Cleaning Camel Hair Brush

[Willyou]

I have a small good quality camel hair brush. While I try to clean it good after use, over the years, dried finish has accumulated up near the ferule to the point where only about 3/4 of the bristle length is flexible. I'm soaking it now in lacquer thinner. It has softened the old finish into a rubbery mass but, so far, has not dissolved it. I've seen paint stripper dissolve natural bristles. So, I don't want to use that. Any suggestions what might work better than lacquer thinner?

[JR1]

Today lacquer thinner is typically 40% or more acetone, try straight acetone. If that doesn't work add a little DNA.

[Willyou]

I'll try that. Just a question: what does the DNA do? I don't think that I have ever used this brush with shellac.

[JR1]

My guess is that the lacquer cleaner converted the finish on the brush into the gel. Sometimes things like that are soluble in DNA. You could also try household ammonia if that fails. However; the brush cleaner is a good suggestion.

[Scoony]

I would try brush cleaner and suspend the brush in a can of it.

[bhh]

Try soaking in an NMP-based stripper (for example, Citristrip). It's kinder than the "brush cleaners" that are soups of a variety of solvents and strippers.

[Richard D.]

Maybe after "several years of use" you've gotten your money's worth and it's time to buy a new brush. What does that brush cost? $5? As opposed to using and disposing a bunch of toxic solvents? You'd probably enjoy using the new brush.