How I clean my oil painting brushes

[@TimothyJohnLukeSmithPSA]

Thank you for this wonderful information!!!

[@alionaprice1603]

hello Sadie, did I understand correctly, that after dipping your brushes in natural turpenoid, after it dries next morning you can put them in brush holder jar and keep it there for a very long time without rinsing them in mineral spirits, if you dont want to use that brush for example, you can keep it coated with turpenoid for months ?

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

Yes! Although I recommend lying your brushes flat to store them. But yes, the natural turpenoid left on the brushes will keep the bristles flexible and conditioned indefinitely, it dries to a flexible gel. But you need to wash the brush thoroughly before you use it again. Natural turp dissolves itself very well, so swish the brush vigorously in a jar of natural turp, squeeze it out with a paper towel, then swish it vigorously in odorless mineral spirits until it is totally free of any natural turp before you use it to paint again.

[@alionaprice1603]

@@SadieValeriAtelier thank you so much for replying! I ll definitely try it, Im in Texas and was able to order natural turpenoid online

[@D00M3R-SK8]

just got some turpenoid natural as splashed out on some nice Raphael 8404's for miniature painting. I have just works the turpenoid into the bristles though, and then rinsed under colder water. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but I know with these brushes you can' stand them in anything as it would completely wreck them. we're talking sizes 0, 1 and 2 brushes though.

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

Correct, never leave your brushes standing on end, the bristles will be permanently damaged. I find the Turpenoid Natural makes my most delicate, expensive brushes last indefinitely. Also, make sure your palette is very smooth, since a new wood palette with grain can damage brushes easily. Build up a nice glassy surface on a wood palette by rubbing in layers of linseed oil and paint.

[@NataliaBrowne]

Hi Sadie, Thank you so much for this. I’m doing your oil painting courses on your website and this is very helpful. I just got all the equipment (canning jars, silicoils, terpenoid natural, and gamsol) but am wondering how long I can leave the terpenoid natural and gamsol in the jar and keep reusing it, do you have any suggestions for how often to change it out? Thank you!

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

Your natural turpenoid brush cleaner should last for months, just dip your brushes and squeeze them out on a paper towel first to get most the paint out. For your solvent jar/OMS, you'll find the paint settles to the bottom. This can make the silicoil jar difficult to clean. Best to pour the dirty solvent into another jar after you have cleaned your brushes in it, let the paint settle overnight, and the next morning pour the clean layer of solvent back into your silicoil jar. Don't dump used solvent down the drain. Use paper towels to soak up solvents before discarding paper towels in a plastic trash bag, and pour water over them so they will not combust. Dispose of it in a bin outside your home or studio to avoid fumes and fire risk.

[@LauraGYoung]

Thanks for sharing! I'd not heard that Turpenoid Natural was good for conditioning. What are your thoughts about using a brush cleaner product like "The Masters" which seems more like some sort of soap?

[@AkiraFist]

Murphy's Oil Soap. Get it from WalMart/Target, etc. Cleans better than OMS.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

I use masters and turpenoid. turpenoid is to be used after every use, where as masters just like once a week if using them a lot.

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

There are lots of brush cleaners that work well, and yes murphey's oil soap and also dishwashing liquid works. But you need to use a sink with running water to use those methods. My method allows you to only use liquids in jars, no sink or water necessary.

[@LauraGYoung]

@@SadieValeriAtelier -- Good to know! (even if it was six years after I asked the question. *grin*) :) :)

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

Yeah, it was a good question so I figured others might want my answer 🤣 I only recently found out I had unanswered comments going back years, so I've been going back and answering old ones. And I set up my email notifications so now I actually get notified when people comment :)

[@geezeressa]

How the hell do you get the silicoil thingy out of the jar? I just can’t seem to do it!!

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

It's tricky! But it's a spring, so if you can hold it with 2 hands and coil it tighter, it slips out easily.

[@txgirl995]

If you use just odorless turpenoid, how do you get that off the brush after you clean off paint or varnish? I don't have the natural.

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

Good question! After using solvent to remove the oil paint from the brushes, most oil painters wash their brushes with soap and water in a sink. Dishwashing liquid or murphy's oil soap work better than hand soap, although hand soap works ok too. There are also special brush-cleaning soaps for oil paint brushes in most art supply stores. I started my method with Natural Turp when I had a studio without a sink, and I found it made my brushes last longer than they had when I washed them with soap, but soap and water works fine.

[@debcvarn]

Great fact filled video!! What is the name of the coils and where can I purchase? Thank You

[@SadieValeriAtelier]

It's a silicoil jar, and you can buy it in art stores or on online art supply websites.