Greetings,
You can get it off with one of a dozen solvents (not water) but if paint has dried on your brush it is best to toss it.
They still make high quality brushes. The "new ones" aren't lower quality-- they are all qualities at all different prices. You just need to go purchase one to your liking. Maybe the store you went to didn't have the brush you wanted and you gave up but I guarantee you it is available.
Hope this helps, William
Does anyone know a good way to get dried house paint out of the bristles of a synthetic house brush?
I hate to say it is my favorite brush and i have allowed house paint to dry into the deep bristles so it is no longer supple.
I have been painting on the house about an hour a day for the past month. I have been keeping the brush after use in plastic bags and then closed into an empty paint can with a few drops of water in the bottom out of the sun but I have ended up with drying in the deep bristles anyway. I know that the things are not that expensive but the newer ones do not appear to have the bristle "bulk" of this one, so saving it actually is my aim here.
I put it through the wash cycle of the washing machine twice yesterday with detergent but that did not seem to work either.
Thanks
FACE
For this condition, I've successfully used white vinegar to soak brushes overnight before.
Second the citrus solvent. I used the zep citrus degreaser from home depot and big orange citrus degreaser from smart and final (socal) - they both work on the housepaint (latex and enamel) when left in overnight or for some time in sunluight (to get the elevated temps)They also take the print (and resins)right off circular saw blades. Pat
You did say synthetic bristles right ?
Any solvent that will soften the paint will turn the whole brush to goo.
This calls for, last shot, drastic action as there is no other choice, and nothing to lose.
Make sure it's perfectly dry.
Lay the brush on a concrete floor, and wolllop the bristles repeatedly with a steel hammer.
(for more harmless fun, pretend it's that idiot neighbor down the street who pokes their nose into everyone's business, or your boss, or ex-wife/husband)
Turn the brush over and do it some more.
Keep going and soon the paint will turn to powder.
Wash it out in soapy water, and dry.
repeat as many times as needed.
The brush will never be "like new" but I've salvaged countless brushes I've gotten back filled with dry paint after lending them to people this way.
(and guess which ones are the only ones I now loan out)
AMUN
Amun wrote: ....
Not true...
There are any number of "brush restorer" products that will work well.
I've found a couple of the newer citric-based to work quite well, in fact. Takes a couple of days sitting, but if the brush is a real quality brush, well worth the time and definitely not the abuse.
You'll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Quick addendum :
For natural bristles, you can soak it in some oil for a few days and the latex paint should peel right off
AMUN
ex-wife/husband)
Wrapping and refrigerating is OK for a shitty brush, but if you use good ones (and they do work allot better), buy a brush spinner and clean them often. On a hot day I clean em every two or three hours. For latex use "Fantastic" or some other super cleaner with water. A brush comb is a good idea.
FACE wrote: ....
I don't know about beating on it w/ a hammer... :(
Just clean the damn brush when you've finished using it and get avoid of the problem...doesn't take 30 minutes and is better for the brush. The one thing whoever talked about solvents had correct is that removing dried paint from a brush is never absolutely complete and the brush will not be as good as it was, ever. How much you lose depends on how bad you let it get and how good a brush it was originally.
Not if you want a decent brush to work with when you're done. You'll break darn near every bristle and weaken those you don't. You'll be picking bristles out of the paint continuously.
A bristle brush is a common wire brush. ....
Not Pat, but you use it according the instructions on the container. Don't know the particular brand and sometimes the same brands are sold in both concentrate or ready-to-use containers.
....
Water-based products won't "damage" any brush I've ever seen made for painting. Some might not flow as well or hold the optimum amount of paint but that's going overboard w/ caution, imo.
....
But time...might as well just pitch it and save the trouble.
Not really imo.
The brush restorer technique is far preferable both in what it will do to the brush and the probability of success. Quite far gone brushes can be pretty frequently brought back to at least usability that way. I'd think the probability of having something useful for other than a parts-washing grease brush would be essentially zero after beating on it w/ a hammer extensively.
A big thanks to all that have replied. All sound like good ideas.
The in-the-freezer-overnight will become a new thing of mine. Hopefully the Miz will accept that along with the caulk and spackling knives in the drainer. :-) (I am still convinced that the best caulk smoother in a corner joint is my fingertip.)
The solvents are also attractive. I had considered gasoline overnight but that may turn the synthetic bristles to goo as someone said. However, white vinegar sounds pretty benign.
Besides giving me a good laugh, beating the bristles with a hammer and powdering the dry paint then combing it out also sounds reasonable.
I just bought a new wire brush since one I have had for years I have worn out in the previous 5 weeks. Combing the body of the bristles sounds good too, and maybe the fact that I did wear out the other wire brush (the first seven rows of the sixteen rows of bristles are now gone) on flaking and otherwise 'bad areas' on the old paint and boards should tell me something
-- like painting a coupla thousand square feet of rough cedar siding just may be nearing the limit on this brush anyway. I have used it for the porch and basically touch up jobs for about 5 years but never for this much -- i am repainting the entire house and have double-coated some areas that are in intense sun.
Seems I found the right newsgroup to ask this, I am looking at some "situations" in this endeavor that I have not tackled before and may be back for advice.
Question to Pat: Do you use the Big Orange citrus cleaner full strength or in a dilution? I am also using Zep housewash.
All in all, thanks to all,
FACE
Try a wire brush.
Soak in Lacquer thinner overnight ( they do sell a brush cleaner) then comb with a wire brush. After all that work their never the same they just plain wear out that's why I have crapy brushes and good brushes. If I am painting for along period I will stop and clean my brush a couple times during painting. When I'm done I always comb the brushes. They just don't last forever.
All well and good ,and some may want to try it.
But the OP did say "synthetic" paint brush.
All of those "citrus" cleaners are still oil based and may be great on a real bristle brush. (that water based products might damage) But watch which plastics you try to clean. ;) Check the label and I'll bet in all the small print it tells you to be careful with some plastics
You missed the part where I stressed the hammer method was
"last shot, drastic action as there is no other choice, and nothing to lose."
Perhaps I could have been clearer and said "after nothing else works, just before you are ready to toss the brush, but you STILL want to try saving it."
Better ?
AMUN
You may get some of the gunk out with dish washing detergent and hot water (soak), then try to spread a few bristles at a time and scrape with your fingernail (works for me :o). To keep a brush overnight, wrap in foil and put in the freezer.
Silly git.
The OP wants to clean a BRUSH
Not a "BUSH".
Keep your vinegar & water/feminine hygiene products to yourself.
AMUN
....
There's a difference (as I noted) between using a brush for what it isn't designed for and "damaging" the brush simply by getting it wet. I don't believe there's any indication that simply water on a natural bristle brush, for example, well actually damage the brush once it's dried again.
A pamphlet entitled "Care and Feeding" came w/ a brush includes the following advice--
"A natural bristle brush includes badger, hog (or china) bristle, sable, squirrel, goat, ox hair and others.
These natural bristle brushes are hand-set and some of the hairs will be of different lengths. Consequently you may find the brush will shed some the first few times you will use it.
To minimize this, you should:
1.Wash the brush with a mild dish soap in warm water ..."
Beg to differ and most professional painters and furniture refinishers who know their stuff will verify this.
Brush websites should have it too.
If you know a real pro who uses paint brushes daily, go ask the loan of a natural bristle brush to put on that next coat of latex in your livingroom. And count the number of times they use "naughty words"
No natural bristle brush should be used for any water based finishes, or even cleaned with water. Oil based paints stains, urethanes only.
You can, but the bristles will split, fray and go funny. After a few times in water, you just toss it, because you will never get a decent finish with it.
Few know this, and most of the jerks at the big box stores won't often know the reason they sell both types either.
Synthetic bristles are not just more popular just because they are often cheaper, but as most people use latex/water based paints, they simply work better.
And there are some synthetic bristles that are also for oil based products, but these are usually as pricy as the natural ones.
If you just want to slap some paint on, and don't really care, use what you want, but sometimes there are reasons that some paint brushes cost 49 cents and some cost $50.00+.
AMUN
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