Save my paintbrush!!

After acrylics dry, they can sometimes be a dickens to remove.  So if the normal things do not work, i.e. alcohol, windex, ammonia, you might need to call out the big guns and use lacquer thinner.  I find that when it comes to cleaing dried on paint, be it enamel or acrylic, lacquer thinner will always get the job done.

Andy

Phil_H wrote:

It's a little odd that the acrylic thinner hasn't had an effect on the dried paint. You may need to move to something a little stronger, like lacquer thinner, which will remove even the most stubborn caked on paint. Do this outdoors, because lacquer thinner vapours can be harmful, and spilled lacquer thinner can be harmful to a wide range of surfaces inside the house.  Pour a little lacquer thinner into a clean glass jar. Immerse your brush and gently roll the bristles of your brush against the side of the jar. Don't dip your brush too deeply or you may remove the paint from the brush handle too. Don't press too hard against the side of the jar as you may break the bristles off at the ferrule. Roll it gently and let the solvent do the work As you continue to roll your brush against the side of the jar, you will see the accumulated paint breaking up and dissolving in the lacquer thinner. Continue this process until you can no longer see anything coming out of the bristles. When you can't see any more paint particles coming out, dry the brush with a tissue or paper towel, Gently wash the bristles with warm soapy water. Rinse well and dry your brush Gently work some hair conditioner into the bristles, rinse well and dry your brush (or allow to dry) If all has gone correctly, you should now have a clean, restored brush. Take care of your brushes. Good brush care can be the difference between a masterpiece and a mess. Never stand your brushes on their bristles, whether in a jar of thinner, paint  or in storage. When cleaning your brushes, use the "rolling" action described above. Stabbing your brush against the bottom of your wash jar may be quick, but it's also the quickest way to destroy them. Never let paint dry out on your brush. If paint starts to dry on your brush while painting, wash it out using a compatible solvent before continuing to paint. Edit: Recalling one of your previous posts, you've been using Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. Would I be correct in thinking you might have used Tamiya acrylic thinner to try to clean your brush after using LSP? If this is the case, LSP isn't compatible with Tamiya acrylic thinner - it's a lacquer based product. If it is indeed LSP encrusted on your brush, you'll need to use lacquer thinner or ethyl (denatured) alcohol to clean your brush.

 Oh, my acrylic paint was grey too at that time, could be a mixture of both. Thanks for reminding. 

If you can't get Windex or Simple Green in Singapore, use ammonia in water to clean your brushes—ammonia is the "active" ingredient in Windex, the premier cleaner for acrylic paints.

Some acrylic resins do not respond well to detergents. 

It's a little odd that the acrylic thinner hasn't had an effect on the dried paint.

You may need to move to something a little stronger, like lacquer thinner, which will remove even the most stubborn caked on paint.

Do this outdoors, because lacquer thinner vapours can be harmful, and spilled lacquer thinner can be harmful to a wide range of surfaces inside the house. 

• Pour a little lacquer thinner into a clean glass jar.
• Immerse your brush and gently roll the bristles of your brush against the side of the jar. Don't dip your brush too deeply or you may remove the paint from the brush handle too. Don't press too hard against the side of the jar as you may break the bristles off at the ferrule. Roll it gently and let the solvent do the work As you continue to roll your brush against the side of the jar, you will see the accumulated paint breaking up and dissolving in the lacquer thinner. Continue this process until you can no longer see anything coming out of the bristles.
• When you can't see any more paint particles coming out, dry the brush with a tissue or paper towel,
• Gently wash the bristles with warm soapy water. Rinse well and dry your brush
• Gently work some hair conditioner into the bristles, rinse well and dry your brush (or allow to dry)

If all has gone correctly, you should now have a clean, restored brush.

Take care of your brushes. Good brush care can be the difference between a masterpiece and a mess.

• Never stand your brushes on their bristles, whether in a jar of thinner, paint  or in storage.
• When cleaning your brushes, use the "rolling" action described above. Stabbing your brush against the bottom of your wash jar may be quick, but it's also the quickest way to destroy them.
• Never let paint dry out on your brush. If paint starts to dry on your brush while painting, wash it out using a compatible solvent before continuing to paint.

Edit: Recalling one of your previous posts, you've been using Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. Would I be correct in thinking you might have used Tamiya acrylic thinner to try to clean your brush after using LSP? If this is the case, LSP isn't compatible with Tamiya acrylic thinner - it's a lacquer based product. If it is indeed LSP encrusted on your brush, you'll need to use lacquer thinner or ethyl (denatured) alcohol to clean your brush.