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Originally Posted by Julie Deane
Even Trekell isn't perfect . . .
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Gosh, I hope I didn't give the impression I thought they were. Truth is, the
best brushes now available are a sorry lot compared to what was available even 20 years ago.
I'll pass along these tips for brush care, knowing some may disagree, and others will have their own "cures".
1. After a painting session, thoroughly rinse your brushes in
kerosene . Yeah, it stinks. It's also a mild solvent that is the most penetrating, and is excellent for dissolving the oils, resins and varnishes commonly used in oil painting. MS, OMS are OK, but not as penetrating, beware harsh solvents like lacquer thinner, acetone, or "hotter" solvents such as xylene or commercial reducers.
2. Immediately wash your brushes in tepid water with a good castile soap. Kirk's, or Ivory are good, I like Fels-Naptha. Some of the "special" brush soaps sold by art supply makers are also very good, especially SP's "Ugly Dog".
3. Work lather into the heel of the brush. The best way is to grab the tip of the brush hairs, and gently rotate the ferrule. This cleans paint and residues from the heel of the brush, where buildup eventually ends up splaying the hairs and ruining the action.
4. Squeeze the water from the brush, and use a thick, pasty conditioner, the kind they advertise on TV for beautiful, lustrous hair and healing split ends, and re-shape the brush to its original form.
5. Put the brushes in a jar or vase bristles-up to air-dry.
Bill whitaker advised the use of hair conditioners at his workshop in Scottsdale last April, and since then, I've found it to be really, really good for my brushes. Naturally, conditioner isn't going to do synthetic hair any good . . .
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