Benno's Figures Forum

Posted by **Kekso** on 05 Jul 2012, 15:20

I plan to buy this product. I have no expirience with branded cleaners.
So I want to know does it worth it to have such product?
It's not expensive but I'll rather buy some figures if cleaner is nothing
special. Any advice is more than welcome.

Posted by **Paul** on 05 Jul 2012, 15:26

Kekso wrote:So I want to know does it worth it to have such product?

No. There are cheaper and equivalent versions, some makeup brush cleaners for example.

Posted by **Kekso** on 05 Jul 2012, 15:31

Quick, simple and clear :-D

I cannot disregard answer form person with such expirience in painting.
Thanks.

Posted by **Paul** on 05 Jul 2012, 15:48

For restoring your brushes..occasionally washing them in hairconditioner is good. I´ve found alchohol for cleaning ..around 10 euros for 500 ml. The vallejo stuff is around 3 euros for 85ml !!!

Posted by **poky** on 06 Jul 2012, 08:59

back wen I was still painting more I used normal cheap ass stuff for my cheap and old brushes, for the more expensive sable brushes I used stuff from the art store and like Paul said hair conditioner every few months.

Posted by **Kekso** on 06 Jul 2012, 09:56

Currently I use syntethics from W&N (Cotman 111 series), Raphael Kaerell and daVinci (Basic Forte).
I have one red sable hair brush from Vallejo but it is nothing special considering that it is sable brush
(price is approx. 2 GBP). I also have one W&N series 7 but I've never use it. I want to learn and practice
first with cheaper brushes (as I mentioned above).

Posted by **Paul** on 06 Jul 2012, 10:31

Small tip.
Use two water containers too clean your brushes. In one..only water, the other a drop or two of washing up liquid. I find it best to use different coloured pots for each.
Use the one with washingup liquid first to get most off the excess paint off, then the other to clean the rest off. Change the water regularily.

Posted by **Kekso** on 06 Jul 2012, 10:46

I got it on my table already :-)

Only thing different is that first I dip brush in pot with water+soap and after that
just clean water. I'll try your (opposite) way. Thanks.

Posted by **Fenton** on 06 Jul 2012, 18:16

Cleaning brushes is interesting..I have been painting for years and never heard of a brush cleaning product, but I shall look

I was reading somewhere else I cant remember where now , may have been TMP, and a proffesional painter ( Raally good as well) changes his cleaning water for painting about once a month ( seriously) so I reckon there lots of ways of doing it just have to find your way

Posted by **Paul** on 06 Jul 2012, 18:50

Fenton wrote:Cleaning brushes is interesting..I have been painting for years and never heard of a brush cleaning product, but I shall look

There are literally hundreds of "brush cleaners" out there..loads for the cosmetic side as well. the ones for cleaning cosmetic brushes need to have alchohol to kill off any potential germs that may breed after skin contact..something that is often ignored by a lot of women and they wonder why they get eye infections.
The one used in the cosmetic industry tend to be better than the one for modelling..they are "kinder" to the brushes..and they are perfumed, so they smell nice as well. :-D

Basically though..at the end of the day they (especially the moedelling makes) are a rip off..it´s just Isopropyl alcohol decanted from a big container into a small one with a trendy label on it.

As for the guy not changing his cleaning water for ages..I know I wrote "Change the water regularily" but sometimes It only gets changed when a sort of soup of paint residue forms in the bottom of the pot :-D

Posted by **Marshall Nay** on 07 Jul 2012, 06:59

Paul's the master here, but thought I'd add my approach anyway.

Harsh solvents age the brushes faster, so I use the mildest that works. But the type of paint, and how long it has had time to dry will affect your results. Mild to strong:

-Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol with the least dilution by water you can find)
-Denatured alcohol [flammable]
-Turpenoid (artist's brush cleaner, slow acting so you may need to soak the brush all day, but it's a safer alternative to acetone and denatured alcohol)
-Acetone (works the best, but evaporates very quickly so it's best to soak the brush a short time in a closed container, frequent use damages sable brushes) [flammable and the least healthy for breathing and skin contact]

Posted by **Francesco Giova** on 07 Jul 2012, 08:19

I am using antifog nitro diluent. Must be on the strongest side of the scale, but it cleans out everything fast, also wipes paint away from old figs :-D