Hi guys, I have this problem with my paint brushes... they always harden up after painting (when washed & dried)... I use acrylic paints and oil paints. Any idea how I can "restore" them to become soft brushes again? Like what can I soak them in?

Lacquer thinner. Be careful, though, it will also remove the paint from the handles.

Use it outside or in a well ventilated room, too.

Shaun

Thanks for the tip Shaun.. That was fast!
I'll get it done straight away...

I find that after throughly cleaning my brushes, (and yes I use lacquer thinner for this), a wash in nice soap and water, helps them stay in better shape. (They make a special artist brush soap, which contains lanolin, but I just use plain old everyday what ever was on sale this week brand). Reshape the tip to a point, and replace the little plastic tip protector, store up-right, bristles up.

So it isn't necessary to soak them in laquer thinner and then soap water for long? Say maybe 10minutes?

Not being able to see the condition of your brushes, makes it hard to tell you how long to soak them.
The lacquer thinner should soften,and dissolve the harden paint on the bristles. If they have a lot of dried paint it will take longer. If there is not much, it will be shorter.
I throughly clean my brushes after every use. I don't have to soak them to try to get them in condition again.

It's possible your brushes have past the point of no return.

It might be the case that my brushes are at a point of no return.. :-) Anyway, thanks for the help guys.. really appreciated it I'll always remember to ensure my brushes are kept clean at all times now..

JM, I have Series 7 brushes that are 10 plus years old, and from following a simple procedure of ensuring that all the paint is out of them, and washing with soap and water, and reshaping the points, replacing the tip protectors, and storing up-right, has certainly done something to increase the life of the brushes.

The biggest killer of brushes is dried paint up at the top of the bristles.

Dave, that's something I would have to agree. After the experience I had with my brushes, it's time I realized, no more "hard brushes" for me! :-)

A neat trick is to always soak the brush in solvent just before your starting to paint. Then the paint will not adhere as easy in the bristles.

Dont leave the brush standing in the jar for a long time as this will result in a bent and damaged tip.

Actually if you have real hair in the brushes like series 7 you can treat them with hair conditioner(balsam) once in a while. And it might be free if you just take a small quanitys at every occasion.

That's interesting, haven't heard of treating the brushes them with hair conditioner. I've learnt something new, thanks TOKE

You can get Brush cleaner and conditioner from the paint department at the hardware store. I have had the same brushes for about 20 years and and only just recently bought a couple of new ones.

Reading that some of you have brushes that have lasted from 10-20 years Im a little bit confused.

Even with good care there are few brushes that lasts more than 3 years.(with normal use of course).

Many modellers don realize that brushes are tools that wear down. They buy a brush and thinks it will last the rest of their life. Just like a blade dulls, a screwdriver getting blunt, hammers weakens, a brush wears down.

In addition I find it strange that a modeller can spend about 40 USD + 60 USD accessories + 30 hour of work and paint it to a high standard with a 2 USD brush.

When brushes lose their point you phase them out for other tasks with the last stop as aplying superglue to delicate spots.(Only once per brush.)

:-) :-) 90% of my brushes are Series 7. I have probably 50 to 60 of them from 000 to #1. I just bought a dozen of them off of the place that Costas posted about called "Cheap Joe's" a week or so ago. They were on sale, of course. The funny thing is they emailed me and said they were out of 00 sizes, yet my ordered arrived with the three 00 I ordered.

Of course if the only good brushes you have is a limited number, like one or two of each, then it stands to reason they are going to wear out faster, since they are used more, and will wear faster. With a larger assortment, it's doubtful, I end up using the same brush over and over. Of course good old common sense would have the newest Series 7's being used for the finer detail painting. I don't use Series 7's for anthing but detail painting/figures. Dry-brushing, ground work, or any thing like that, I use cheaper craft store brushes, still sable, but much cheaper quality, and price, and these are flats or filberts, not rounds.

Improper cleaning/storage and paint working it's way up into the ferule are the two biggest killers of brushes, whether cheap ones or expensive ones.

I certainly agree with your statement about spending 40 to 60 dollars on accessories, and then expecting great results with a 2 dollar brush. I've always found that amusing also. I learned back in the land of hair and real teeth, to buy the best brushes you could afford. Been doing that since the 70's, I've tired many different brands over the years, never found anything better than a WN Series 7.