Whats the best solvent for suspending my brushes in? I have been using acetone but seems harsh and it evaporates away.

I use medium temperature lacquer thinner, I get from Home Depot.

Bill - willierods.com

I use this method. first wipe all excess finish off with a paper towel, then wash in denatured alcohol, do this 3 times wiping in between wash. Next wash brushes in water and a little dawn licquied soap. rinse off and let dry. I have brushes that I have used over 5 years and these brushes cost about 8 bucks a peice

Good Wraps Bob

I use U-40 Brush Cleaner. You can use the solvent to both clean and soak your brushes.
It works very well, AND they are a board sponsor.

[u-40.com]

Walt

Metho,

Wash the brush, dry it. End of story.

I too found using acetone was not good for the brushes.

Paul.

I fish therefore I am.
www.hookeduprods.com

U-40 brush cleaner.

I have an artists brush station which consists of a cup for the solvent, a mesh screen in the cup for solids to settle under, and a wire "goal posts" with a coiled wire around the crossbar to hold the brushes verticle in solvent.


..............................

Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Flexcoat Epoxy brush cleaner.

I find the trash can to be quite effective - after I cut off the end to be used as a stirrer for the next batch.

I'm with Bill. I buy cheap brushes (applying epoxy) and/or use strips of foam (applying PermaGloss). I throw everything away, when I'm finished. I figure I don't need to breathe any additional toxic fumes. Diposable brushes are available through some of the sponsors or Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

I'm cheap....even with flex coat brushes. I have a small jelly jar that I drilled a hole in the center of the lid. The hole is just large enough to suspend the brush about 1" into denatured alcohol in the jar .

I use very expensive Sable brushes (today it would cost as much as $100.00 a brush) for the past 30 years . I first wipe off the excess finish with a paper towel as Robert Balcombe suggests and then I put it into a Acetone bath for about 20 minutes to loosen up the finish from the hairs. The last step is a good soaking in hot water that has had liquid soap (Ivory or similar) for about an hour. Rinse it off with cold water to get rid of the soap and then wrap it in paper towel for a few hours.

My brushes range from the very small to the 2 inch brushes I use for the but wrap. The Sables I bought many years ago are very hard to find today because not all the Sable brushes are true Sables but a mixture of a few sable hairs with other hairs.

This method works for me as my brushes are still in great shape and believe me I have used them many times in the past years

I'm with Bill. But buy my brushes at the Dollar Store at 24 for a dollar.

I also use the break-off-the-tip method for my subsequent stirrer, or did until about six months ago when I found some wood lollipop sticks at 300 for $1.00 which work great. (Quantum leap in technology).

Other dollar store items are the foam paint brushes at about 12 for a buck which work well for recoating or painting blanks with a nice thin, non-lumpy finish, and the rubber and plastic gloves to keep the strong (chemical) epoxies off your hands, used most often when installing grips and seats and the messy runoff from that process.

Still on the subject of affordable technology, I use a soda or beer can turned upside down as the perfect stirring cup: it pools the epoxy in the middle nicely, and there is a nice rounded edge on the sides to wipe your brush on before applying the finish. One thing about these: I thoroughly clean the cup with rubbing alcohol to remove contaminants just before pouring the epoxy in.

With any of these: use once and toss.

Whit