Black Magic Bad for brushes???

[Rocket37]

I was reading some place that Higgins black magic was bad for brushes? Has anyone else heard or experienced this?
I use bm and speedball super black ink. I keep a smal water jar at my desk when inking and swish my brush every so often. after reading that , i am kinda gun shy now about using BM with my brush(i just got them from dick blick and don't want them to go bad on me.)

any insight would be appricated.

Frank

[Bruce Lee]

I was reading some place that Higgins black magic was bad for brushes? Has anyone else heard or experienced this?
I use bm and speedball super black ink. I keep a smal water jar at my desk when inking and swish my brush every so often. after reading that , i am kinda gun shy now about using BM with my brush(i just got them from dick blick and don't want them to go bad on me.)

any insight would be appricated.

Frank

Frank,

INK is bad for brushes. Anything you put on a brush--ink, paint, etc--is bad for brushes. That's why it's important to clean your brushes after you use them. I'm not aware of Black Magic being particularly bad for brushes, Frank, but I don't think that Black Magic is as good a quality of ink as it used to be. Black Magic USED to be THE ink of choice for decades, but sometime back in the early 90s, the company removed the animal fats used in the ink's contents. Many artists, professionals and amateurs, agree that the ink has never been the same since. For years now, I've switched to using HIGGINS SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK India Ink. It's a fine ink, but it must be maintained. Every so often, you have to add a few drops of distilled water to it (5-10 drops should do it), and shake the contents of the bottle up to keep the ink flowing well. For my money, it's the best ink available right now. I've tried Pelikan, universal and all the rest, but that's the one I like best at the moment.

Buy a good brush and them when and after you use them. You'll be okay.

Loston

[Rocket37]

Frank,

INK is bad for brushes. Anything you put on a brush--ink, paint, etc--is bad for brushes. That's why it's important to clean your brushes after you use them. I'm not aware of Black Magic being particularly bad for brushes, Frank, but I don't think that Black Magic is as good a quality of ink as it used to be. Black Magic USED to be THE ink of choice for decades, but sometime back in the early 90s, the company removed the animal fats used in the ink's contents. Many artists, professionals and amateurs, agree that the ink has never been the same since. For years now, I've switched to using HIGGINS SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK India Ink. It's a fine ink, but it must be maintained. Every so often, you have to add a few drops of distilled water to it (5-10 drops should do it), and shake the contents of the bottle up to keep the ink flowing well. For my money, it's the best ink available right now. I've tried Pelikan, universal and all the rest, but that's the one I like best at the moment.

Buy a good brush and them when and after you use them. You'll be okay.

Loston

Thanks Loston.. I like the BLack magic..nice and dark..I also have the speedball ink which i use too..but i have mainly used the BM for brushwork..so i was alittle concerned when i read that it was bad. I cleanmy brushes after each use with soap and water , and i am going to take your advice about using the shampoo every so often..

Thanks again,
Frank