Keeping an Edge on Detail Brushes

[Tobs6311]

Hey guys does anyone else have an issue with maintaining the edges on your detail brushes? No matter how careful I try to be with mine (specifically the army painter "insane detail") I end up with frayed ends, the individual hairs splitting up and making my brush pretty much useless.

JTS

paintinglittlemen.blogspot.com

[Deadlift]

Have you tried another brand ? I made the switch to Newton Windsor series 7 brushes awhile ago and their really good. I am using a 00 for detail and the point is superb. The brush is nice and soft and always keeps it's point. When I am not using them I keep the brushes in the clear plastic tube the brush comes in to keep it safe. I bought mine on eBay.

[SotonShades]

I've recently replaced my GW standard brush for the first time in 8 years, and I've only replaced my Fine Detail brush once in that time. I've only rarely had problems with the bristles splaying. Can't say for certain why yours are splaying, but i can give you a few hints that might help;


Don't dip the bristles more than half a millimetre into the paint. Sounds simple, but all too often you see people dipping the brush right into a pot. If the paint gets into the metal ferrule, there's almost no way to stop them splaying in future. If you want to get paint further up the side of the brush, use an old brush to take the paint from the pot to your pallette and water it down, then when it's nice and thin use your detail brush (though why you'd want to use more than the tip of a detail brush is quite beyond me!)
Never store your brushes tip down. When you wash them out, make sure you don't leave them sittting there as you will very quickly bend them. When not in use, try to store them tip up, in a tin or pencil holder for example, or at the very least horizontal. If you can, keep the little plastic tubes that they come with when you buy the brushes and replace it even between uses and deffinitely when storing them for any length of time.
Sounds like a simple one, but never let paint dry on your bristles. It'll get inbetween the scales that make up the hair, widenning the gap to the next scale, which will let in more paint, which will widen the gap which will... ok, so you get the idea? This will lead to those stray hairs that sometimes seem to want to go off in a different direction, even when the rest still come to a nice point. Speaking of whom;
Don't pull out those stray hairs that sometimes seem to want to go off in a different direction, even when the rest still come to a nice point. It make the rest loose in the ferrel. One doesn't really matter, but it'll make it more likely that a second will go off, which will make another, and another... In short your brush will only get worse and worse.
Saliva.
Ok I'll say that again; Saliva. When you wash the brush out, make sure you have actually got all the paint out (unless you like the taste ;)) and then stick it in your mouth, under your tongue and pull it out slowly between your lips while twisting in one direction. Clockwise or anti-clockwise doesn't matter. This will bring the brush to a point and helps get any fluid out from the farrule (again, this can cause bristles to splay). Obviusly only twist for brushes that are supposed to come to a point... Doesn't work quite so well for the big flat Tank Drybrush from GW, but the pulling out between your lips is still a good idea.


That's all I can think off at the moment. I'll post more if I think of anything. Hope it helps.

[doom-kitten]

XD sorry saw the bit about saliva and went wtf, I generally use water and the curve in your hand to re point my brushes. Basically you curve your hand slightly, wet the brush in water then pull it through the line in you hand, give it a slight turn as it comes out and then recap the brush and store with the bristles up. Incase I forgot to mention keep the plastic tube that comes with the brush it'll make life so much easier when it comes to your brush bristles, oh and try not to fine edge highlight with the brush tip, use the edge it's hard to do but with reduce the chances of splaying drastically. I've been using the same set of brushes for over 10 years now and so far so good and one last little tip never be frugal on your brushes.

[isotope99]

I have 35 brushes in my brush graveyard pot so yes, I have this problem too. :(

It's usually the result of laziness and not switching to old brushes for anything they're not suited for, like washes or drybrushing.

Also one of those wet palette thingies helps so you're not trying to scoop up the last dregs of half dried paint.

[Tobs6311]

thanks for the tips guys...after first making sure my girlfriend wasn't watching, and making sure the brush was cleaned off, I actually tried the saliva thing and it worked perfectly...I had never heard of this..hope you weren't just messin with me haha. I tend to put the whole brush in my water pot, so that probably contributed to the issue. What works pretty well with the larger detail brushes is getting the bristles wet and pressing it between the 2 sides of a damp paper towel (kind of like the whole finger crease deal); but with the insane detail, no go.

JTS

[krispy]

i had trouble with mine and then i bought myself "The Master's Brush Cleaner And Preserver"

i got it off of ebay, feels like it lasts forever and keeps my brushes nice and clean, even cleaner than i could have imagined actually.

[fuzzbuket]

befor each use dip in water and spin in a cloth, dosnt preserve the point forever but works for a while,

or


(i will get killed for this)

brush-licking :L

[SotonShades]

Honestly not messing with anyone. It's a tip you will actually find in a lot of watercolour books and something artists have been doing since Da Vinci's time. You won't find it in a lot of modelling advice books because. traditionally, modellers used oil/solvent based paints rather than waterbased acryllics. Try it with those paints and you could quickly end up in hospital, so I'd advise against it... but hey, it's a free(ish) world.

It also only works on natural hair brushes, but will preserve the tip a lot longer than just using water.



(How do you think wild animals smoothe down their fur after a rain storm?)

[Deadlift]

Honestly not messing with anyone. It's a tip you will actually find in a lot of watercolour books and something artists have been doing since Da Vinci's time. You won't find it in a lot of modelling advice books because. traditionally, modellers used oil/solvent based paints rather than waterbased acryllics. Try it with those paints and you could quickly end up in hospital, so I'd advise against it... but hey, it's a free(ish) world.

It also only works on natural hair brushes, but will preserve the tip a lot longer than just using water.



(How do you think wild animals smoothe down their fur after a rain storm?)

I lick my brushes all the time just out of habit now. It really is the best way to preserve a point. However as its become a habit I have been known to stick a brush loaded with paint into my gob too :D. I found foundations taste the nicest.

[Bored Lyron]

I have had some bad experiences with the Army Painter brushes. I really like their dry brushes and the "monster" size brush, but around half of the smaller brushes ("character" size and smaller, I haven't tested the "regiment" size) I have had develop problems with keeping a point almost immediately. It's a shame, as I really like the triangular handle.

Lately I have been using Raphael 8404 brushes and they have been working very well for me. I need to get some Windsor & Newton Series 7 ones to compare them to, but for now I can recommend Raphael for anyone even semi-serious about their painting. They are expensive, but you will see where the money went when using them, especially when layering.

Some thoughts on keeping your brushes in working condition:

Clean your brush regularily while painting. Giving it a brisk shake in water should be enough. I tend to do this every time I load more paint to the brush or am preparing to change colours. Just use plenty of water, 1/2 liter works for me, though you can use less. A regular, smallish cup is not enough unless you keep changing the water constantly.

As others have said, the easiest way to get a brush to form a point is to use your mouth. I usually do this after I have cleaned the brush (and before loading it with paint...).

Thin your paints and use a wet palette. This is important for other reasons as well, but it also minimizes the amount of paint that has a chance to dry out in your brush. It is much easier to clean a brush that has been used with thinned down paints than one that has been used with paint straight from the bottle.

After painting I take a drop or two of dish washing liquid on my palm and gently twirl the brush in that. You should be able to see the remaining paint coming off the bristles. After there is no more paint, rinse your brush well.

When using brushes with natural hair, when the brush is clean, I take a drop of unscented hair conditioner and gently work that into the bristles. I shape the bristles into a sharp point, rinse away most (but not all) of the conditioner and reshape. When I start painting next time, I rinse the brush again. This keeps the bristles in a good shape and allows paint to flow more smoothly from the brush. It also seems that drying paint doesn't stick as well to a brush that has been treated this way. A good quality brush soap would probably work as well or better if you can get it where you live. You can probably skip this part if you use synthetic brushes.

[miteyheroes]

I lick my brushes all the time just out of habit now. It really is the best way to preserve a point. However as its become a habit I have been known to stick a brush loaded with paint into my gob too :D. I found foundations taste the nicest.

I'm a brush licker. I must say that foundation paint tastes HORRIBLE though. As do washes. The old paints are ok.

The thing I'm most worried about the up-coming change in the paint line is that the paints will start tasting wrong...

[DrLove42]

Brush Suckers FTW

It really does work. Really helps keep a point when your painting, not just cleaning.

As for Tastes....Dheneb Stone has to be one of the worst. As is Devlan mud and Badab Black. All awful tastes
I'll admit to after a lot of fine detail work in Adeptus Battlegray last night, when I went to bed my lips were a bit blue/grey :S

[lattd]

Im a brush sucker, but i have had similar problems with army painter brushes. I have put my brush on my lips after putting paint on it, doesn't taste good. I occasionally put the tip of the brush in the grove just bellow my little finger and roll it.

[DeathsHead]

+ 1 for the lick and twist. Also master brush cleaner is good stuff, leave some on and twist and leave it till next time.

[Grenadier]

For years I made do with the crummy brushes you can buy at Walmart in their crafts section. Those fine tip brushes rarelysurvived painting one full squad. I never considered the brushes as important as the models though. But I got sick and tired of going through these brushes faster than a possum going through my trash dumpster.

So I broke down and ordered brushes from Reaper. Those seemed to last longer. And I finally broke down and paid for some Citadel brushes. So far they seem to hold up. Some more so than others. I think with Citadel brushes it is hit or miss. And I've also had them sent to me with ruined tips! One came in with the bristles bent at a sharp angle!

But the shining star in my brushes is one single Reaper brand fine detail brush. And by fine I mean ultra fine. Maybe this brush was a mistake but its bristles are no bigger than a few eyelashes.

The tip on it has finally began to curl a little. But it's still good.

I've used all these tips here. And it's true about getting too much paint on a brush. And the tip about slobber is perfect. I do that every time.

I've found that how one washes them is most critical though. First off I never let them soak in a cup. Especially that poorly designed one from Citadel. I use an old pottery cup I made. Warm water with a squirt of dish detergent in it.

I will then periodically wash it, even when I'm still going to use it for the same model. I never let any paint stay on it long enough to even get remotely dry. When I wash it I vigorously swish it back and forth in the bubbly water. And then to dry it I gently roll it on its side on a paper towel. And always "shape" it back up by giving it the slobber treatment.

This one little brush miraculously has lasted me through 5 squads and 3 vehicles. When it does eventually perish I intend to mount it on a plaque and hang it on my wall.

[Captainparty]

Another one here for the old lick and suck! Keeps the tips perfectly, I've been doing it since being taught to paint at GW abut 16 years ago!

Foundation paints are awful though. Disgusting stuff, make sure you give a through clean before licking that brush!

[Koci]

use brush cleaner & perserver after the painting

[Abides]

I know its been said a couple times here, but. Buy a Windsor & Newton series 7 detail brush.I think the Raphael 8404 are comparable from what I've read, just happened that the local art store carries series 7.
As for cost, not really much more than a gw brush.I think my size 0 was a fiver during Opus' christmas sale.
Then, brush soap for the end of session clean up.
Oh and who else thinks GW washes use dish soap to break surface tension. I'm sure thats the taste.

[Thornblood]

As a long time brush-licker, I would like to state that Skull White and Mechrite Red(Foundation) taste the foulest.

[o0HoldFast0o]

As a long time brush-licker, I would like to state that Skull White and Mechrite Red(Foundation) taste the foulest.


By far Thraka green is the worst. It will have you reaching for a drink very soon. Remember to brush your teeth before kissing your girls gamers! No-one needs ork breath.


Another tip is don't smash your tips into the bottom of your water pot while cleaning them, smash them enough and you might as well been drybrushing. Also: by far the mouth method is the very very best for controlling that brush tip.