I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?



--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:01:21 -0500, dnoyeB
wrote:

I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?

Try hot water and detergent.
What is the "natural fiber", hair or plant?
Oil and fat are generally the same thing, just with different
melting points, so the build up is probably something similar
to soap. You could try one of the products designed to remove
soap scum, but you stand a good chance of destroying the brush
if you guess wrong about what to try first.

Save the spirits -- pitch the brush and start over.

when the cost of repair exceeds the value of the brush, replace it. i
know the wood finishing guys love the expensive brushes so it's like
parting with a good broken tool.
for everyday disposable use on latex the dollar store brushes save
money because you would pay your hourly painter more to clean a brush
than replace it.
the blue masking tape that can be removed after the paint dries is
great.

do you have a thinner for the Poly. If so I would soak the brush,laying
flat in that and see if it would dissolve the poly to where it could be
cleaned in the normal way. I've rescued some horrible brushes by just
usingthe right solvents.

Yes, I agree, you need a new brush!

Guthrie Cooper

dnoyeB wrote:
I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to
have fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the
spirits, added some more and softened up the brush, but now its
coated with what looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?

Sure - use brush cleaner. Not hinner, soap, etc...brush cleaner from
any hardware store.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dnoyeB" wrote in message ...
I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?

I've had some luck by soaking in acetone or lacquer thinner in similar cases.
The "brush cleaner" sounds like a better bet, if you have to buy it anyway.

Bob

dnoyeB wrote:

I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?



Soak the bristles in paint remover (not water based). Squeeze as much
as possible out of the bristles, rinse a couple of times (very
thoroughly)in mineral spirits. Don't let the paint remover dry on the
bristles - smoosh the bristles down into m.s. repeatedly to be sure the
paint remover washes out. Before you dry it and store it, spread the
bristles to be sure all the gunk is removed. If paint remover costs
more than the brush, throw the brush away and chalk it up to experience.

dnoyeB wrote:
I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?




I was trying to be environmentally responsible by not just tossing the
brush because it was less expensive to buy a new one. But at this point
it seems like it may require copious amounts of various solvents and a
bit of experimentation.

The poly called for a natural bristle brush thats why I bought one.
Most of my other brushes are nylon/polyester.

Ill buy another brush...Thanks for all the help and information!

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

dnoyeB wrote:
dnoyeB wrote:
I made a mistake and left my natural bristle brush in some mineral
spirits after I had put poly on a board. After 2 days it seemed to
have fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the
spirits, added some more and softened up the brush, but now its
coated with what looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?




I was trying to be environmentally responsible by not just tossing the
brush because it was less expensive to buy a new one. But at this
point it seems like it may require copious amounts of various
solvents and a bit of experimentation.

The poly called for a natural bristle brush thats why I bought one.
Most of my other brushes are nylon/polyester.

Nylon/polyester are only for water base things...they don't absorb
water.
____________

Ill buy another brush...Thanks for all the help and information!

I'd buy the brush cleaner. It can be reused and is a damn sight cheaper
than a decent bristle brush.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

After 2 days it seemed to have
fat caked in the bristles. And it was stiff. I flushed the spirits,
added some more and softened up the brush, but now its coated with what
looks like fat/grease.

Is this brush done for, or is there a resonable way to clean it?
--
Thank you,


I've done the same thing and the persistent cleaning in min spirits did the
trick. Yea, you could waste a lot of solvent but you just keep depositing
the dirty stuff in a larger container. It eventually settles out and you
can reuse it for the dirtiest level of brush cleaning in the future. You
will see a nasty buildup of the same fatty crap on the bottom and it will
stay there as long as you don't poke at it. You just pour off what you need
and pitch it.