Can we talk brushes and splayed hairs?

by Madena
(Ontario)

I have favourite brushes that I really take care of. Like washing them once a month in a good hair shampoo followed by a high quality hair conditioner. And yet here I sit holding brushes with splayed hairs. Does anyone out there have great ideas on how to keep the hairs together, to further the life of the brushes?

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by: madena

Thank you Delmus! I will give it a try.
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by: Delmus

A couple of things.

There is a product called brush restore, that you can soak the brush in and it will dissolve the dried paint (acrylic or oils) that have gotten high up into the hairs near the ferrule.

The second thing that I use with great success is to get the kettle boiling after the cleaning with brush restore. Wear some heavy rubber kitchen gloves while doing this.

Pour the boiling water over the brush slowly, then after about a cup of the hot water has drained onto the brush end, set the kettle down, and grab the brush hairs with your gloved hand. Shape the hairs into a point by pulling away from the handle with 3 fingers on the hairs.

The boiling water unlocks the hairs direction, and as it cools, you are shaping the hair to a point.

If that fails, well, toss the brush unless you want to use it for landscape trees or fur. Old brushes always have a use in a particular project that needs a really weird application of paint.

Hope this helps!

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