Thread: Hanging Brushes up to dry.

Squeeze it,, shake it,, let it hang.

Recently I've restored a few of the Rubberset Aluminium brushes with long bristles - you would be amazed at the amount of rock hard crud that builds up above whatever they used in place of epoxy. Just cutting off the knot near the base will take the edge off a craft knife. This leads me to prefer the hanging method - after a thorough wash and shake of course.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I think brushes should be hung to dry for at least 24 Hrs prior to storing them upright.
Granted, Cappilary action will dry the hairs,but you do have sort of a reservoir that will collect a small amt of water that needs to drain I feel.

That is exactly what I've been doing since beginning to use a brush in '73 or so. I have a small stand and a larger one for the bigger knots. I rinse, shake out, and hang for approximately 24 hours and then stand the brush on end until the next use. I have a few so I rotate and never use the same brush two days in a row. Not saying it is the "right" way, or the only way, but it is my way.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Squeeze it,, shake it,, let it hang.

When you get my age John,you will understand the true meaning of the above

Gentlemen,
After drying, gently shaking and fluffing the knot, I rest the brush handle in the opening of the water tank on my Moss scuttle with the knot pointing down at an angle. The brush stays in that position until the next morning, when I gently comb the bristle and stand the brush on end on the shelf. My brush collection has been reduced to seven silvertips, one for each day.

So I made a stand for nothing?!

Originally Posted by Gammaray

This is an old holdover from when brushes were constructed with a more porous base material. Inverting the brush was the best way to drain residual water out of the base. Today, the epoxy resins used to secure the bristles are entirely waterproof, virtually negating any benefit with inversion.

Now thats interesting and if that is the case then there is really no point in worrying too much about hanging the brush.

I set mine on their end, but I must say, I really like the "presentation" of a hanging brush, whether it hangs in a stand or from a wall doohickey.

I was wondering how long it would take for this question to resurface.

I am assured by very knowledgeable peoples that standing your brush up is fine (eg: http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...tml#post403505). Apparently there's even a calculation proving it, but there was not enough room in the margin of that post to write it down completely.

Or hanging it upside down is fine also.

Like with drying anything, for best results you should remove as much excess moisture as possible initially and then put it somewhere dry and airy to dry out.

James.

Well, I guess I've been doing the ultimate test for years now. I have some brushes in stands and some I just leave on end. I notice absolutely no differences in any way between the two groups. They are all badger brushes.