How To Fix / Reshape Damaged Paint Brush | Artist's Quick Tips

[@TheValyGaming]

As a brand new miniature painter who just finished a project, and pooped up my best brush in the meantime lol, this video was just what i needed! Keep doing a great job :D

[@TylerRansom]

Thank you. I teach children watercolor painting and they are not so careful with my brushes. This worked great for restoring many of my brushes!!

[@nicolemartinart5819]

You are very welcome ☺️

[@nicolemartinart5819]

sizing the brush with gum Arabic is also a good idea if your putting your brushes away and wont be using them for a while to maintain that fine point and prevent damage :)

[@iliketrains8430]

Thank you so much for this! My brother’s friends came over and destroyed my brushes. This will help a lot!

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Your very welcome!

[@patio87]

I have hundreds of dollars worth of W&N series 7 brushes and a squirrel mop from my grandpas days as an illustrator, I thought they were all done for but after watching this I reshaped them just with water and they all come to a fine point so I'm definitely going to try doing this full restore. After I reshape with the gum arabic should I let them dry longer than a month or is it just diminishing returns after that long? Thanks for the video.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Awe I'm so glad I could help ! You can't leave them with the gum Arabic too long . It wont hurt them at all , infact they often ship to you new like that and its recommended for long storage . I'd say after a month you should have the full benefit on the reshaping. Thanks so much for watching !

[@birdy369]

Oh wow that's incredible! I hope you had success with this!

[@sheriwalker2427]

I was shown years ago to bring a small amount of water to a boil dip the bristles of the brush and then size it with a heavy paste made of some bar soap like coast or whatever and let it dry standing up on the wood end ..the boiling water will relax the bristles enough to let it be reshaped straight again it may need to be done a time or 2 you will be able to tell as you work with the brush... this was acrylic brushes I have done it myself and it has worked be careful and good luck be very careful not to burn yourself my brushes were not extremely expensive so it was worth the risk to me

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Great tips . Just remember that boiling water technique only works on synthetic brushes . Not natural animal hair . It will destroy them . Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🙂

[@colleensmith2038]

Thank you, I saved my favorite brush🥳🥳

[@juliemartin395]

I just did mine and it works so far.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

So glad I could help 😊

[@sirfruitloops7308]

Thanks, Nicole! I have been trashing my brushes for years and these are some good tips! Have you had any experience with brush hairs getting shorter? Maybe my canvas is too rough so it kind of sands them down to a shorter length. I've had this problem especially with real fur/bristle brushes, less with synthetic.

[@peaches4196]

I tried the boiling water thing with a nylon brush and it ruined it more. It was just a little bent out of shape so I put it in the boiling water for maybe 5 seconds and then tried to shape it with my fingers, but now it is all fraying out in different directions and is worse than before.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Yea I'm sorry that happened to you. That's why I said it is the last resort because it may melt the brush, especially cheaper ones that aren't meant to handle heat. Try keeping that brush for texture and special effects. It will likely make great bushes, shrubs, grasses and even wood or fur textures.

[@sweetolie1]

Yeah do not listen to hot water advice. Worse thing there is for bristles. Warm water, gentle soap, but rinse it well with holding bristles downward, if really really bad use a brush conditioner.... best thing for reforming brush..a little baking soda, gentle dish soap, tad bit vintages, and a little warm water...soak for a bit, rinse well, and shape

[@san1a0707]

omg same, is there no way to fix that now?

[@scrumpy8192]

Helpful, thanks!

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Youre welcome

[@annekostecki]

Alright, thanks for this! I'm going to give this method a try.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

You are welcome

[@michaelcolon4187]

Thank you for the tutorial. Is it ok to use the boiling water with natural sable brushes as well?

[@nicolemartinart5819]

No , no definitely don't use the boiling water on sable or any natural brushes. The reason it works for synthetic is because the synthetic brushes are made out of nylon or a type of plastic which essentially the boiling water melts so you can reshape it . Boiling water on natural brushes will ruin them .

[@michaelcolon4187]

@@nicolemartinart5819 Ok, thank you so much. I appreciate you sharing your insight.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@michaelcolon4187 you are very welcome. I'm so glad I could help 😊

[@june9838]

Thank u so much!! I was given a bunch of hand me down sable brushes, and I've been wondering how to restore them. This video is very helpful🥰 I ordered gum arabic and will be using this method after it arrives this weekend!

[@lick3227]

Did it work ?

[@castoriamerlin]

Thanks for this! No more trashing paintbrushes for me ig

[@Namjoonoutdid]

I keep forgetting to clean my brushes after using them, so I usually boil them in hot water. I don’t know why, but this time that I did that they all changed their shape, my dagger brushes are practically non usable with their shape, so I’m trying to find ways to fix them. I’ll update if these tips work.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Oh gosh ... I really dont recommend boiling your brushes. They changed shape because the boiling water melted them . Synthetic hair is essentially plastic that will melt with solvents and hot water. It's best to wash them and condition them after each use to ensure the longevity. . With proper brush care your brushes will last years in good shape .

[@Namjoonoutdid]

@@nicolemartinart5819 I probably should’ve learnt how to look after my brushes before using them, now that I’m good at painting I just need to look after my brushes. And thank you so much! I never knew that, and I’m glad i was told before I did it again. I’ll try conditioning them.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@Namjoonoutdid you are very welcome . happy painting !

[@KimberleyB]

@@nicolemartinart5819 This and it will mess up the glue holding the bristles in the ferrule.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@KimberleyB yes that's right .

[@addisonledley6307]

It’s very late and me In my foggy brain just tried to put my pen cap on my favorite brush (multiple times before I realized it was indeed not a pen)screwing it up in the process. Hopefully I can fix it

[@michaelengel7165]

even if I am very careful with my pointed brushes one bristle seems to always stick out and puts one color on another part of my project which then requires touch up. I try to watch for this and trim off that bristle

[@nicolemartinart5819]

You can certainly trim brushes if necessary.

[@jamesfestini]

im guessing the super strong hair gel is cheaper? I use Moco De Gorilla after a warm shower.

[@ursuletul2001]

Can you do a similar video but for oil brushes? I always clean them with soap and water after I use them yet they're still getting fuzzy :( I don't know what to do.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Are you using synthetic or natural hair brushes ? Also are you using solvents to clean your brushes before soap and water ?

[@nicolemartinart5819]

In general I don't recommend synthetics for oil painting .

[@chelsacaruso1131]

Thank you for the informative video

[@janinekurzinger345]

gum arabic îs really expensive and does it work on synthetic bristles for reshaping?

[@nicolemartinart5819]

I don't know where in the world you live , I know art supplies can be very expensive in different places and I wish that was not the case 😥 . Here in the states gum Arabic is not expensive and it lasts such a long time . A bottle of wn will last years and years . Such a little goes a long way. Yes it works on both synthetic and natural fibers , and it will not damage or harm the brush at all . I just saved a very expensive large 3 inch brush by washing it well with the masters , deeply conditioning it by letting it soak in the masters for about an hour ( rinse well ) and then sizing with gum Arabic for several months ( the longer the better but a few weeks at minimum I'd say ) The brush was ready for trash because the bristles had been misshapened and a huge crack or splay had formed in the brush but I was able to save it and restore it to like new using this method . If you can't afford gum arabic in the area you live in you might try a product known as agar agar . It's a vegan gelatin like product and it's actually what silver brush company uses to size their brushes at the factory to protect the hairs during shipping.

[@derangedband]

thanks so much! this is much better than giving my paintbrushes a haircut to get rid of annoying frayed bristles! xD

[@nicolemartinart5819]

You are welcome

[@bookishindian]

What do you suggest if one has left a brandnew synthetic sable watercolor brush in the water container for two hours and now it “ sways” in one direction? Unfortunately the water may have been kind of hot too, possibly… ( I got a phone call and didn’t realize I had left the brush in for so long) 😭😭😭 and what really hurts is that I had finally a, after a whole year of thinking about it, splurged for an Escoda Versatil size 14)

[@nicolemartinart5819]

I recommend that you first try reshaping it with him Arabic as I showed here. If after leaving it hard for a week or two doesn't help ( though I suspect it will ) then try dipping it straight down in boiling water for 5 seconds no more. This will melt the synthetic bristles and you can reshape them to a point. But the gentler method first as it really should work . Clean the brush first and then size it with gum Arabic . Leave harden for atleast a week . Two would be better.

[@goszcz7026]

@@nicolemartinart5819 Do you think the hot water may damage the structure of the synthetic bristle when it comes to more high end brushes?I just got a Princeton AquaElite (so the synthetic "sable") brush from Amazon and it arrived damaged, as they lost the plastic protector cap before sending...

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@goszcz7026 I would ask for a refund or exchange if it arrived damaged . You have that right . Boiling water will melt the synthetic bristles so you can reshape them but I beg of you too heed my warning ⚠️ do not soak it in boiling water or leave and forget it. Seriously, just try dipping it in for a few seconds at first. Maybe 10 seconds to start and increase the time in 10 second intervals if needed . You can always dip again but you can't undo the damage if you leave it too long and it gets destroyed. It sounds like your situation might not be that bad so as to resort to such a drastic measure. You may just try wetting it and reshaping it with gum arabic first. That might just do the trick but again I'd ask for a refund or exchange if it arrived damage.

[@daemonchills]

Nice, some new ideas

[@RsqSqr]

Can u show, pratical video how to restore W&N cottman brushes, it would be a great help. Thx

[@moumitascreativity6945]

Please tell me the liquid name which is can fixed my damaged brush?? Please help

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Gum arabic

[@moumitascreativity6945]

Thanks❤

[@efkaplan]

My gum arabic is in powdered form. How watery should I make the solution? 3:1-ish or really runny?

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Is the gum Arabic you have food grade or artist grade ?

[@efkaplan]

@@nicolemartinart5819 I’ll check in the morning and reply. Thanks.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@efkaplan you're very welcome. I will say that I highly recommend that you only use artist grade gum arabic.

[@efkaplan]

It’s manufactured by a company called ArtQuest well known for Perfect Paper Adhesive, so it’s VERY artist grade. 😍 Off to cure my brushes 👍🏼

[@low-fi_gamer9036]

I have my fine arts exam tmrw, and ur video helped me a lot, by the way, Im from india

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Thanks so much . I'm glad to help

[@sandwich6626]

what if your too poor to buy those kind of products what else could i do

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Gum arabic solution really isn't expensive. You should be able to purchase a bottle for around 5 to $10. If it's not available in your area try online. If it's not available in your country ( not sure where you are ) try a product known as agar agar. It's a vegan gelatin used for baking but it's also what silver brush company uses to size their brushes when you purchase them , they come with agar agar shaping the brush 🙂

[@nicolemartinart5819]

I hope that I was able to help and don't hesitate to ask any further questions. I just also want to add , please don't ever let anybody discourage you. You don't need fancy things or expensive materials to be an artist. There are a lot of artists snobs out there who will tell you it's not worth painting if you can't paint with the best of the best. But that's garbage. It's not money or expensive materials that make you an artist.

[@sandwich6626]

@@nicolemartinart5819 ahh okay thanks so much!! 💕💕

[@nicolemartinart5819]

@@sandwich6626 you are so very welcome 🙂

[@leenabheda8625]

nice idea

[@nicolemartinart5819]

Thanks so much . I hope it helps 🙂

[@janephoenix8960]

T T my brushes were in my luggage and well, let's just say two of em aren't in good condition now.. I hope that the bent bristles can straighten and I can use them..

[@nicolemartinart5819]

This should help , I'm sorry that happened 😢

[@zeyadalsheikh3839]

Your hands are sweet and lovely… I couldn’t focus on the talking.

[@greatbigmeat4769]

what a weird comment (but also normal for a painter to be entranced by)

[@morrisjensen1959]

Thank you for the video. However, you haven't reshaped damaged brushes, you've treated a good brushes. Just saying.

[@nicolemartinart5819]

This will reshape a damaged brush, I didn't have one for the video to show.

[@morrisjensen1959]

@nicolemartinart5819 Try it with a damaged brush, Nicole. it doesn't work. Nor does the hot water treatment for synthetic fibres, that just ruins the brushes more.