On Oct 3, 10:31*am, Robert Macy wrote:
This is crazy!

In our home we moved into there was left over 2.5 gal of Dunne Edwards
Exterior/Interior flat the construction peole used everywhere on the
interior of our home. *Needless to say, it has been useful for
touching up areas after joint compounding and smoothing out their
'flaws'. This paint blends in the middle of large surface areas
invisibly [remember, home was not lived in, but two year old spray
paint job] *To do touch up I dipped some paint into a cut off 2 liter
soda bottle bottom and painted away using a pre-rinsed [damp] brush
[selecting any of several bristle brushes]. When finished, simply ran
water on brush until clear, then would use liquid handsoap, maybe 3
times. Rinse, straighten the bristles out and set down for the next
time.

All, went well, until I went to HD and got a gallon of self-primer
Glidden custom color matching - very good color match. This paint was
for shelving, the guy recommended semi, because it was harder and
better for shelving. I insisted on flat. They were out of flat, but
since cost would be $26/gal for semi, and only $19/gal for flat, I was
happy when he gave me semi for $19.

Ok. used the paint on shelving boards, again using 'damp' brush, first
coat over raw particle board [also from HD] the paint soaked up into
the wood, got thick, well expected that, but went on well. Didn't like
the brush strokes left [Dunne Edwards didn't leave brush strokes] but
shelving - who cares? *Went to clean up the brush, and the first thing
I noticed was that it was full of 'cottage cheese' crumbs! sand sized
crumbs in the brush, solid. *Ok clean up, until clear. Wash three
times with soap solution until really clean, straighten bristles and
set out for the next day.

The next day the brush was hard as a rock! *What?! *With more water
and 'special' cleaning solvent I got the brush to become flexible
enough for the next days work.

Now, the second coat, which to me should not take as much paint, DID
take paint! and worse, started drying again way too fast. *We're
talking lay down a loaded brush line across the shelf and stroke into
the painted area and before you can move to the next brush width, the
paint gets 'gummy' and does not feather the brush strokes in well at
all. [Note, I used to have similar problems with cheap latex paint
from local discount outlet back in 70;s when latex first came out, but
solved the problem by simply spraying gently with Easy Off Window
Cleaner. You could even go back more than six hours later, spray, and
touch up paint - like brush out that run forming you didn't notice
earlier! But, alas, Easy Off discontinued this miracle product.]

Now cleaned up brush and its getting worse and worse! To me the brush
is ruined, full of sludge, mutliple bristles are being 'glued'
together by the crumbly paint. *What the heck is going on?

Actually more questions than simply how to clean a brush:
1. how to properly clean a brush
2. is there something I can add to latex to slow down the drying time.
I think 30 seconds is a bit too short.
3. is there something that removes/prevents that sludge build up in
the brush?

With Dunne Edwards, I had no reluctance to touch up small areas any
time I saw one. But with this Glidden product and ruining brushes; I'm
hesitant to take on small tasks and am forced to plan, waiting until I
accumulate enough to do the work, throw the brush away, and hope no
run forms.

Any help, knowledgeable people?

Regardless of what brand of paint I use, I always use the same method
for cleaning - assuming it's a soap and water clean-up.

It starts with warm water and Dawn dish soap.

Actually I should say it starts with a decent brush. I been a fan of
the Purdy line of brushes available from the Home Depot. Most of the
ones I've been using for years have the original cardboard sleeve. It
is recommended that the brushes be stored in the original cardboard
sleeve so that the shape is held constant as they dry. I built a "nail
board" in my shop and the brushes are wrapped and hung immediately
after washing. OK, immediately after being shake-dried.

I have a 4' length of garden hose with a spray nozzle that I keep by
my utility sink. It's great for washing coolers, buckets, dogs and
yes, paint brushes. I blast them with the spray nozzle set on jet to
get the paint out from deep within the bristles. If blasting doesn't
get it all out because some of it has dried, I rest the bristles on
the center divider of the sink and scrub them with a nail brush. I'll
even use my fingernails to scrap paint off of the bristles on the
outside of the brush if need be. You have to have a quality brush if
you expect it to stand up to this kind of abuse without the bristles
falling out or getting all bent out of shape.

Once I am satisfied that the brush is clean, I give it few sharp
shakes to get most of the water out, reshape the bristles by hand,
wrap it up in it's cardboard sleeve and hang it on it's nail. Other
than the handle, I have some brushes that you would think are brand
new if judged solely by the bristles.

I know my time consuming method works because I've seen the condition
of the same brand of brushes when my wife or son borrows one and then
"cleans" it. I've thrown away brushes, or saved them for junk jobs,
after they've ruined them by cleaning them improperly.

On the rare occasions when a brush I've cleaned is a little stiff when
I open the cardboard, it only because the bristles are slightly stuck
together and a simple flexing of the bristles softens them up.