I'm fairly new to rod building - been building for about 8 months now and tired of buying cheap throw away brushes when applying rod finish. I know there is a product out there U40 brush cleaner which works pretty well. Can someone please comment on how they clean there brushes after using them? Do you soak them in acetone or maybe denatured alcohol, thinking more along the lines of acetone though or is U40 the only way to go?

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks,
Neil

I have used both the U-40 and Flex Coat brands of brush cleaner, both are good products. I use a fairly good quality artist brush found in the craft stores, after applying the finish I wipe any excess off the brush with a paper towel, dip in either of the two brands, wipe dry and then do a final clean with ISO Alcohol. May be a bit much, but I have never had a problem reusing the brushes and they last a very long time.

I use the U-40 brush Cleaner with great results.
My technique is a bit different:

Pour a small amount of Brush Cleaner in a tiny dish and swirl the brush.
Wipe dry with a piece of paper towel.
Wet another piece of paper towel with fresh cleaner and gently squeeze the brush clean in.

I drilled a hole in the brush cleaner bottle cap just large enough for the brush handle to fit snugly.
I insert the brush through the hole just far enough to immerse the brush hairs into the cleaning solution.
There it sits until needed again.

Similar process wipe off excess pour enough brush cleaner into an old rx container to cover brush. Leave it until needed. Wipe off cleaner and go. Good brushes or throw away works good. brush cleaner doesn't evaporate.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2012 04:41PM by Bill Ballou.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

My process same as Dave Gilberg

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT

Keeping the brush submerged works well, but a word of caution. Sand or scrape all the paint off of the brush handle. The vapors will melt the paint and stain your cleaning fluid. Learned the hard way.

I use the U-40 stuff now. Just keep some in a glass cup and leave the brush in it. When ready to use, I take it out, wipe it off and go to work.

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

I fill a small mayonnaise jar with lacquer thinner
When done finishing whip with a paper towel then stick in the jar
press onto the bottom several times let sit

Every once in a while clean out the jar

If you let it sit overnight -- in the garbage

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2012 05:23PM by bill boettcher.

I have all that stuff too, but never remember to put the brush in it to clean it. I pry the brush off the table, throw it away and grab a new one each time.

Kevin Knox
ANGLER'S ENVY CUSTOM RODS
QUEEN ANNE, MD 21657
#_#_#_#_#
www.anglersenvy.com

Well they are cheap

Bill - willierods.com

The amount I pay for brushs I cant afford to throw them away anymore. Try a good brush and you will change from those cheap throw aways. It does depend also on how many times your finishing. If I only did a couple of rods a week I wouldn't bother. Im mixing a couple of batchs a day between repairs and builds. I love a good brush. I concur though with what Jim said found that out the hard way also. If your gonna leave it in the cleaner get that paint off the handle it will melt over time and ruin a bottle of cleaner.

If you leave the brush in the cleaner until next use, won't the cleaner contaminate the epoxy on the next use???? Gene