How do you get a paint brush useable again after it has dried stiff? Paint thinner doesn't work.Any suggestion

It is called ';brush saver'; available at home depot..sherwin williams etc..about 4.00 a quart





Ive used it for years ..being a painter I wait untill I have 3 or 4 at a time to cleanHow do you get a paint brush useable again after it has dried stiff? Paint thinner doesn't work.Any suggestion
bin itHow do you get a paint brush useable again after it has dried stiff? Paint thinner doesn't work.Any suggestion
Litely beat on the bristles with a hammer and then comb it out with a stiff wire brush. Rinse it while combing to remove loosened paint material.
for latex paint, soak in hot water and lemon juice (acetic acid breaks down the paint), then ';scrub'; it out with ss wire brush
I paint every day of my life, and while I agree that Lemon juice might work, WITH Latex, I use a Vinegar soak for every brush. I have no clue how valuable the brush is to you, but if it was a decent one, such as a Purdy, a stiff wire brush will damage it further.





Oil based, dried paint is as easy, using thinners appropriate, though I wouldn't use anything as volitile as Acetone.





I'm sure you realize now that with experience, Knowledge may happen, albeit in this case, after the fact, and with knowledge one should hope for wisdom.





Steven Wolf


just my two ';sense';
acetone, mix in a little soap to keep if from evaporating to quickly
Did you soak the brush in paint thinner for awhile? If you did and it still didn't work (which it should have) then just buy new brushes- they're not expensive, unless you're talking about high quality art brushes, in which case I doubt you would have let them dry stiff anyway.
soak it in really hot water
boil it in hot water-pans are pretty resiliently washable. Then put it in a jar of hot water with a little soup to loosen the dried paint let sit a few hours. Then use paint remover overnight. Last ditch effort is to use CLR (The lime rust cleaner, it rips just about anything out-don't use on carpet though!!)
First let it soak in some water, then run some hot water on it for a couple minutes.While you're doing that brush it with a wire brush.It should start to become soft in a couple minutes.


If you do that the next time after you use it, it shouldn't get hard.
It costs more in cleaner, time and energy than the brush is worth. If I have left a brush to dry, I just toss it and buy a new one.
Did you try that paint remover stuff?
I buy quart cans of ';Brush Cleaner'; at the paint store. It is a soup of a number of solvents and paint strippers and will clean most anything out. I put three or four brushes in a glass jar, fill the the ferrule with the cleaner, rubber band on a plastic bag, and set it in the garage (the fumes are nasty) overnight. The next day, I remove the brushes, clean them with a brush comb, and rinse out with water for synthetic brushes or lacquer thinner for natural bristles.





I also do the same thing with NMP-based stripper as it is a little gentler on the bristles and I always have it around.





Next time, dip your brush in the appropriate thinner (mineral spirits (oil-based finishes and varnishes), denatured alcohol (shellac or shellac-based primers), lacquer thinner (brushing lacquer) or water(latex / acrylics)) to condition your brush before dipping in your finish/paint and it will keep the solids from wicking up to the top of the bristles.





I have some 20 year old brushes that are as good as new because I take care of them.
Very easy. Just use a steal brush and brush away on the brush LOL This is how painters get their brushes clean after they have dried stiff.
cant understand why thinners did not remove the paint from your brush. did you put the brush straight into the thinners after use? and was it actually paint or emulsion? my tip for either of these - paint or emulsion - is neat fairy liquid in a jam jar, enough to cover the bristles, and leave to soak overnight. It always works for me with a good wash under a hot tap the next morning. Mind you if the paint is still very hard on the brush after this procedure.. then I give up and chuck it! I never use really good brushes anyway. So try softening your brush just now with very hot water then get as much washing up liquid through the bristles as you can an leave it to soak.. good luck

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