Aside from white spirits and other solvents (messy and time consuming)
is there a better way to clean oil paint from brushes?
I remember some time ago a TV commercial where the brush is spun with drill inside a bucket and the brush is completely clean and dry ver quickly. Is this any good?
) works very well, but still uses solvents for oil paint. Many readers of this group favour using cheap brushes, and discarding them after use. The ones I bought must have been too cheap, and left bristles in the paint rather too often, so I use the Dandy (obtained some years ago from QVC).
I've got Dando paint thingy* cleaning system: ... one item caters for brushes and a different item caters for rollers . IMHO they are very good
-does what it says!. I bought mine at an Ideal Home show from a demonstrator but I've noticed them on QVC and in the local 'Homebase' shed (where they're not prominently displayed but can be found lurking amongst the paint-brushes and such-like.
The operation is (for brushes and rollers place the paint-filled applicator into the device - which obviously is pre-mounted into a drill - then spin for a minute to have the paint flung off by centrifugal/centripetal force (this action gets rid of most of the pigment - dip the applicator into a solvent (white spirit for oil-based paint ) then spin to clean the applicator. {You may have to repeat this step). The applicator will be clean and dry. Ready for immediate re-use.
There's a few 'tricks' I've developed with experience ...;-
I set up a cleaning station -before- starting to paint. Workmate on which I place the drill-cum-Dando, extension lead for drill, chuck key etc. etc. - Trust me you don't want to be finding all these things while holding a dripping paint brush ... :( A bucket isn't deep enough to contain all the paint which is flung off, I now utilise an old 'pedal bin' - it's tall enough to contain the drill plus holder plus brush without me straining my back. The paint is flung off with force - never spin the Dando until the set-up is entirely within the pedal bin -[I can show you some trousers with interesting banded patterns on the legs.]
One must use paint brushes with solid handles - I've discovered that the hollow plastic handled brushes get splintered by the grasping springs in the Dando brush holder.
For cleaning oil-based paints I've collected some of the plastic milk containers - the two pint size is best IMHO. After cleaning, hack through the container about half way down and invert/jam the top into the bottom. Fill with white-spirit to a sensible level. I find that I can immerse the brush into the inverted top and 'work' it against the sides. The pigments are suspended in the solution but over-time migrate to the button of the container -below the top-half of the container - leaving 'clean' fluid for brushes. With the Dando, I arrange four such modified containers - in an empty ice-cream container - then Spin off raw pigment - dip into first white-spirit 'bottle- spin again with Dando - dip into second w-s 'bottle' - spin again - dip into third w-s bottle - spin again etc. Each w-s 'bottle' is cleaner and cleaner and the brushes are very clean. [it takes longer to read than perform the actions]. The ice-cream carton sits on the Workmate ... ready to play its part in the cleaning operation.
For emulsion paints a water-filled bucket suffices for dipping the brushes and rollers into a cleaning fluid. [I never use oil-based paint for rolling.]
I'm certainly pleased with my purchase - and so is my wife as the kitchen sink doesn't become a casualty for paint brush/roller cleaning. And; I really do clean the brushes when taking tea and/or lunch breaks - it's so quick.
You do become a bit of a fanatic about having clean paint brushes and rollers!
It is one of the (very few) devices I bought for a tenner out of admiration for the skill of the presenter at a show a decade or more ago which does exactly what it promises. On oil paint I've found spinning it, rubbing it in a teaspoon or so of raw washing up liquid, spinning it and rinsing with hot water and spinning again works very well, is cheap and quick. The roller cleaner also works well.
I have noticed the price of these devices varies enormously by the way.
wipe/squeeze with some newspaper to get most of the paint out
dunk in a jar of white spirit and squidge it around a bit
wipe/squeeze with some more newspaper and shake off
squidge some washing-up liquid right through the bristles
rinse thoroughly
shake off
If I'm going to be using the brush later with the same paint I don't clean it, just wrap it in cooking foil - it will last for a day or two between uses if you store it somewhere cool.
Especially for Hammerite. Have you seen the price of the thinners? For overnight storage the old clingfilm trick works for ordinary emulsion and gloss.
It just needs more, exactly as per greasy dishes. As the packaging makes up a significant fraction of the unit price, economy liquids can be a false econonmy, unless you are into Blue Peter. I still remember the helicopter thingy I built out of a Fairy Liquid bottle. The rotor bit is probably still in the horse chestnut tree. :-(
Available in two sizes, for four and (approx) 20 brushes. The smaller about £10-12, the larger about £40 and often on offer. Sold a few to decorators, who, as a breed, don't spend money on unnecessary kit.
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