Cleaning The Alternative Paintbrush

[tgtaylor]

Do you clean your brush after a coating session? For a long time I didn't - just rinsed in hot water and set upright to dry and replaced the inexpensive (like $3) 1.5" hake brush when it got to grubby and residue started getting deposited during the coat. Nowadays I use Master's https://www.dickblick.com/products/t...and-preserver/ on both the hake and Richeson synthetic brushes. Immediately after coating I rinse the brush in hot water and then lather the bristles up with the Master's, massage, rinse, and repeat one time allowing the brush to dry flat before storing bristles up.

Thomas

[Vaughn]

Interesting. Not very expensive.

After platinum/palladium coating, I have always use a rinse, and a short soak in fresh clearing bath (EDTA and Kodak HCA) on the brushes before a final rinse and storage upright.

[faberryman]

Gosh, I just rinse mine thoroughly.

[andrewch59]

with my Richeson brushes I rinse thoroughly, but when the bristles start to separate I give them a good clean with hair conditioner and rinse.

[koraks]

Rinse under running tap, shake off the water, put upside down in jar. It's been doing fine for a few years now. No residues or other nasty stuff being left on prints.

[Fred L]

will be getting into alt process soon (starting with kallitypes) and curious why storing bristles up is the prefered storage method (vs hanging bristles down).

and do most members prefer brushes over coating rods ? or vice versa

tia

[koraks]

why storing bristles up is the prefered storage method (vs hanging bristles down).

I'm not sure why, but virtually all painters have been doing this for centuries. Apparently it works.

and do most members prefer brushes over coating rods ? or vice versa

50/50, depends on the process. Van Dyke & cyanotype I prefer brush coating, with carbon tissue sensitzing it's the only feasible way IMO, but with salted paper I've never made a perfect print with a brush so I use a rod. Van Dyke works well with a rod too, but I find it quicker with a brush. So it really depends.

[tgtaylor]

Interesting. Not very expensive.

After platinum/palladium coating, I have always use a rinse, and a short soak in fresh clearing bath (EDTA and Kodak HCA) on the brushes before a final rinse and storage upright.

Vaughn,

Mike Ware recommends a 5 minute clearing bath of Disodium EDTA followed 5 minutes in sodium sulphite, and finally 5 minutes in Tetrasodium EDTA. He says such a regimen is more likely to completely clear the FeIII from the print. Christopher goes with disodium first followed by tetrasodium skipping the sulphite bath. Dick Sullivan doesn't use disodium.

Since the Kallitype is a close cousin of the Pt/Pd print and uses the same ferric oxalate light trigger, I am going to adopt Ware's recommendation in processing. Similarly treating the brushes before washing with the Master's appears to be a good practice as it will completely remove the iron III from the bristles.

Thomas

[Colin Graham]

I also dip brushes in some fresh clearing bath, followed by a good rinse. If I'm using a brush with a metal ferrule I give it a dip in distilled water before storing it.

[Willie]

I'm not sure why, but virtually all painters have been doing this for centuries. Apparently it works.


50/50, depends on the process. Van Dyke & cyanotype I prefer brush coating, with carbon tissue sensitzing it's the only feasible way IMO, but with salted paper I've never made a perfect print with a brush so I use a rod. Van Dyke works well with a rod too, but I find it quicker with a brush. So it really depends.

Friends who paint tell me it is so they can see the brush which makes choosing the right one much easier when working.