Thread: Drying a brush

I know that the traditional method of drying a brush invovles hanging upside down (the brush, not oneself, rather ). However, I have seen at least one reference to trusting the science behind capillary action and simply sitting a brush upright on its base to dry. Is there anything wrong with this method? Anyone have experience doing this and found that it is more prone to mold or anything?

Thanks!

I've heard people say that leaving it sitting up can cause the water to collect and rot the know. I've always used a brush stand myself (because I'm a chrome freak mostly) but I know people go both ways on this topic. Some guys say they've never used a stand and have never had a problem.

Stands are cheap enough, so I've always used one on natural bristle brushes. With synthetics, it doesn't matter -- even if you mess it up, it's cheap enough.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason brush handles are flat on the bottom is so that they may be placed bristles up for drying: latherers choice - bristles up or bristles down. Most important I think is to rinse it well and shake out as much water as possible before racking it or setting it on its bottom.

I am betting our forefathers never had one of those nifty razor stands!
some smart business man created a demand for his products and his reasoning was plausible enough in the minds of a few that it caught on and now everyone believes their brush is going to get ruined if they don't hang it upside down!

Mistreatment and poor care by not rinsing thoroughly and shaking out the brush thoroughly, in my opinion, are the causes of ruining a good brush!

Originally Posted by skiblur

However, I have seen at least one reference to trusting the science behind capillary action and simply sitting a brush upright on its base to dry. Is there anything wrong with this method? Anyone have experience doing this and found that it is more prone to mold or anything?

We did have this discussion few months ago and in some great detail at the time, but it's probably lost. The scientific answer is:
- If you shake off the excess water it doesn't matter whether it points up or down.
- The gravity force is negligible compared to the capillary force (when water is shaken off).
- The mechanism of drying is evaporation, not capillary or gravity force.
- The capillary forces are actually keeping the water in the knot for good hydrophilic bristles. You probably don't want to even consider a brush with hydrophobic bristles when the capillary forces will be keeping the water away from the knot.

Bottom line is shake off the excess water and it doesn't matter how you let it dry, if you do not shake off the water, then the stand will help prolong the life of the brush, but it will be dramatically shorter compared to the first case.

just dont let it dry in a bowl did that with an old brush and now it permanently points to the right! couse this helps when lathering your upper lip>

Doc,

I find that I am able to stuff my nostrils regardless of the orientation of the bristles. If I lather with complete abandon, I can also plug both ears. For some reason, a good sneeze will clear the nostrils but not the ears. Apparently I have some eardrum remaining although my hearing would belie that

Once, while in what only could be described as a lather trance, I did manage to get a dollop in one eyebrow.

It might depend on the brush but I've been doing it for a few decades with the bristles up. How long did you want the brush to last?

I usually keep mine in a holder however my son keeps his bristles up and a couple of years now and the brush is just fine.