Oil Painting Brushes and Cleaning Oil Painting Brushes

Ok, I have a confession to make - I am lazy.  I have friends who buy very expensive brushes for painting and have had them 20 years and they still look like new.  Not me.  I buy inexpensive brushes and throw them out when they are totally splayed or keep them to scrub in background color 

I usually buy the Dick Blick store brand of brushes but I have been known to purchase brushes on ebay too.  I have to say that the ebay ones I have purchased (keep in mind they are not the expensive variety) have been pretty bad - experience is a dear teacher.   Once in awhile I look with envy at a friends Rosemary brush but I know, in my heart of hearts, it would be money wasted on me.  

My preference is for synthetic bristles because for some reason the boars head bristles (or whatever the natural hair is) always shed in my painting.  I have a collection of all shapes but seem to use flats more than anything else.  This is a matter of preference - I have friends who only use filberts - whatever floats your boat.

Now to my nemesis - brush cleaning.  I have a tendency to forget to clean my brushes for a day or two (or three or four).  This is problem because I use a quick dry medium and the brushes are occasionally beyond the point of cleaning.  But, more often than not I can revive them.  I have experimented with all sorts of cleaning methods.    

1.  Tried using Murphy's Oil Soap - after first letting them sit in turpentine.   Then grinding them into the palm of my hand.   Letting them sit in the turp was very damaging to the brush and given the carcinogenic nature of paint the grinding into my hand was not the best idea either.  I don't think the Murphy's Oil Soap added any years to their foreshortened life either.  

2.  Next I stopped leaving them in the turp but gave then a few swishes in the turpentine and wiped them off with a paper towel.  Then I took them home and washed them with Murphy's Oil Soap but used a rubbermaid glove to protect my hand as I scrubbed them out.  

3.  The next step in my brush cleaning evolution was to us 1/2 of an old tennis ball to rub the brushes in.  I didn't change my cleaning product.

4.  My current cleaning method is to use the tennis ball with a store bought brush cleaner -  The Master Brush Cleaner and Preserver.  I love this - you can leave it in the brush and reform the brush to its original shape.  I still use the tennis ball.  You can also work up a real lather with hot water and leave it in to try to get some of the deeply embedded paint out.  When I leave a small residue of paint in i never bother to remove it.  When I am trying to clean the deeply embedded paint out I just leave them for a few hours then reclean.  Of course, we are talking cheap brushes to begin with so even my best efforts are sometimes in vain.

I have a friend who uses baby oil - and she loves that.  I think it would be a very slow process but I shouldn't knock it until I have tried it.

I know you can use mineral spirits - it does a good job but it is so messy. 

So there you have it - brush cleaning from someone who hates to clean brushes.  If anyone has any more tips or ideas I would welcome them.
Masters Brush Cleaner