My brushes are splitting down the middle.

[David Le]

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.

[pat mackle]

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 packaged brush cleaners. Only thinner so the hairs will be free to separate when completely clean and dry. Then I would spin the brush between your palms to dry out the solvent and individually spread the individual hairs apart. If each hair is not free at this point, you have dried paint or other foreign matter fowling your brush. You may need a hotter solvent, but do not damage the hair with too strong of a solvent, such as those formulated to unclog spray paint guns.

[Tyler Tim]

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.

[David Le]

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 packaged brush cleaners. Only thinner so the hairs will be free to separate when completely clean and dry. Then I would spin the brush between your palms to dry out the solvent and individually spread the individual hairs apart. If each hair is not free at this point, you have dried paint or other foreign matter fowling your brush. You may need a hotter solvent, but do not damage the hair with too strong of a solvent, such as those formulated to unclog spray paint guns.

thanks, brother ill give it a shot

[David Le]

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

[pat mackle]

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.

[David Le]

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.

can i use gamsol after the turpentnie?

[Tyler Tim]

I don't uses Trups to clean my brushes... I only use it to maintain or thin paints viscosity. I use cheap mineral spirits to clean brushes and have four jars for that purpose. First to clean oil from cleaned brush before using... one for first wash after painting... then move to next for deeper clean... and last for final swirl in cleanest jar before pelleting in favorite Type F ATF oil. As needed these jars move down the line. Have used that routine for 30 years and still have most of the first quills I ever purchase in good shape. The first one... I foolishly used linseed oil to persevere, persevered it is... it's hard as a rock. And Old Sign Writer who would point me in the right direction from time to time gave me the tip on the ATF oil... said it was cheap and bugs wouldn't eat it.