cleaning brushes

[Tommy]

What's the best way to clean your inking brushes? I normally use water, but decided to give 'em a good cleaning with lacquer thinner, and the tips are all split now! Bad idea? They were cheap brushes, so no big deal.

[madman1]

I usually just use soap and water if your working with ink. Other types of media you should follow the directions. The other thing about cleaning I don't do it after every use. I go about two or three weeks before cleaning just a habit I got into,it sometimes keeps the point nicely that way plus when the ink drys in the barrel you don't end up wasting ink or blobing on your work.

[markenglert]

...try as hard as you can not to let the ink get up to the bas of the brush, where the hairs meet the body of the brush.

I just use water, COLD water, not hot, becasue hot supposedly dissolves the natural oil in the hair of the brush.

Every now and then I use shampoo to clean the brush, it IS made of hair, after all. Every 3rd-4th time I use the brush.

[Baloodoo Bill]

Never let the ink touch the ferrule (the metal band) Ink in the ferrule is bad juju. Keep the depth of ink in your bottle equal to 1/2 (or less) the length of the bristles (because ink in the ferrule is bad juju). Rinse brush frequently during use (because ink in the ferrule is bad juju).

Using a bar of gentle hand soap (no Lava or 20 Mule Team Borax) hold it under running water and gently brush the soap. When the ink is gone from the brush use a special Brush Soap (I believe it's called Masters or Old Masters, I've lost my cap and I don't remember) to remove whatever chemicals the hand soap left behind (lather, rinse, repeat 2-3 times) When clean, leave a VERY dilute soap solution in the brush and roll it against a clean rag to remove excess moisture and bring the tip to a point. This will leave the point stiff. Before it's next use, soak it for 30 seconds or so, and then gently roll it against the side of your rinse bottle, till the hairs loosen.

Try to get in the habit of cleaning your brush after every use because ink in the ferrule is bad j... oh, I said that already. Did I mention I have a hundred pairs of stretch socks?

[Inkthinker]

There was a time when I used an ammonia/water mix for cleaning metal nibs... the ammonia is very effective at breaking down the ink without harming the metal, but it's also very, very stinky.

[Tommy]

Thanks for the advice, guys, Especially Bill for being who he is!

While we're on the topic, over at www.larrydempsey.com,
there's an ikning survey answered by almost every pro inker you can think of. Worth checking out!

[madman1]

While we're on the subject of ink, What types of ink do you use(anyone)?I've been using Higgins black magic, but it seems to show strokes too much(or I could go over but to much time).I decided to pick up some speedball superblack and is working very well on solid black area's(no brush strokes) but it doesn't seem to be working for me on fine line and nibs. Anybody have any suggestions? PLEASE:confused:

[Dash Martin]

I use FW brand for my brush and Higgins Black Magic for quill.

[Tommy]

Originally posted by madman1
While we're on the subject of ink, What types of ink do you use(anyone)?I've been using Higgins black magic, but it seems to show strokes too much(or I could go over but to much time).I decided to pick up some speedball superblack and is working very well on solid black area's(no brush strokes) but it doesn't seem to be working for me on fine line and nibs. Anybody have any suggestions? PLEASE:confused:

I use Black magic too, with not a lot of problems. Make sure you stir the ink real good before using. Also when I get a new bottle, I let it sit out a day or so to evaporate some of the water in it.

Check that Larry Dempsey site. You can get pros' answers to the same question!

[SenorSwanky]

I use Dr. Ph Martin's Black Star Matte, which works well with all tools and leaves nice, flat blacks. If you go to a good art store, they'll probably stock it with the Dr. Martin's watercolor dyes, which colorists used to use for color guides before Photoshop.

[ALLGOLD]

Hey Swanky, where do you get that Blackstar Ink? I've heard many diff. pros swear by this stuff, but I can't find it anywhere. The one place I found on the 'net didn't reply to either one of my E-mails. I really want to check this stuff out!

[SenorSwanky]

I go Jerry's Artarama, a nationwide chain (albeit one that has franchises scattered along the eastern seaboard of the US rather than in concentrations like Michaels, AC Moore, etc.).

[madman1]

Thanks for the suggestions I'll definitely give them a try:D

[dbclemons]

I keep a water jar nearby. After a few minutes use, I swish it clean, and pat it dry, then wash it well when I'm done.

For ink, I like Deleter's #4. It's nice and dark, though hard to find. Sumi ink is nice too.

-David

[SenorSwanky]

Yeah, always have a water jar. And keep separate ones for white paint and black ink.

[madman1]

Originally posted by SenorSwanky
Yeah, always have a water jar. And keep separate ones for white paint and black ink.
That I do. Don't need to try and white out something with gray tones:p

[Bruce Lee]

The best way to clean brushes is to first use soap and water, and then use a shampoo/conditioner on them. Brush bristles are after all, hair. Shampooing/conditioning brushes can also restore the point to your brush if the hairs have begun to fray.

Here's what you do: Rub a dime-size dab (or less) of shampoo/conditioner onto the bristles, and then reform the point without rinsing out the shampoo. Leave your brush to set for a day or so this way, and the shampoo will sort of harden. After a day, rinse out the shampoo and reform the point, and you're ready to roll with a brush that's practically as good as new.

I mainly use soap and water, but every three or four brush washings, I'll do the shampoo treatment on the brush. It really works. I've been inking with the same brushes since '94.

Loston
http://www.lostonwallace.com

[Tommy]

I use those white-bristle synthetic brushes. Is there any hope for those, or just get new ones?

I guess if a good brush can be taken care of like Bruce's, it would be a good investment!

[SenorSwanky]

Yeah, dude, don't buy cheap synthetic brushes, particularly if they're white and you can call the hairs bristles. Inking brushes should come to a good point even when abused because it's all about the line. The more expensive they are, the likelier they are to be the best brush you can buy. Get Kolinsky red sables. These are the brands I and most pros recommend: Scharff 3000, Raphael 8404 or 8408 (exactly the same brush as Scharff's 3000), and Winsor & Newton Series 7.

[Tommy]

Gracias, Senor!

[Bruce Lee]

Originally posted by SenorSwanky
Yeah, dude, don't buy cheap synthetic brushes, particularly if they're white and you can call the hairs bristles. Inking brushes should come to a good point even when abused because it's all about the line. The more expensive they are, the likelier they are to be the best brush you can buy. Get Kolinsky red sables. These are the brands I and most pros recommend: Scharff 3000, Raphael 8404 or 8408 (exactly the same brush as Scharff's 3000), and Winsor & Newton Series 7.

I use the Raphael Kolinsky 8404 series brushes. The #2 and #3 from the series. Both are excellent investments.

Loston
http://www.lostonwallace.com

[Cuddly]

I'm about to ink my first sequential piece in a couple of days, so this is a timely thread indeed! Thanks to all for the cool tips and pointers.

I'm about to use a W&N Series 7 #1 brush, some dip pens, Holbein Special Black Ink and a LOT of prayer to get me through to the finished inked pages! :D

Tommy, thanks so much for that link to Larry Dempsey's site. There's some seriously helpful stuff there. I have a whole new respect for inkers now.

...and I expect I'll be worshipping them by the weekend after I get through with my inking... ;)