In this blog Jane takes a look at cleaning your brushes. She uses acrylics and has found that soapy warm water does the trick and then a good rinse to clean the soap away. But here she just checked whether she was doing the right thing?
Cleaning brushes used with acrylics
I’ve been doing a bit of research and if you keep your brushes in water while you’re painting this helps to stop the paint from drying in the bristles. This is what I have always done, that way you just rinse your brushes after each time you use a colour. But what should I do if I forget to wash my brushes and the acrylic dries on the bristles?
Pour acetone or alcohol into a glass jar, using just enough to cover the bristles and the ferrule and let your brush soak for a couple of minutes. After the time has elapsed, you will then wash the brush thoroughly with warm soapy water and rinse well.
That’s great to know that I’ve been doing the right thing with my acrylic brushes, but what about oil paint ?
Cleaning brushes used with oil paints
We recommend white spirit to clean your brushes or a low odour solvent like Winsor & Newton Sansodor £5.65
Masters Brush Cleaner
But how about Masters Brush Cleaner, how good is it?
B & J original formula’ The Masters‘ Brush Cleaner and preserver cleans, conditions and restores your paint brushes in one step. Using just water it cleans wet and dry oil paint, acrylic, alkyds, watercolour, stains and varnish’s.
Made from naturally refined linseed oil, a derivative of flax seed, Fusion Linseed Soap safely cleans and conditions all of your artists brushes. This soap will bring back to life even the most dried out of brushes.
It works beautifully on the finest sable and bristle brushes, and it makes painting with nylon and synthetic brushes a pleasure by conducting the brush so that it holds more colour and helps lay down a smoother more even flow. For best results use The Masters after every session to keep your brushes as good as new.
There we are, I’m happy to know that I was cleaning my acrylic brushes correctly and I may even give The Masters Brush Soap a try, it sounds great for giving your brushes a longer life.
Jane is a member of the Gadsby’s team. She has a wide knowledge of the arts & crafts products and materials sold by Gadsby’s both from the perspective of an advisor in the shop and, for many of the products, from personal use too.
Please note that this is not a service that Gadsbys offer to clients – just an example of the private work done by one of the highly skilled and knowledgable Gadsby’s team shown for your interest.
