Cleaning brushes after using Army Painter Quickshade Dip?

[MatthewEngland]

Hello. I have recently been using AP Quickshade Dip on my miniatures. I use a brush to apply and then soak the brush in White Spirit overnight. The brushes still end up hardening up however and I am forced to use a new one each time. I am just wondering if there is another method I could try?

P.s I use cheap brushes but would rather not throw a brush away each time I paint a mini (I tend to paint one mini at a time)

[Vanth]

I used to use Nitrocellulose or what we call here Acquaragia, not sure of the English term for it, sorry

[Citizen Sade]

FWIW, I used to find that brushes used with oil-based house paint in the dim & distant would go hard after cleaning. A bit of manipulation of the bristles would usually soften them up enough for use. Alternatively, you could use the old decorator’s tip of putting your brush in an old jar full of water between uses. Just give it a quick shake or a wipe before using it again.

[MatthewEngland]

Thanks for the suggestions I will have a try at these

[Storm Wolf]

M`mm I just use water and a bit of rag, just as I do with any other acrylic paint.
The only brushes I have that go a bit stiff are some cheapish artist brushes I bought for doing stuff like washes and dry brushing etc. A quick swish in the water will normally loosen the bristles up if a bit stiff.

[Citizen Sade]

Quickshade dip’s oil-based.

[Storm Wolf]

Quickshade dip’s oil-based.

As are all acrylics, all plastics are oil based, apart from the newer vegetable based ones, but to the best of my knowledge currently this has certainly not been used for model paints? Maybe other paints 

Still water soluble though, even household gloss is these days.

[Citizen Sade]

Quickshade dip is a tinted varnish. Being oil-based rather than water-based, you need turps or similar to clean your brushes.

FWIW, you can still get oil-based household paint though I avoid it like the plague as brush cleaning’s a massive PITA.

[FifteensAway]

"As are all acrylics" < re: oil based

Are you sure about that? 

Is an acrylic polymer emulsion oil based?  There might be a small amount of some sort of oil in the mixture but my understanding of acrylic paint is that it is not oil based but resin (plastic) based - part of why it dries so fast and cleans so easily.  When the acrylics I use dry on a plastic pallette there is no oil residue at all - peels right off like a very thin and pliable piece of plastic. 

I'm not sure that some types of plastic are derived from an oil base makes acrylic paint oil based; certainly, not all plastics are derived from petroleum bases.  Pretty sure there is a significant difference in the molecular structure of oil paints versus acrylic paints - and why we need different substances for cleaning and thinning the two types.

Be curious to see an explanation of the how and why of acrylic paint being oil based?

[SteveBurt]

Oil based paints such as polyurethane varnish or gloss paint are not water soluble; you need white spirit to clean your brushes

[SgtSlag]

Thanks for the suggestions I will have a try at these

Army Painter's Quick Shades are oil-based, and very similar to urethane-stains, used in woodworking.  The original Dip Technique, used Minwax Polyshades Urethane Stain, from the hardware stores.  They come from a variety of makers, in a wide range of colors and shades -- you do not need to use Minwax brand.

Urethane-stains are roughly 1/2 the cost of Quickshade, achieving the same results.  The stain-varnishes also come in a much wider variety of colors and shades.  Minwax's Tudor was the color of choice, back in the day, as it was virtually black -- equal to Quickshade Strong Tone.  I prefer a dark Walnut color, as it is lighter, and dirtier, giving my figures a look such that they've been fighting in the trenches, or the mud.

The best part of using stain-varnishes is that they are available in water-based formulas...  These dry in 15 minutes, without heat, at room temperatures; they seal the painted figure beneath urethane -- used to seal wooden floors which people walk upon, wearing rubber-soled shoes!  Clean-up is super easy:  water and brush soap recommended.

Lastly, I use throw-away school paint brushes from Wal-Mart:  $0.05 each (30 for $1.50), and they work superbly for brushing the stain-varnish onto the mini's.  I still wear nitrile gloves, as it tends to be rather a messy job.  I also suggest holding off the application of the stain-varnish until you have multiple figures ready for this step.  A matte clear coat is a must after the stain-varnish has cured -- I suggest allowing the stain-varnish cure for a minimum of 24 hours, to be safe.

the best thing about using the water-based stain-varnishes, is that they do not stink, like the oil-based formulas do.  My oil-based, Dip'ed figures, put off a nasty odor, for around 10 years, before they stopped smelling bad.  The water-based Dip'ed figures have never had an odor issue, period. Water-based stain-varnishes are the bomb, Baby!  Cheers!