David, Are you using turpentine as a final solvent to clean your brush? If so, it is a gum solvent and will leave a pine resin residue in your brush that will gum up and eventually harden. THAT may be your entire problem. Use a pure clean evaporating solvent to clean your brush, one with no residue...

Tyler Tim wrote:David, What type of brush... paint and thinner are you using?

Beyond what Pat has stated. The only time I've had that happen was when the paint was to thin or inadvertently dipped into the wrong thinner for the paint.

I'm using a Mack 179L 4 in kleen strip turpentine

Sounds like the hairs are binding together. Maybe some residual paint from earlier use. Maybe this current fresh paint has revived it a bit and it is now tacking the hair together when you try to pallet it. Here is my suggestion. I would thoroughly clean the brush in ONLY solvent. No lard oil or pa...

What the heck is going on? no matter how i palette the brush, it either splits in two, or three. How do i solve this?


Thanks in advance.

Like the title says.......


I pulled the ferrule off the handle, is there a chance of redemption?

Thanks in advance.


Brush is a 189L Size 4. It's starting to happen to my #2 as well.

Thank you all! Very much appreciated. Your answers are highly valued.

First off, greetings all! I'm new to the forum as well to the sign painting world. Just (fairly) recently bought my quills; 2 mack 189L in a size 2 and a 4 and a mack 179L in a size 6. Using 1Shot and Gamblin refined linseed oil and gamsol. after painting, I would clean the quills off in the gamsol ...