"The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver
 

Hi, y'all,

Is anyone else using "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver? Do you know of any problems with this product?

I have been using this product to clean my natural and synthetic brushes for years. It softens and cleans hardened oil paint and acrylic paint from brushes. At the end of each painting session, it is very convenient and quick to use, has no odor, and will not spill because it is cake-like inside its container.

The package does not state what the ingredients are and whether or not they are toxic. I used to buy this brush cleaner in the crafts department at our local Wal-Mart for less than $4.00, but now I have to buy it at an art supply store for a little more than $7.00. This 2-1/2 ounce size lasts me for a few months.

If anyone knows about this product, please let us know.

Andrea

I use The Masters and I love it. I have never had a problem using it as a cleaner or as a brush conditioner. I'm hard on my brushes and they look almost new.

Renee Price

I use it everytime I paint and love it.

One time I got interrupted while painting and had globs of paint on 3 brushes. The interruption was such that I didn't get back to my easel, and the next day these 3 brushes were hard as a rock! The Masters brush cleaner cleaned them like new - I couldn't believe it!

Mary

Andrea, I have also been using Master's cleaner for many years and love it. If you buy the large tub size you'll spend about $20, but it will last about a year.

Incidentally, I have found that the absolute strongest solvent for dried paint is Turpenoid Natural by Webber in the green can. Although the solvent is unsuitable for any type of medium or paint mixture, it can dissolve dried paint off of anything: wood, glass, bristle, you name it.

I like to use Gamosol for general brush cleaning during a painting session, but then switch to Turpenoid Natural for a deeper cleaning at the end of a session. Then I finish with Master's and warm water. Turpenoid Natural also has the unique ability to mix with both Gamosol and water, thus it cleans most of the Gamosol out of my brushes, allowing them to soap up much faster in the Master's soap so that I use less of it. Hope this is helpful.

After hearing of yet another artist acquaintance with cancer, I have decided to eliminate aromatic solvents altogether from my brush cleaning routine. I will use a tiny amount of Gamsol for thinning my painting medium, and that's it.

As a non-toxic, non-aromatic replacement, I'm testing out different drying oils. The cheapest is regular sunflower oil from the supermarket. This is food-grade, not art-grade oil. Before risking this approach on an actual painting, I'm first testing whether or not a tiny amount of this oil could inhibit drying if it migrates to any paint mixtures. The reason is that sometimes I like to clean a brush during a painting session, as opposed to after I'm finished painting. Of course, after cleaning a brush in such an oil, I will wipe it as dry as possible on a Scott Shop Cloth, (lint free and very durable), but there will always be a tiny amount of oil deep in the brush that only soap and water will remove. If I continue painting before using soap and water, a tiny amount of this oil will gradually work its way into my painting.

Ralph Mayer lists sunflower oil as a drying oil and I have a tube of alkyd/sunflower oil Titanium white. Other than that, it seems that I'm left to my own tests.

Does anybody have any additional information on any long-term consequences of sunflower oil in paint mixtures? Other suggestions?

Chris,

I went through a phase (I'm always going through phases) when I did away with solvents.

After trying various oils, I settled on WALNUT OIL that I purchased in a health food store. It worked just fine and is, in addition, a respectable traditional drying oil.

Bill

Bill,

Thanks for the suggestion. I am now about halfway through with the sunflower oil I purchased a month ago and will try the walnut oil next.

Incidentally, I have found that Hain's sunflower oil works well for brush cleaning and have had no problems with my paint drying too slowly. After washing the brush in oil, I just squeeze the bristles in Scott Shop Towels (the blue kind) and continue painting. An added benefit is that if I am too pressed for time to wash my brushes using Masterson's soap, they don't get "crispy", but stay supple for my next painting session.

Chris

Ugly Dog?
 

Anyone out there using "Ugly Dog" brush soap? I've used The Masters' and liked it but I was wondering how it compares. I also wonder if either of these is worth the expense. My brushes seem to get just as clean with the liquid hand soap I used to use.

Ugly dog blues
 

According to Robert Doak, Ugly Dog Soap is not for cleaning synthetic brushes, like the Silver Ruby Satins I use. He swears by it for natural bristle and hair brushes.

Cleaners
 

I have both. The Master's seems to have a bit of grit (pumice?) and the Ugly Dog doesn't. I can't help but think anything with grit might be wearing down my brushes a little every time I use it.

As far as cancer and artists goes - artists still have a very long life expectancy. Think about Monet, DaVinci, Heroz; 100 years old, Parrish; 94?, Renoir, etc., etc. These guys used far more dangerous stuff than most of us. Cancer also strikes many people who never paint. Take care.