Brush Cleaning after Polyurethane

[J-P]

I know this question is pretty basic but I figure it'll save me an expensive
paint (poly-oil base) brush. How do you go about cleaning your expensive
paint brushes after using them (to get maximum life out of them).
Thanks
J-P
Tampa, FL

[Justin]

I've found that a dunk in paint stripper after every 3 or 4 uses keeps
brushes in reasonable nick.........

Justin.

J-P <pie...@ithink.net> wrote in message
news:Kgfj4.4551$W6.6...@tw11.nn.bcandid.com...

[Rob Weaver]

J-P, this may sound trite, but it's not my intention to do so.

The first step is always to follow the cleaning instructions on the
package of whatever finish you're using. For poly - it's probably
mineral spirits, but check the label on the can to be sure.

After you clean the brush with whatever chemical/solvent is required,
wash the bush in soap (not soup - Larry) and water to remove the
residual solvent. Then comb the brush out using a brush comb (what
else?) available at paint stores, and wrap the bristles in craftpaper
(don't use newspaper) to maintain the shape of the brush and protect the
bristles from everything around the brush. Hold the craft paper on the
brush with rubber bands around the metal ferrule, or simply tape the
paper to the ferrule - which is what I do.

All the best,
Rob Weaver

[Roy D Hickman]

FWIW, here's the way I clean a paint brush (expensive or otherwise):
1. After using oil-based (or polyurethane) paint - paint out as much
paint as possible on an old newspaper: wash the brush in a clean coffee can
filled with enough paint thinner to cover the bristles: paint out as much
thinner as possible on newspaper: wash the brush thoroughly in hot soapy
water (liquid dish soap is perfectly OK): rinse in clean hot water: dry the
brush as much as possible by painting out on a clean paper towel: wrap the
still-damp brush in a paper towel wrapped around bristles so as to conform
to the original shape of the brush: hang up by the handle so as not to bend
the bristles.
2. Using water-based paint - as above omitting the paint thinner step.

I know this sounds involved, but it really isn't. Takes me about 5 minutes.
I have a 4-inch brush that I bought about 30 years ago, and it's still in
great shape after going thru 7 or 8 house paintings (it cost about $25 - $30
when I bought it new, so it was an expensive brush then!!). The most
important thing is to get all (ALL!!) the paint out of the brush. I used to
tell my daughter - if a paint brush is really clean, you can't tell what
color of paint you just used.
Hope this helps in some way. Regards, Roy Hickman

J-P <pie...@ithink.net> wrote in message
news:Kgfj4.4551$W6.6...@tw11.nn.bcandid.com...
> I know this question is pretty basic but I figure it'll save me an
expensive

> paint (poly-oil base) brush. How do you go about cleaning your expensive

> paint brushes after using them (to get maximum life out of them).

> Thanks
> J-P
> Tampa, FL
>
>
>

[Carl Stigers]

Greetings. I gotta harp on this one. I do a tremendous amount of poly in my
shop. Use it on red oak for quite a while on parts for a local conveyor
company. I found that the replacement brushes from Lechtung for about 10.00
were the best solution. You get the plastic handles and can get 50 replacement
foam brush heads for almost nothing. use them, remove the foam and throw them
out. no mess and I have gotten pretty impressive results with them. Not for
some of the other finishes but if poly is your finish and you do enough of it
you might want to check them out.
Carl Stigers

[NOSPAMBOB]

Someone posted that a pet brush can also be used, might be easier to find too.
Preloading the brush with proper solvent prior to dipping into the finish is a
great help.

In article <388D8D44...@erols.com>, Rob Weaver <rwwe...@erols.com>
writes:

>Then comb the brush out using a brush comb (what
>else?) available at paint stores, and wrap the bristles in craftpaper
>(don't use newspaper) to maintain the shape of the brush and protect the
>bristles from everything around the brush.

Name works for E-mail

[ja...@salsgiver.com]

On Tue, 25 Jan 2000 10:53:30 GMT, "J-P" <pie...@ithink.net> wrote:

>I know this question is pretty basic but I figure it'll save me an expensive
>paint (poly-oil base) brush. How do you go about cleaning your expensive
>paint brushes after using them (to get maximum life out of them).
>Thanks
>J-P
>Tampa, FL
>
>
>

J-P, go to your nearest paint store ask for a combination , roller/
brush spinner, and for around $25 bucks they'll sell ya one of them.
Just dunk your brush in thinner , put it into the spinner and spin
your brush. I spin inside a 5 gallon joint compound bucket, to contain
the flying mess. Then , if I'm still gonna do more finish the next
day, i'll soak it in fresh thinner. Just spin again before applying
finish. If I'm all done with the project, I'll follow the cleaning
spin with hot water and dish soap then a hot water rinse . Hang the
brush up on the nail hole. It may sound kind of anal, but I have a
couple of 10 year old brushes that are still in good shape.

P.S. If your brush is already wrecked, try a laquer thinner soak and
spin.

[J-P]

All excellent reply posts!
Thanks to all
J-P
<ja...@salsgiver.com> wrote in message
news:388e1bff...@news.salsgiver.com...

[NOSPAMBOB]

Hate hanging my laundry out like this! Really meant pet COMB, not brush.

In article <20000125145700...@nso-bg.aol.com>, nosp...@aol.com
(NOSPAMBOB) writes:

>Someone posted that a pet brush can also be used, might be easier to find too.

Name works for E-mail

[timothy....@gmail.com]

I was sloppy and left a little polyurethane (water-based) to dry on an expensive brush. Vigorous washing in warm soapy water followed by pet combing worked well; it's almost as good as new.

[Limey Lurker]

+1

[sweet...@gmail.com]

I just did the same thing. I hope my brush isn't ruined. I soaked it in hot soapy water and it is still hard..

[nailsh...@aol.com]

On Friday, May 15, 2015 at 11:48:39 PM UTC-5, sweet...@gmail.com wrote:
> I just did the same thing. I hope my brush isn't ruined. I soaked it in hot soapy water and it is still hard..

My personal opinion is that most people don't clean their paint equipment properly. Not brushes, not rollers, not guns... none of it.

If you have a brush with dried material on it, it is now a "dusting" brush. No longer will it give a satisfactory finish.

Once the material has dried and lost its plasticity, it is simply a hard resin or even plastic. You can revive the to some extent with a good quality stripper, or do the right thing and clean brushes and rollers immediately after use with the correct solvent.

BTW, using a pet comb, a wire brush or any other kind of device to "comb" or tear out the dried residue will ruin the brush for everything except painting rough sawn exterior materials. The flags (flagging) on brush bristles that leave the fine finish are torn apart and in some cases completely off the brush when a wire comb or brush is used on them. Additionally, they will not remove any of the dried residue in the brush well, so in effect you are simply wasting time unless you need a good duster.

Robert

[Bill]

nailsh...@aol.com wrote:
> On Friday, May 15, 2015 at 11:48:39 PM UTC-5, sweet...@gmail.com wrote:
>> I just did the same thing. I hope my brush isn't ruined. I soaked it in hot soapy water and it is still hard..
> My personal opinion is that most people don't clean their paint equipment properly. Not brushes, not rollers, not guns... none of it.

I agree with you. I found it handy to learn (here) that I
could put the brushes and rollers (wrapped) in the refrigerator if I
needed to take a break. It worked great.

[Leon]

I clean everything immediately and often a couple of times in a day if I
am painting all day long. BUT rollers get slid off the handle into a
plastic bag and tossed into the trash can... I have wasted way too much
time cleaning rollers in the past.

[Greg Guarino]

On 5/16/2015 12:48 AM, sweet...@gmail.com wrote:
> I just did the same thing. I hope my brush isn't ruined. I soaked it in hot soapy water and it is still hard..
>

If it's still hard after 4 hours you're supposed to call a doctor, or so
I've heard.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

[nailsh...@aol.com]

On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 9:41:03 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:

> I clean everything immediately and often a couple of times in a day if I
> am painting all day long. BUT rollers get slid off the handle into a
> plastic bag and tossed into the trash can... I have wasted way too much
> time cleaning rollers in the past.

For me, it depends on the use of the item and how long it has been in service. A good 1/2" or 3/4" nap roller is too expensive to throw out, so if it is fairly new it gets cleaned.

If I am walling out a room then going on my way I will usually factor in an inexpensive 3/8" nap roller and toss it for the simple sake of expediency.

I paint out of a bucket when using rollers and can use a roller for many hours with a bit of care. If I need to stop, I pull the roller screen out, put the roller all the way in the bucket and put a lid on it. It will stay covered with no ill effects for a few hours. If I have used a roller cover all day, I generally toss them. And if I am paying a guy to paint for me, the $3.50 I have in the roller won't go very far for the 15 to 20 minutes of pay it takes to clean a roller.

The only time I am <sure> I am going to toss a roller is when using them for oil application. I roll out metal doors and most interior doors when using oil based enamel, and the rollers simply aren't worth cleaning. And those little 4 and 6" weenie rollers are pretty inexpensive so they are easily disposable.

Robert

[Markem]

On Sat, 16 May 2015 09:40:50 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

I have a spinner, I do clean roller covers and brushes when I use
them. Most of my destroyed brushes have been when my wife packs them
in a plastic bag for over night, drives the paint into places where it
should not be. Throwing out $50 in good brushes happens and it sucks.

Mark

[Swingman]

On 5/16/2015 1:01 PM, nailsh...@aol.com wrote:
> I paint out of a bucket when using rollers and can use a roller for many hours with a bit of care. If I need to stop, I pull the roller screen out, put the roller all the way in the bucket and put a lid on it. It will stay covered with no ill effects for a few hours.

Have put mine in a zip lock bag, then roll them in bag so they're
completely covered by plastic.

Works fine for hours.

Even been known to put the bag/roller in the fridge overnight.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

[gerbe...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, January 25, 2000 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, J-P wrote:
> I know this question is pretty basic but I figure it'll save me an expensive
> paint (poly-oil base) brush. How do you go about cleaning your expensive
> paint brushes after using them (to get maximum life out of them).
> Thanks
> J-P
> Tampa, FL

Someone at work let me in on a cheap method: oak the brush in acetone-based nail polish (the higher the % of acetone, the faster the job done) and it worked way better than paint thinner (which I had already tried). I then followed advice from this site and soaked the brush (natural bristles) in warm soapy water & then rinsed it clean & dried it in a paper bag from the LCBO. I didn't have a wire pet brush to comb out the bristles so I used a kitchen fork. Shhh...don't tell my husband.

[gerbe...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, January 25, 2000 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, J-P wrote:
> I know this question is pretty basic but I figure it'll save me an expensive
> paint (poly-oil base) brush. How do you go about cleaning your expensive
> paint brushes after using them (to get maximum life out of them).
> Thanks
> J-P
> Tampa, FL

OMG What a sloppy job I did on my 1st attempt at posting on this site. I meant SOAK the brush not OAK it, and use acetone-based nail polish REMOVER not the nail polish itself. Sooo sorry if you painted the town red with your brush =D
Gerberry

[J. Clarke]

In article <e419a8cf-1b11-430b...@googlegroups.com>,
gerbe...@gmail.com says...

I think you'll find quart and gallon cans of acetone from Home Depot to
be cheaper than nail polish remover. Lacquer thinner also works well
(it's typically acetone and toluene). Note that lacquer thinner is a
different substance from ordinary paint thinner. MEK is another option.

[Unknown]

"J. Clarke" <j.clark...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:MPG.306a659b7...@news.eternal-september.org:

>
> I think you'll find quart and gallon cans of acetone from Home Depot
> to be cheaper than nail polish remover. Lacquer thinner also works
> well (it's typically acetone and toluene). Note that lacquer thinner
> is a different substance from ordinary paint thinner. MEK is another
> option.

Those compounds are all on my "read the MSDS first" list. They're safe if
handled correctly, but can be hazardous if you're not careful.

A MSDS is usually easily found by typing /Product Name/ MSDS.

(MSDS stands for Manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet.)

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

[Martin Eastburn]

Right - wear maybe purple gloves and black chemical ones on top.
Some of these 'solvents' dissolve lots of stuff.
Use a metal can or bucket.
Martin

[J. Clarke]

In article <5600a448$0$40370$b1db1813$3c7c...@news.astraweb.com>,
Puckdropper says...

Same is true for the nail polish remover that he was already using.

[J. Clarke]

In article <m82Mx.35218$sa4....@fx09.iad>, lion...@consolidated.net
says...

>
> Right - wear maybe purple gloves and black chemical ones on top.
> Some of these 'solvents' dissolve lots of stuff.
> Use a metal can or bucket.

You just have to know your plastics and your solvents. Polyethylene
containers work fine. And that one needs purple gloves and black
chemical ones on top to work with acetone would be news to, well, most
women. Ditto lacquer thinner and most painters. And MEK and just about
anybody who works in industry.

[Leon]

With oil based it helps to use mineral spirits and to use a two
container method. Clean the bulk in one container of spirits and follow
up cleaning again in another clean container of mineral spirits.
Then wash with soap and water.

Paint thinner is designed to thin paint and does not work quite as well
to clean as mineral spirits.

[John McCoy]

gerbe...@gmail.com wrote in
news:e419a8cf-1b11-430b...@googlegroups.com:

> On Tuesday, January 25, 2000 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, J-P wrote:

(a long-since answered question)

> OMG What a sloppy job I did on my 1st attempt at posting on this site.

Sloppy or not, did it occur to you that answering a question
that was asked 15 years ago probably isn't all that helpful?

John

[Martin Eastburn]

1. they used a small amount and it was banned. The new stuff stinks
differently.

2. the volume of chemical makes all the difference.

[J. Clarke]

In article <x9oMx.46265$zC5....@fx14.iad>, lion...@consolidated.net
says...

>
> 1. they used a small amount and it was banned.

Who used a small amount and what was banned and where? If you're
talking about nail polish removeer and acetone, nail polish remover is
typically 70+ percent acetone. According to the CVS web site, "CVS
Advanced Nail Polish Remover, Acai Breeze" is "available" (in other
words in stock) at their West Hollywood location and the half dozen or
so surrounding stores which show up when one plugs 90210 into their
locator. According to the product description and list of ingredients,
that product is 96 percent acetone, hardly "a small amount" and if it's
not "banned" in California it's not likely to be banned anywhere in the
US.

As a double check, the Home Depot in Hollywood has over 300 gallons of
acetone in stock.

> The new stuff stinks differently.

What "new stuff"? If you're talking about nail polish remover, the "new
stuff" uses ethyl acetate, which if you check the MSDS you will find has
roughly the same toxicity as acetone. If you need "purple gloves and
black chemical ones on top" to use acetone then you need them for ethyl
acetate.

The reason "the new stuff" is on the market is that acetone will
dissolve the glue used to attach artificial nails, while ethyl acetate
will not. It has nothing to do with safety or with "bans".

Note that you used to be able to get ethyl acetate in gallons at Home
Depot as "MEK Substitute" but it has been discontinued.

And the "low VOC lacquer thinner" is nearly pure acetone.

> 2. the volume of chemical makes all the difference.

Which has what relevance to acetone?

I would not discourage anyone from using acetone, but "you need purple
gloves and black chemical ones on top" is just pointless fear-mongering.

[Leon]

On 9/23/2015 1:37 AM, J. Clarke wrote:
snip

>> The new stuff stinks differently.
>
> What "new stuff"? If you're talking about nail polish remover, the "new
> stuff" uses ethyl acetate, which if you check the MSDS you will find has
> roughly the same toxicity as acetone. If you need "purple gloves and
> black chemical ones on top" to use acetone then you need them for ethyl
> acetate.
>
> The reason "the new stuff" is on the market is that acetone will
> dissolve the glue used to attach artificial nails, while ethyl acetate
> will not. It has nothing to do with safety or with "bans".

;~) I hope no one gets the wrong idea...
My wife has her nails done regularly and has done so for 20+ years.
I have often asked her about getting solvents from my shop on her nails.
Many of them would soften/dissolve the paint.
Anyway I'm under the impression that those places don't apply artificial
nails these days, I could be wrong.
The new gel coatings that they use will build up quickly and are
dried with UV light IIRC. And no longer do they chip or soften with the
stuff in my shop.

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <MPG.306ad36ab...@news.eternal-september.org>, J.

Clarke <j.clark...@gmail.com> wrote:

> In article <m82Mx.35218$sa4....@fx09.iad>, lion...@consolidated.net
> says...
> >
> > Right - wear maybe purple gloves and black chemical ones on top.
> > Some of these 'solvents' dissolve lots of stuff.
> > Use a metal can or bucket.
>
> You just have to know your plastics and your solvents. Polyethylene
> containers work fine. And that one needs purple gloves and black
> chemical ones on top to work with acetone would be news to, well, most
> women. Ditto lacquer thinner and most painters. And MEK and just about
> anybody who works in industry.

Acetone is made by the human body:

.<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone> Second paragraph.


Joe Gwinn

[Martin Eastburn]

Nail polish remover is not acetone anymore. Maybe where you live, but
not here. One buys acetone at the paint store or Home Depot.

The stuff in the tiny bottles for women isn't acetone. The consistency
is different. It doesn't dissolve paint like it did before, but works
slowly on the fingernail polish.

Martin

[Martin Eastburn]

Read the bottom section - how it can kill you if you breathe it....
It isn't innocent and should be treated with caution. 'half life of 10
days in the air'.....

Martin

[J. Clarke]

In article <NH%Mx.93797$8M6....@fx13.iad>, lion...@consolidated.net
says...

>
> Nail polish remover is not acetone anymore. Maybe where you live, but
> not here. One buys acetone at the paint store or Home Depot.
>
> The stuff in the tiny bottles for women isn't acetone. The consistency
> is different. It doesn't dissolve paint like it did before, but works
> slowly on the fingernail polish.

So why does <http://www.cvs.com/shop/beauty/makeup/nails/cvs-advanced-
nail-polish-remover-juniper-burst-skuid-949209> claim 96 percent
acetone? How about <http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/studio-35-beauty-
100-acetone-nail-polish-remover/ID=prod6237803-product> claiming 100%
acetone?

Just because you bought one kind doesn't mean that the other kind is not
available. Of course if you don't live in the US then all bets are off.

[J. Clarke]

In article <aQ%Mx.31623$C05....@fx16.iad>, lion...@consolidated.net
says...

>
> Read the bottom section - how it can kill you if you breathe it....
> It isn't innocent and should be treated with caution. 'half life of 10
> days in the air'.....

Oxygen can kill you if you breathe it too. Perhaps you should avoid it.

[ladybu...@gmail.com]

Thanks! The information that you had shared was SUPER helpful, But what's mineral sprits? And where could I find it?

[dadiOH]

<ladybu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eeb40703-1e05-429b...@googlegroups.com...

> Thanks! The information that you had shared was SUPER helpful, But what's
> mineral sprits? And where could I find it?

Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc. Paint thinner is a bit cheaper and is -
essentially - the same thing.

[Unknown]

"dadiOH" <xi...@verizon.net> wrote in news:o3op3k$825$1...@dont-email.me:

Keep your eye out for "green" mineral spirits. It's different and may work
differently. (IME, "green" things work worse.)

Puckdropper
--
http://www.puckdroppersplace.us/rec.woodworking
A mini archive of some of rec.woodworking's best and worst!

[-MIKE-]

On 12/25/16 12:32 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
> "dadiOH" <xi...@verizon.net> wrote in news:o3op3k$825$1...@dont-email.me:
>
>>
>> <ladybu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:eeb40703-1e05-429b...@googlegroups.com...
>>> Thanks! The information that you had shared was SUPER helpful, But
>>> what's mineral sprits? And where could I find it?
>>
>> Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc. Paint thinner is a bit cheaper and is -
>> essentially - the same thing.
>>
>
> Keep your eye out for "green" mineral spirits. It's different and may work
> differently. (IME, "green" things work worse.)
>
> Puckdropper
>

Yep, I'll never use the green stuff again. Horrible.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
mi...@mikedrumsDOT.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

[sawdustmaker]

Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote in
news:586010c1$0$11978$c3e8da3$3a1a...@news.astraweb.com:

> "dadiOH" <xi...@verizon.net> wrote in news:o3op3k$825$1...@dont-email.me:
>
>>
>> <ladybu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:eeb40703-1e05-429b...@googlegroups.com...
>>> Thanks! The information that you had shared was SUPER helpful, But
>>> what's mineral sprits? And where could I find it?
>>
>> Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc. Paint thinner is a bit cheaper and is -
>> essentially - the same thing.
>>
>
> Keep your eye out for "green" mineral spirits. It's different and may
> work differently. (IME, "green" things work worse.)
>
> Puckdropper

I read that green denatured alchol had less water in it than normal
denatured alchol which would be better if you mix your own shellac. Of
course, Everclear was the best to alchol to use for that. So not all green
stuff is bad. YMMV

[clary kempton]

I would like to suggest DIY painters try my unique product for assisting in paint brush and roller cleanup. My product is called the washbox and is essentially a ribbed plastic insert that fits in most sinks. The washbox has a drain in the bottom that aligns with the sink drain. Cleanup is contained inside the washbox and the sink is protected from paint stains. Please check out the demo video at the following website https://thewashbox.ca