Brush cleaning

[Jim Hilburn]

So I'm delving into the world of brushed on varnish. I've aquired some very high quality varnish, distilled turpentine and feel I have a grasp on the viscosity issue but I'm trying to clean my new cowhair brush. I first rinsed it in mineral spirits, then used bar soap and hot water as is recommended in the IV DVD. However the brush still feels quite tacky to me even though it's still wet.
Any recommendations? Gary, Steve?

[Ron C]

Jim,
Being a custom house painter for over 40 years I should know a little about cleaning brushes. What you did with the paint thinner was good, it could need a second wash with lacquer thinner, then back to the paint thinner and or naptha. Stay away from the water, it is not compatable with oil products, remember, the more washes the more softer and better the bristles will be. Or you could just keep the brush submerged in the thinner or naptha until the next coat has to go on http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Gavin Baird]

Jim,
I don't know about oil based varnish but to clean a spirit varnish brush soak in house hold ammonia. It completly removes any shellac residue..Gavin

[Jim Hilburn]

Ron, thanks for your input, but it sure begs the question why they're recommending soap and water in that video.

[sunburst]

A couple of things:
Back in my cabinet shop days, we painted cabinets from time to time. If we were going to be using a brush again fairly soon, we would sometimes leave it submerged in water. That left the paint (oil based) in the brush but kept the air away from it so it didn't start to cure. When you got ready to paint again, you took the brush out on the loading dock and slung the water off of the bristles, dried it on a rag and started painting.
That might not be a good idea for varnish on a mandolin, but worked for paint as long as overnight with no problems.

As for the soap&water recommendation, as I remember from college chemistry back in 19XX, Ron is right that water is not a solvent for oils (that's why you can use it to keep the air off the brush and it doesn't change the paint) but when you add soap or detergent, it tricks the water into thinking it's a solvent for oils.
It has to do with molecular polarities, and the soap surrounds the (non-polar) molecules of oil with polar molecules, so when the (polar) water sees them it says aha! I can dissolve that!
Sorry for the technical explanation, but sometimes the latent scientist comes out in me. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[testore]

I was trained to drill a small hole in the handle and run a wire through it to suspend the brush in solvent(alcohol or terps)over a jar. We then would cover the jar with a plastic bag to keep the evaporation down, and odor too. If the brush feels tacky and you're useing oil varnish I'd probably not worry very much. If you wanted to go with spirit varnish I'd rinse and suspend it in alcohol for a few hours.
BTW there is a very good brush soap that every art shop carries.I've used it for years and I have brushes that are 15 years old that still work very well.

[austin]

Jim, I use a high quality oil varnish and brush and I clean my brush in pure gum spirits of turpentine. #Sometimes the brush will harden up somewhat between coats or instruments but I put in back in clean turps about ten minutes prior to the next usage and it softens right back up. #When I store it between instruments I seem to have better luck keeping it in a dark place since UV and other light wavelenths are what cause it to start curing. #
It just occurred to me that maybe I could also put it in a tall peanut butter jar with a tight lid to keep the remaining turps in the brush from evaporating. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif
This could also help keep dust nibs out of your brush between uses....

[Antlurz]

Jim...

You might use the final soap and water step as merely a process check. If the brush was actually cleaned in the first steps of solvent, which ever one you go with, you won't get the results you are talking about. (I'm rather fond of cheap lacquer thinner for cleaning) I've almost always used soap and water as the final step on good brushes too.

Ron

[Gail Hester]

I got tired of trying to pick brush hairs out of the varnish and started using high quality foam brushes. I buy them by the case and throw them away after each application. They apply a nice thin even coat of varnish and seem to work for me.

[Jim Hilburn]

Now I really like that idea.
You don't get any problems with bubbles or anything with the foam brushes?

[thistle3585]

When I painted I would "condition" the brush with the appropriate solvent prior to painting. It would make the paint flow better off the brush as well as make clean up a lot easier.

I tried a faom brush but got too many bubbles. It must require a soft touch that I don't have..

[Gibson A5]

As far as storing a brush with something on it over night, or for a while, I wrap it in plastic kitchen wrap and put it in the refrigerator. The cold keeps it from drying before the next use. I do this mainly for house trim painting but have used it for other times I was too lazy to clean the brush properly. It always worked so far. I know this has nothing to do with your problem, sorry.
Bill P.

[Gail Hester]

Jim, I don't get bubbles but I use good quality foam brushes, only use the tip and spread it on very thin.

[Jim Hilburn]

I think I have it figured out now.
I clearly hadn't purged it fully of varnish when I first rinsed it in mineral spirits. So following the train of thought some of you supplied I let it soak in turp overnight. This morning it was still somewhat stiff and non-plyable so I did the soapy water trick again and set it out to dry in the sun. It's now back to much the way it was when I bought it and ready to try.
Thanks for everyones input.