"What do you put in your brush water?" Topic

I always put a drop of dish-washing liquid (soap) into my brush water. I don't remember why any more, but I read this tip in some magazine and have been doing it for years.

What do you put in your brush water?

* just plain water
* dish-washing liquid (soap)
etc.

Just plain tap water.

I add water.

"Pearl River cocktail" (AKA just plain ole tap water).

Jim

Dihydrogen monoxide.

Distilled water. Our local tap water might as well be labeled "limestone water"— leaves nasty calcium build-up when it dries. And yes, it will affect the paint.

Plain water

tap water

Very, very hard water. Because that's what comes out of the tap at my house.

Dirty brushes.

+1 miniMo!

Whisky, or is it the other way around?

Bill, I do the same thing. I use it to break the water tension. I think it helps the water get into the bristles better to clean my brush.

Just water.

Water then my brush.

Dihydrogenated Oxygen.

A little bit of dish liquid. I keep a little bit of clean water on my pallet to thin paint with the brush I'm using.

A little dish soap.

When working with acrylic paints, I add a couple of drops of alcohol to the water. This improves the wettability of the surface.

Distilled water. Same for my wet pallet.

Saliva after you drink some of it maybe?

Grimm

I just add the brush to the water. Sometimes I do not use water, depends what is on the table -- coffee, tea, coke.

+1 for Parzival.

Only water, but had to go to a closed container as on of my cats would want to drink it. Not a problem anymore.

A drop or two of antibacterial soap. I paint infrequently enough that it all evaporates between sessions but there's no use creating more life than I ready have.

Water then brushes…

I have a four part station:

1) Cut down plastic bottle (about 30mm tall) with old soap bars and water.
I keep refreshing the water and it breaks down the soap bars to a paste.

2) Shaving cream top with clean water.

3) Shaving cream lid to hold paint brushes after running thru soap.

4) Extra shaving cream lid with more clean water.

When I have a painting session, I use lots of brushes.

Once I'm done with a brush; it get a quick wipe, dip in clean water, run thru the soap, and dropped in the holding lid. After I'm done all brushes get a final cleaning and are put away in a large cup to dry.