Every hobbyist encounters someday the problem that the shape of the brushes and their condition to paint properly comes to an end. In my experience, it takes some time till a hobbyist thinks about brush maintenance to extend the life of their brushes and always keep the tip in the best shape. Therefore I will shed some light on this topic.
In this article, I am reviewing two products from the company Abteilung 502: The "Magic Potion for Brushes" (ABT117) and the "Magic Gel for Brushes" (ABT114). These two products are for brush care only and come in a plastic bottle with screw cap and in a tin with a screw cap.
In this article, I am reviewing two products from the company Abteilung 502: The "Magic Potion for Brushes" (ABT117) and the "Magic Gel for Brushes" (ABT114). These two products are for brush care only and come in a plastic bottle with screw cap and in a tin with a screw cap.
The "Magic Potion for Brushes" is a high-quality brush cleaner, which, in addition to cleaning, also helps care for the brush. It contains no solvents no alcohols that can damage synthetic or natural brush´s hair. It´s recommended to dip the tip of the brush in this liquid for 24 hours for deep cleaning and restoration and repeat the process if necessary with seriously damaged brushes.
The "Magic Gel for Brushes" is a gel, which should bring the brush tip back into shape. Again, it is irrelevant whether the brush made of synthetic hair or real hair. The application is recommended after using and cleaning them (it can be used after the application of our ABT117 Magic Potion for Brushes or any other chemical or natural cleaner). There is a pdf with a step-by-step tutorial on how to use it: http://abteilung502.com/media/downloads/ABT114.pdf
Testing the products
For testing purposes I used 2 very old "da Vinci Harbin Kolinsky" size 3 and 2 brushes as well as 2 rather poor looking "Winsor & Newton Series 7" size 1 and 0 brushes. They haven`t been cared much for and are loaded with paint residues and the tip is everything but sharp.
The brushes were dipped in the bottle of Magic Potion for Brushes and allowed to stay in there for 24 hours. After that, I used some Magic Gel. I took the brush tip and put it gently in the gel and afterward used my fingers to shape the tip. Here`s the result:
I think the results are pretty satisfying after using the products for the first time. I think the two Abteilung 502 products meet the expectations on a brush cleaning and shaping product. I guess the results will be better and better the more often the products are used. I will take some time in the Magic Potion bath for the brushes to get rid of all the paint residues. From now on I am going to use it on a regular basis and think that my brushes will be happy about it :)
I am curious about the cleaning tools you use? Tell me about it and if you have any experience with these products I am keen on your opinion, too.
Happy painting....uhm...cleaning!