How to clean paintbrushes with oil paint?

I know you have to use turpentine. But what exactly do you do?


I have paintbrushes with oil paint on them, and a bottle of turpentine. Just don't know what to do next :PHow to clean paintbrushes with oil paint?
Get a large enough tin / container you will not use again for any other purpose put your brushes in, fill up with turps so the bristles are covered.





Leave to soak as long as possible.





Clean off the brushes after at least 2 hours, with hot water and washing up liquid.How to clean paintbrushes with oil paint?
Brushes have to be cleaned or the oil paint lodges in the bristles and forms a hard deposit which will not be removed with turpentine.


In the past I have used paraffin and newspaper to remove the paint and then soap and water, always remembering to squeeze with the fingers so that the shape of the brush is not lost and squeezing towards the ends of the brushes. Recently I have taken to using household detergent to remove the oil paint. So wipe the brushes (one at a time) on scrap paper and start working up a lather with the detergent in your hand . You stop when the lather is no longer discoloured by paint. Rinse well and some artists will put a little turpentine or turpentine substitute on the the bristles before stacking them upright for drying. It is a good idea to stack brushes away with mothballs to stop the bristles being nibbled by silver fish (in south africa they call these creatures fish moths). The finest brushes such as sables can be used for fine lines in oil painting and great care must be taken of the brushes to preserve them.
Put the turpentine (turpentinoid) in a glass jar. Do not store it in a plastic container, it will eat through the plastic. Dip your brush in the turpentine and the turpentine should remove the paint. Afterwards, wash the brush in a solution of dish soap (regular old ajax or palmolive) and water. If the brush has dried in paint, go and buy a brush cleaner/conditioner. They usually carry them at places like Michael's craft stores among other places.
Put just enough turps in a jam jar to cover the brush head. Give it a good swirl round. Empty the turps and repeat and repeat untill the turps is clear. You can store the dirty turps in an air tight container and leave it to clear, the sediment will drop to the bottom and then you can use the turps again next time your brushes need cleaning.


Finally wash your brushes in washing up liquid and water and leave to dry, they will be perfect when you need them again.
swish the brushes in the turpentine. leaving them in liquid for a prolonged period of time is not good for the bristles. using a dip and wipe technique usually works well and after a few dips, most of the pigment will be gone.





standard cooking oil is also a good way to get oil out of your brushes without using dangerous solvents. again using the dipe and wipe technique, the cooking oil will stick to the oil paint and help lift it out of your brushes.





although brushes and water really should ideally not mix (water gets into the bristles and can damage them) I often give my brushes a quick wash with some Dawn or other grease removing dish soap to get the last bits of paint out.





Rose


http://effartblog.blogspot.com/


http://www.rosebriccetti.com/
I know I'm 4 days late,so if the paint has dried,try DIY shops for paint stripper,I have used Nitromor's in the past on hard brushes that turps would not clean. Be careful to follow the instructions on the bottle,it's wicked,smelly stuff.
Use white spirits for cleaning, but make sure the area is well-ventilated. You could use turps, but it is much more expensive.





Dip the brushes into the spirit, and wipe them on a soft cloth, dip them again and wipe again, and when no more paint comes off them, they are clean enough.