"The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver

[Renee Price]

I use The Masters and I love it. I have never had a problem using it as a cleaner or as a brush conditioner. I'm hard on my brushes and they look almost new.

Renee Price

[Mari DeRuntz]

Chris, thank you so much for your thoughtful review. I've copied it over to the Atelier section of the Forum, for future reference ease.

[Mari DeRuntz]

I also tried the email address on Shanks' site, after reading about Incaminati in the December 2002 Portrait Signature, but like Michelle, had no response. Can't seem to find any workable contact, and am very interested, Chris, if you have something like a phone number you could post.

[Marvin Mattelson]

According to Robert Doak, Ugly Dog Soap is not for cleaning synthetic brushes, like the Silver Ruby Satins I use. He swears by it for natural bristle and hair brushes.

[Chris Kolupski]

Andrea, I have also been using Master's cleaner for many years and love it. If you buy the large tub size you'll spend about $20, but it will last about a year.

Incidentally, I have found that the absolute strongest solvent for dried paint is Turpenoid Natural by Webber in the green can. Although the solvent is unsuitable for any type of medium or paint mixture, it can dissolve dried paint off of anything: wood, glass, bristle, you name it.

I like to use Gamosol for general brush cleaning during a painting session, but then switch to Turpenoid Natural for a deeper cleaning at the end of a session. Then I finish with Master's and warm water. Turpenoid Natural also has the unique ability to mix with both Gamosol and water, thus it cleans most of the Gamosol out of my brushes, allowing them to soap up much faster in the Master's soap so that I use less of it. Hope this is helpful.

[Chris Kolupski]

After hearing of yet another artist acquaintance with cancer, I have decided to eliminate aromatic solvents altogether from my brush cleaning routine. I will use a tiny amount of Gamsol for thinning my painting medium, and that's it.

As a non-toxic, non-aromatic replacement, I'm testing out different drying oils. The cheapest is regular sunflower oil from the supermarket. This is food-grade, not art-grade oil. Before risking this approach on an actual painting, I'm first testing whether or not a tiny amount of this oil could inhibit drying if it migrates to any paint mixtures. The reason is that sometimes I like to clean a brush during a painting session, as opposed to after I'm finished painting. Of course, after cleaning a brush in such an oil, I will wipe it as dry as possible on a Scott Shop Cloth, (lint free and very durable), but there will always be a tiny amount of oil deep in the brush that only soap and water will remove. If I continue painting before using soap and water, a tiny amount of this oil will gradually work its way into my painting.

Ralph Mayer lists sunflower oil as a drying oil and I have a tube of alkyd/sunflower oil Titanium white. Other than that, it seems that I'm left to my own tests.

Does anybody have any additional information on any long-term consequences of sunflower oil in paint mixtures? Other suggestions?

[Chris Kolupski]

Bill,

Thanks for the suggestion. I am now about halfway through with the sunflower oil I purchased a month ago and will try the walnut oil next.

Incidentally, I have found that Hain's sunflower oil works well for brush cleaning and have had no problems with my paint drying too slowly. After washing the brush in oil, I just squeeze the bristles in Scott Shop Towels (the blue kind) and continue painting. An added benefit is that if I am too pressed for time to wash my brushes using Masterson's soap, they don't get "crispy", but stay supple for my next painting session.

Chris

[Chris Kolupski]

Tim, good point. Incidently, I have reverted back to simple Gamsol. I spent a week at Incaminati with Nelson Shanks and he advocates wiping out lights with a OMS-soaked rag. I now use a little Artguard (W&N) as a barrier cream and hope for the best. Incidentally, Incaminati has changed my life as a painter.

[Chris Kolupski]

Mike and others, I apologize for not answering sooner. By way of explanation, I have a 1998 iMac that hates the internet. I have not been able to log on since my earlier post. I am currently logged in on my mother-in-law's computer