2 Part Epoxy Brush Help

[TheSilverFox]

I've been working with getting the mixture of epoxy and DA right and i think I'm pretty close. My question is about brushes... do any work better than others? I've been using cheap brushes and they are stiff as boards when you open them. When you try and move them around they lossen up but at times they also fall apart. I've tried a few different types. Also, is it possible to soak these in DA after use and use them again or is this just being stupid? I've done it once and it seems to work ok but i had a few bubbles. Could it be from me being cheap and trying to use the brush again?

[gone2long]

I've been using the same brush for many sessions I just clean in DA when done cheap set from AC Moore.

[TheSilverFox]

Thanks. That makes me feel better about using them again. I've got some pretty good brushesi just bought but didn't want to use them and have to throw them away. I will not feel so bad if i can use them several times before trashing them.

[RayburnGuy]

I like to use a good artists brush SilverFox. The ones I've found have soft bristles and will hold a good amount of epoxy. The soft bristles also help to burst any tiny bubbles left in the mix. I keep a couple of small bottles of denatured alcohol (one clean.....one dirty) on my workbench to clean the brush as well as to use a few drops to thin the epoxy. The "dirty" bottle gets the brush placed in it as well as my stirring stick while the baits are being placed on the drying wheel. I push the bristles of the brush against the bottom of the dirty jar a couple times to get most of the epoxy out of it. The brush then gets worked into a folded up paper towel while being dipped into the "clean" bottle. I continue doing this until the entire folded paper towel is used up. There may be easier ways to do this, but I've been using the same brush for several years now and the bristles are still just as soft as when the brush was new.

 

Ben

[fishnart]

I do this with my brushes also. I don't know what kind they are, they're the ones you get at the hobby store that are metal with the stiff black brush??? Cheap lol, but I reuse the heck out of those. After each use I clean them in Lacquer thinner and then reclean them with mineral spirits. I've had them start getting stiff and those I throw away. But I reuse several things cause I'm cheap. Here's my whole process; I mix the epoxy and paint a couple lures. Take a paper towel and wipe the access off of brush and clean it off in the Lacquer thinner . Then I take a paper towel and wipe the access out of the two cups that I used to mix it, pour lacquer thinner in the cups and wash them good with the brush, cleaning brush at the same time. Then wipe the cups out. Then start the whole process over for the next two or three baits. At the end of the day I pour the lacquer thinner back in the can to reuse later. Its a long process to epoxy a couple baits but saves me some money. On a side note, the little plastic sticks that are used to paint small spots...I wash those out after use, dry them carefully and blow on them to fluff them back out and get many uses out of them, just have to be gentle.

Does anyone else do all of this or am I the only insane one

[BobP]

I use brushes for a couple of years and clean them thoroughly in lacquer thinner. They eventually build up hardened epoxy at the base of the bristles and become less flexible, at which point I throw them away, but they last a long time. A nylon bristle artist brush only costs a few bucks.