Ditmar/Gayle on sat 21 feb 98
You will go through a lot of brushes using latex. period.
You can make them last longer and keep them from clumping as much if you
wet them initially with soapy water ( especially the core ). Wet first
then into the latex. Some of the coagulation is from drying and some from
ammonia coming out of solution.
If it's occasional use, every few minutes, wrap something like Saran wrap
around the bristles. Sounds like a pain, but all you need is a piece on the
table, plop the bristles down and roll the handle. If you attach an end,
you can even unroll with one hand.
Another way is to put the brush into water, gently in or out , to keep the
water from mixing. When you redip in the latex give it a bit of a stir to
mix in any water from the brush. Helps to keep the latex hydrated too.
Different techniques depend on how long the brush sits between uses. ( And
the "climate" in the studio.) If I use the brush every 5 minutes or longer,
I just quickly rinse / wash it every time with soap and water. It's time
consuming, but not only do I keep the brush from clumping, it's a lot
easier to accurately use a clean brush without crud on it.
From Alohaland, Ditmar.
Paul Lewing on wed 25 feb 98
I've been at a grueling 9-day show, so I've been a little behind on my
Clayart, so this is a bit late. The person who originally posted this
question about latex in brushes didn't say whether they were covering
large areas or painting designs with the latex, but if you're covering
areas, foam brushes work well. They're real cheap, too, so you can
just throw them away at the end of your session. You can wash them
out, too, by just running them under REALLY hot water. Just don't
squeeze them to dry them, because they will collapse and never expand
again.
Paul Lewing, Seattle
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