Figure 3-32. Spinning the paintbrush
NOTE: Do not pour oil-based paints or thinners down the drain. Thinners and solvents in paints
are hazardous materials, and dumping them down a drain ensures that they will end up in the
water supply. Check your local regulations for handling hazardous materials.
c. Storage. How you store your paintbrushes depends on their future use. Use the following
procedures when storing paintbrushes for long periods or overnight:
(1) Long periods. When paintbrushes are not to be used for a length of time, clean the
bristles with a wire comb then reshape the bristles. When the bristles are straight and parallel, wrap the
cleaned paintbrush (Figure 3-33) in its original wrapper or butcher paper. Wrapping keeps the bristles
from losing their shape as the paintbrush dries. Store paintbrushes flat, with no weight on the bristles.
(2) Overnight. Paintbrushes that are used daily should be kept overnight in a paintbrush
keeper (Figure 3-34). Immersing cleaned paintbrush bristles in the proper oil solvent ensures that the
bristles will remain soft and pliable. For paintbrushes used in oil-based paint or varnish, use linseed oil
in the keeper; for paintbrushes used in lacquer, use lacquer thinner; and for paintbrushes used in shellac,
use alcohol. Use enough solvent material to cover the bristles of paintbrushes in the keeper, and
remember that brushes in the keeper should not touch the bottom of the keeper or each other.
EN0562
3-26
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