Clean-up of brushes, rollers.

[grampianman]

I am wondering as to the best and 'proper' methods of cleaning up brushes and rollers, both during and after application.

The following describes the way I clean my brushes after using oil paint.

I have my china bristle brushes and during the operation, suspend them in paint thinner so the bristles do not rest on the bottom of the container. But given the nature of the paints, I have not seen (haven't looked that hard, really) anything on the proper way to really clean the brush out after use.

I take the brush, and using a paint thinner, will press the brush into the cleaning container. I will then throw the 'dirty' thinner out and repeat the process again. I end the process by using dish soap to get rid of the thinner in the brush. I then store the brush to dry.

With the Polyurethane paints, does the thinner wash out, or does one leave the brush to dry without washing it out?

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Ian

[Figment]

for long term storage, I'll clean the brushes as you describe. For mid-project storage (when the next coat will go on in 48hrs or less), I leave the bristles moist with thinner, wrapped in plastic.

[FloatingMoneyPit]

What do folks do to clean up their epoxy rollers?
I tried to rub the geling epoxy off of the plastic one I have with an acetone-soaked rag, but to little avail. It's pretty much useless now. I just bought an aluminum one and would like to use that more than once!

I guess you just let it sit in a vat of acetone? If so, what do you do with all the acetone (say 1" deep in a small aluminum paint bucket?) after you've cleaned your tools? I'm sure the fellas in my powerboat-happy marina would just dump it into the ground and proceed to light a cigarette, but I don't like that solution. Is there a proper way to dispose of these chemicals?

[Figment]

I burn my aluminum roller clean with a blowtorch. Most melts away, and the char left behind is easily removed with a wire brush.

I'm not sure that this method is any more environmentally friendly than the acetone-on-the-ground method, though.

[Tim]

Soaking the rollers immediately after use will help ensure that you get all the resin out of the grooves. I do enough work with fiberglass that I bought an inexpensive parts cleaner with a lid that I use to hold acetone for soaking tools. The pumps in these low-end parts cleaners (and maybe others) aren't usable with inflammable solvents, so I just removed all that stuff--no need for it anyway.

The beauty of acetone is that it evaporates so quickly. A good way to get rid of it is to pour it into a shallow cake pan or baking pan or some such; it'll evaporate in no time at all.

[Curmudgeon]

I've always used household vinegar to clean epoxy out of brushes, containers, etc. - afterwards, a wash in soapy water. However, because the vinegar does not evaporate off like acetone, make sure you wash it thoroughly in the soap. It does a decent job without being toxic and flammable... characteristics rarely found in boatbuilding, it seems.

[FloatingMoneyPit]

The blowtorch would be inarguably more fun, but I'll go with the cake pan solution. Simple, cheap--works for me! I'll just have to put a "no smoking" sign nearby.