Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1873 — Care of Paint Brushes. [ARTICLE]

Care of Paint Brushes.

No person can perform a good job of painting unless his brushes are in a soft and elastic condition. Those persons who have occasion to do a small job of painting only a few times a year, are apt to find their brushes in such a bad condition that a new brush must be procured and a good one thrown away, for the simple reason that when used last, their brush had not been properly cared for. Any good brush will last' to do an immense amount of painting, if it is only-, taken care of when not in actual use. ’ In order "to render a brush doubly serviceable, before it is used turn it botj tom end up, open the bristles and pour in about a small teaspoonful of good varnish, in a small brush, and several tablespoonfuls in a large brush,' As soon as the varnish lias Till been absorbed among the butts of the bristles, pour in another supply. Keep the brush in the position indicated until the varnish lias become quite hard. White-wash brushes, brushes for calcimining, and all paint brushes should be treated in this manner long before tliey are U6ed. The varnish will cement the bristles together so firmly that none will work out when the brush is in use. Shellac varnish is better for this purpose than any other kind, as it will not be dissolved or softened so read"\viien a brush is used only two Sr three times a year, the better way to keep it in a good condition is to wipe out as much of the paint as possible with a woolen cloth; then fill the bristles with spirits of turpentine or benzole, manipulate the brush until the small quantity of paint left in it is dissolved and loosened from the bristles, wipe' the brush agam cleanse it with strong soapsuds, wipe the bristles dry, wrap the brush in oil paper and keep it in a cool cellar where the handle will not shrink. When one has several brushes, and has occasion to use them nearly ever day, or even every week, the better way to keep them from becoming dry and hard is to wipe the bristles as clean as practicable with a woolen cloth, wrap each brush in a piece of pa per, and stand them in a small deep pail in which there is crude or unboiled oil sufficient to-cover all the bristles. Water is frequently employed in lieu of oil. But a varnish brush cannot be kept soft in water, white in oil it can ■ be. Besides this, water will often evaporate so rapidly that before one is aware of it, the brushes are exposed to the air and Ffive become quite dry. When in oil, even a varnish brush will remain soft and elastic for years. One of the most convenient ways to keep a varnish brush in a condition always ready for use is to let it stand in oil in a coffee cup, or in an old can that was originally made for containing fruit; then fit a wooden lid having a hole in the center for the handle to pass through. By this means, dust will be excluded, and the brush will be always ready for use. A brush that is employed to lay on shellac varnish may be kept neat mid clean in this manner.— American Builder.