Sunday, February 7, 2010

How do you clean artists paint brushes when they paint with oil paint?

My son got a whole Art Studio with paints, brushes, easel and canvases. He is using the oil paints and we can't figure out what to use to clean the brushes; soap and water isn't working.How do you clean artists paint brushes when they paint with oil paint?
It is because oil and water don't mix.





You have to use a solvent for oil to clean the brushes. Turpentine or mineral spirits. Pour some into a lidded jar or can, rinse the brushes thoroughly in it, wipe the brushes, then clean with soap and water.





Put the lid on the turpentine jar, and keep to re-use (the paint solids will settle to the bottom; eventually, when there are too many solids, you'll pour off the clean mineral spirits into a new jar or can, and dispose of the old one.)How do you clean artists paint brushes when they paint with oil paint?
turpentine, then when the paint has gone use soap and water to finish the job.
In cleaning oil based paint brushes, after the oil paint brushes have been thoroughly rinsed in turpentine or oil paint thinner, the oil paint brushes should be rinsed with liquid detergent and some warm water in a coffee can or a large container like it. The brushes should then be shampooed by using an action that is much like mixing cake batter. The last step of cleaning an oil paint brush is rinsing off all the lather, shape the oil paint brush back into shape and set the oil paint brush upright to dry.
Wash them in white spirit or turps substitute first then in soap or detergent.
Or you can buy a brush cleaner in addition to using solvents to clean them. They should sell them in any art stores, I use Utrecht.

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