Old information made new (brush cleaning)

[mplsmarjorie]

I found a hint in a book from the 1950s that I found to be very helpful. This is my version:
Cut a piece of screen (1/4 squares in metal screen work well) and bend it to fit into the bottom half of a coffee can or other vessel.
Make two of these.

Fill the first one with a mix of 1/2 water and 1/2 liquid dish soap. Fill the second one with plain water.

During painting, dip/rub your brush against the screen in first the soapy one, then the plain water, then dry with a rag.

This makes my brushes so easy to clean, and keeps my paints from getting all mixed together.

You can buy a fancy stainless steel version for about $27, but this works great. :wave:

[couturej]

Marjorie, Thanks for sharing the information on making a brush cleaner. :)

[acadianartist]

Great tip Marjorie, I might just have to try this as I've let way too many brushes harden on me in the past!

[judyfilarecki]

Great tip, Marjorie. I'm a snow bird so I have the commercial version at one home and love it. This solves the problem for my other home. Really appreciate it. Judy

[jmckelvin]

I'm going to have to make something like this. I'm just using water right now and a rag. I sometimes still end up with water and a little paint left over in the brush.
Thanks for the tip :)

[dbclemons]

There are metal coils (Silicoil) in a jar that you can buy at art stores which do the same thing. You only need something raised above the surface of the can that will let the pigment fall to the bottom.

Personally, I would recommend only having soap involved in the final cleaning stage for brushes and not used while painting.