Cleaning Brushes

The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver

Considering I have quiet a few expensive brushes, I don’t want to keep replacing them all the time if I don’t have too.

 When keeping my brushes clean, I used to wash the brush several times in cold water, dry  it in a paper towel and repeat until i got most of the paint out. Over a short period of time, paint would start to build up in the ferrule causing the bristles to start falling out and the brush would end its life as a dry brush or a paint mixer.

 I then discovered this magical brush cleaner called The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver by General Pencil Company. You can find this in any art shop.

When I say that this cleaner is magical, you really need to try it yourself and see the major difference it makes to cleaning your brushes. I had old Games Workshop brushes, which were nearing their end of life, paint clogged up in the ferrule, some of the bristles popping out in left and right angles. Cleaning these brushes with the Master Cleaner not only removed the paint out of the Ferrule in after several cleans, but it conditioned the bristles so that the brushes look almost new again.

You can even use the Master Cleaner and pPreserver to preserve the bristle points on your brushes by allowing the lather to dry on the bristles (after you have used your fingers to make it into a point).

I normally wash my Games-Workshop (everyday) brushes after every couple of painting sessions. I still wash the brushes in water after every sessions, but the Master Cleaner is there for use when I know there may be several days before the brush will cleaned.

With regards to my Winsor and Newton Series 7 (quality work) brushes, I ensure that they are washed through the Master Cleaner after every use, or after about an hour of inactivity to ensure that no paint clogs up in the bristles.

I have had the small pot of the cleaner for nearly a year now, and I’m only half way through the pot itself. 

Here are the instructions from the General Pencil Company website which sums up how quick and easy this is to use:
 
For Cleaning
1. Wipe brush to remove excess paint.
2. Wet brush and/or “The Masters”® with water.
3. Swirl brush in “The Masters”® and work into a lather.
4. Rinse with clean water.
5. Repeat if necessary until brush is clean (lather will be white). You can clean one color after another without removing the previous colors from “The Masters”® first.

For Preserving

1. Clean brushes as above
2. Leave clear lather on bristles, shape and allow to dry.
3. Shake powder off bristles when ready to use again. 

For Restoring
1. Clean brush as above, but use hot water.
2. Allow lather to remain on bristles for a few minutes.
3. If necessary, tap bristles on hard surface to work paint out.
4. To clean paint from ferrule, allow lather to remain on the bristles for several hours, and repeat cleaning process.
5. Leave clear lather on bristles, shape, and allow to dry.

I can’t recommend this product enough, not only will it keep your brushes at their best, and thus your painting at it’s best, but it will save you money through not having to keep purchasing replacement brushes as often.