# Just tried out my new paintbrushes....



## Olaf the Stout (Jun 24, 2008)

....and man do they rock!    

I order some Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes and they arrived last week.  However it wasn't until last night that I actually got a chance to use them.

The biggest thing I noticed was how much more paint they hold compared to the synthetic brushes I was using before.  The synthetic brushes   With the Series 7 brushes I was able to keep painting for ages before I needed to put more paint on the brush.

It was great not having to constantly put more paint on the brush.  At the same time, even when the brush was loaded up with paint it didn't all come out at once and flood the model.  I seemed to be able to control the paint flow a lot easier.

I've only done some basecoating with the brushes so far so I haven't had to worry too much about the points but they all look very good in that department.  Even the size 2 brush forms a nice tight point on the end.

Now the challenge is to try and look after these suckers so they last a good while.  I've bought some Masters Brush Conditioner and Preserver and some Windsor & Newton Brush Liquid Cleaner and Restorer.  Between the two of them that should do the trick.

Is there anything else I should be doing to make sure that they last?  I know not to let paint get up into the ferrule and to wash them out regularly when painting.  I will use my older, crappier brushes to mix and transfer paint and there is no way I will be using them for drybrushing!

I have heard that using hair conditioner every now and again on the brushes is good to restore their natural oils.  If I am using the Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver do I still need to do that?

Olaf the Stout


----------



## Silverblade The Ench (Jun 24, 2008)

conditioners usually destory hair over time (harsh ones) and oils = bad for paint!

I never bother with expensive brushes as they get knackered just as fast, sigh. since we're painting on metal minis, 3d, rough, etc brushes get buggered fast.
So I buy lots of reasonable priced but decent synthetic ones.

My Mum's a painter (acrylic land and seascapes) so she's great help for that.

You can use hot water or steam to reform a brush that's got splayed out etc.

knakcered brushed, I crop them down to a stubble about 1/2 original length for use as drybrushing 

Other trick I do is to make brushes comfortable...WHO THE HELL every thought a round brush is comfortable, eh?!  jeesh, triangular section is much more comfortable and precise.
I glue or tape 3 match sticks or similar to the brush shaft, then cover in masking tape, to make a nice triangle section, far more comfortable for hours of painting


----------



## Olaf the Stout (Jun 26, 2008)

My takkon(takklon?) sythetic brushes started hooking at the tip after using them for less than 20 hours.  This made painting small details a lot more difficult.  If my new brushes don't last many times longer than that I will be very surprised.

Olaf the Stout


----------



## Doug Sundseth (Jun 27, 2008)

Good brushes handled properly will last for months easily, and I know professional painters who paint nearly every day and expect to use the same brush for more than a year.  Synthetic brushes and cheap natural hair brushes will last for days, and even when new will not give the performance of good brushes.

I haven't found the need to use conditioners when I regularly use Master's, but I know better painters than I am who swear by them.  FWIW, used correctly, a conditioner should leave almost no residue behind on the brush, so I wouldn't expect a negative effect on the paint.  Conveniently, I've never heard of such an effect from people who use conditioner.

ps. I'm glad you like the brushes.


----------



## pogre (Jun 28, 2008)

Those #7s will last a very long time if you just keep them clean with water and store them properly. I used one #7 pretty much every day for two years before it started causing me problems. I always use a pallette and thin my paint, which helps too. Folks who dip from the pot usually get some dried paint in the ferrul (sp), which is doom for brushes of any kind.

Have fun!


----------



## Greylock (Jun 28, 2008)

Olaf the Stout said:


> My takkon(takklon?) sythetic brushes started hooking at the tip after using them for less than 20 hours.  This made painting small details a lot more difficult.  If my new brushes don't last many times longer than that I will be very surprised.
> 
> Olaf the Stout




Go to a Hobby Lobby or Michaels and get a product called a Silicoil. It's for cleaning brushes. If you are using acrylics, just put distilled water and a dash of rubbing alcohol in it. You will not have that problem with your brushes again. Friend of mine suggested it when I had that same problem. I no longer have the problem.

hth


----------



## Olaf the Stout (Jun 30, 2008)

pogre said:


> Those #7s will last a very long time if you just keep them clean with water and store them properly. I used one #7 pretty much every day for two years before it started causing me problems. I always use a pallette and thin my paint, which helps too. Folks who dip from the pot usually get some dried paint in the ferrul (sp), which is doom for brushes of any kind.
> 
> Have fun!




I always use a paint pallette and thin my paints as well.  I've got paint in the ferrule of brushes in the past by accidentally putting them too far into the paint pot when I was taking some out with my brush to put on the pallette.

With my new brushes I am only using them for painting.  I'm using my old brushes to get paint out, mix colours and for drybrushing.  I really don't want to ruin them by accidentally dipping them too far into the paint pot.  Not that I'm paranoid or anything! 

Olaf the Stout


----------



## Olaf the Stout (Jun 30, 2008)

Just to double check that I am doing the right thing, is it ok to use Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver on my brushes after every painting session?  I think it should be ok.  The less paint left in the brush the better right?

And I make sure I wash the out well with clean water after I have finished cleaning them.  I've never used the product before so I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

Olaf the Stout


----------



## Silverblade The Ench (Jun 30, 2008)

Olaf,

I got a cheap plastic, closing paint palette from a store, thin rectangular box. Ideal for pouring paint into and thinning etc, and closing it, air seals it 


I use an old, small screw driver to stir paint up (or put a steel nut in the pot and shake) and drop paint onto palette.

This is a thing to get for brushes:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Aids-Triangular-Pen-Pencil-Grips/dp/B00011R44S[/ame]






ordered a few off ebay and will give them a try, to aid comfort/precision, rather than use tape and matchsticks to form triangluar grip.

Most of my brushes are Pro Arte Prolene.


----------



## Olaf the Stout (Jul 1, 2008)

Silverblade The Ench said:


> Olaf,
> 
> I got a cheap plastic, closing paint palette from a store, thin rectangular box. Ideal for pouring paint into and thinning etc, and closing it, air seals it
> 
> ...




I am only using GW paints at the moment.  So far I have found that shaking the bottle mixes the paint up enough.  There is no need for me to actually stir it before I use it.  When I started painting again a few months ago I had to add some water to most of the paints.  To mix that in I just used the other end of an old paintbrush.  That did the job pretty well.

I generally only need a little bit of paint at any one time so I haven't had the need to pour paint out of the pot.  Just a couple of brushloads of paint is normally plenty, especially once I thin it with a bit of water.

I also find my round brushes pretty comfortable to hold.  I haven't felt like my fingers were cramping up or anything like that.  Maybe I just don't paint for that long in one session.

Olaf the Stout


----------



## Silverblade The Ench (Jul 1, 2008)

Well I find the metallic paints clump horribly 

I notced the "triangle, thick brush" thing, after I got a set of brushers who'se handles were shaped like that, can't recall the maker though. Was so much nicer that I've never went back


----------



## Fraisala (Jul 1, 2008)

My personal experience would tell me the round grip is just fine, but you might want athletic tape for your fingers and maybe some kind of wrist support.

Everyone's hands seem to take to the strains of the brush differently.

also: From what I've heard you might not want to store your fancy brushes upright when they're wet.


----------



## Olaf the Stout (Jul 1, 2008)

Fraisala said:


> also: From what I've heard you might not want to store your fancy brushes upright when they're wet.




Yeah, I've heard that.  I think it is because it shifts any paint left in the brush up into the ferrule, which over time ruins the point.  I try to leave the brush flat while it is drying.  When the brush has dried I put the plastic cap on the end to protect the hairs and store them upright in my paint pot.  I might start storing them tip down from now on though, just to be safe.

Olaf the Stout


----------

