snappy sable point is worth it.

I'm certain that there will be people who will say that they've been using the same brush since 1978 and it's fine. God bless them, but I have no problem retiring brush when it's starting show fatigue.

I understand that washing up liquid is not good for sable brushes, as it removes the protective oils that brush soap / hair conditioner can help restore.

Brush soap is available in the UK ( getting it at shows removes the rather high postage costs! ) .

For example, "The Master's" from Amazon link but also available from art shops and websites.

It was a minor revelation to me (and possibly no-one else) when I realised that sable brushes were HAIR – you wouldn't wash your hair with washing up liquid, would you?

But, I'm with mgdavey – brushes don't last forever. Maybe demote this one to second-line duties – accent painting, textures, washes and dry brushing. Old brushes never die, they just get replaced with perkier tips.

Try some hair conditioner

Also pick up some "workhorse" brushes for anything that doesn't need the W&N. Amazon has these "nail art sable brushes" under $2 USD that work fine.

link

From Michael's with a 40% off coupon: As long as it's natural hair, a pack of brushes for washes and undercoats is fine. I'm lazy, so Pink Soap is easier to use than Master's Soap. Pink Soap and W&N have brush restoration kits:

link

I think I'd agree with the comments above – that brush has outlived it's useful life. If you want to restore any sable to shape then hold it in the steam from a boiling kettle for a minute. If that doesn't work then you have a clogged ferrule and little can be done that won't further damage the bristles.

Nice link ced1106. Thanks!

Thanks for the replies. I've ordered a new brush but a 00 for detail work. I'll keep the old one for the clothes and stuff instead of braid. (Several washes with masters still didn't restore the point)I'm happy if the brushes last 9 months or so given the use -not sure I'll paint so much 2nd year anyway.(or does everyone say that?)