Shake or sqeeze...?

MandoBear

MandoBear

Messages
270
...when you're drying your brush...?

Just wondered if there's a prefered technique for drying a brush out after using it. I rinse mine, shake it out, rinse and then shake it dry again, before hanging it, bristles down, in its brush stand.
 
2 powershakes and it feels almost dry, then it sits on it's handle... as I think that if you shake the most of the water out then it dries better "hair up" when the moisture has a free way to escape opposed to when being "hair down" in a stand when the moisture has to go down and around the whole brush. IMHO when a damp brush is "hair down" the moisture might get stuck in the very middle of it.
 
tritrek said:
... as I think that if you shake the most of the water out then it dries better "hair up" when the moisture has a free way to escape opposed to when being "hair down" in a stand when the moisture has to go down and around the whole brush. IMHO when a damp brush is "hair down" the moisture might get stuck in the very middle of it.
Click to expand...

This is interesting - I had read somewhere (I think in a brush care note that came with one of my brushes) that brushes are supposed to dry better "bristles down" and in some ways, this seems intuitive. However, reading these posts caused me to do a little research, and guess what? At the same temperature, damp air is less dense than dry air - so damp air will try and rise upwards out of your brush - so for a brush wich is damp (rather than wet - in which case, bristles down would let the water drip out - but a wet brush ought not to be left in that state) bristles up would seem to be the better option - so the damp can rise unimpeded from those expensive bristles.

Any one want a (used) brush stand...? :lol:

Actually, on second thoughts, I like the look of my brush in its stand, and I wouldn't mind betting that leaving the bathroom door open in the day makes more difference to how well a brush dries out
 
Just like so many aspects of our crazy hobby there just isn't a definitive way to do this. I think even advice between brush-makers differs. I would be surprised if a modern well-made brush would suffer too badly however you treat it, as long as you make some attempt to dry it each day.
 
Audiolab said:
it makes no difference to the drying process.
Click to expand...

+1. As long as it's left to air it'll be fine. I dry both "up" and "down" and they both get the same result, a dry brush within 12 hours or so.
I think as long as I remember not to leave them rolled up in a wet gym towel for days on end, I should be golden. :D
 
I rinse, squeeze, shake a couple of times, then "paint" a towel with it for ten strokes or so, up and down and left and right. It is then hung facing down in the stand along with my Merkur 13c OC :shave
 
Virtually the same here - except I just shake and wipe on the towel - then let the brush hang facing down in the stand. Years ago, my grandfather used to stand the brush on its base [with no damage to the brush], so perhaps [as mentioned earlier] the direction the bristles point is irrelevant :?.

Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom