Brush cleaning using Zest-it

	BRUSH CLEANING

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How to clean your oil painting brushes using Zest-it and save yourself some money! If you keep your brushes clean, especially at the ferrule, they will last much longer and perform well. You have paid good money for the best quality brushes, but it is very easy to ruin them, if they are not looked after properly. Brushes need to be cleaned after each painting session, a good routine will pay dividends. To make cleaning easier, remove as much paint as possible with kitchen towel. Wash the brush in Zest-it Brush Cleaner to remove all of the paint from the bristles. A wash pot with a cleaning screen in the bottom, is the simplest way to thoroughly clean your brush. The screen opens up the centre bristles and allows the Zest-it to penetrate right up to the ferrule end. It's particularly important to remove all traces of paint from this area because paint allowed to dry in the ferrule is the fastest ruination of a brush. Having cleaned the brush. Dry on kitchen towel. To further protect your smaller brushes, it's a good idea to give them an extra cleaning 'treat'. Dip the brush into lukewarm water, then pull the bristles across a bar of household soap or use the Zest-it Artist Hand Cleaner, work the bristles in the palm of your hand, rinse the brush and repeat until a lather is formed, repeat this until the lather is clean and not showing any trace of colour. Some pigments stain the bristle, this will not harm the brush. Once clean, you can then rinse, dry, and shape the brush, then leave to dry naturally. Or you can shape the brush with clean lather still in it and leave to dry naturally. This is useful if you have any 'rogue' bristles that need to be brought back into line, the lather holds them in place. Make sure you remove the dry lather before using the brush again. If you have any brushes that do have dried paint at the ferrule end, you can breath life back into them with Zest-it Brush Cleaner. Soak the brush well in Zest-it and work it into the bristles at the ferrule, pull the brush back and forth vigorously across the palm of your hand to help loosen the paint, rinse in Zest-it and repeat. You may need to do this a number of time if the dried paint has been there a while. Dry the brush, but don't wash with water, leave it like this for a couple of days, then repeat with the Zest-it. It takes time for the Zest-it to penetrate the dried paint clinging to the bristles, it is not an aggressive cleaner so patience is rewarded. The citrus oil content of Zest-it Brush Cleaner helps to keep the natural bristle/hair in good condition. Other types of solvent especially petroleum based ones are know to 'leech out' the oil content of the filaments, causing them to go brittle, dry and then break over time. You may find a brush that's past it's best can be put to good use in other ways, it may be useful for stippling, foliage or it may make a particular type of mark, it's always as well to make sure it's past redemption before throwing it in the bin. One major don't. Don't leave the brush standing on it's bristles in any jam jars or containers you are using, the bristles will bend and another brush will be ruined. Copyright Jacqui Blackman © 1999 We have a good selection of Pro Arte brushes in our online shop at J and T's Art and Calligraphy Types of Brushes Zest-it products Brush components