Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and restorer--NONTOXIC

I found a Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer that is NONTOXIC, minimal odor, non-flammable and biodegradable. Works on dried paint on brushes for oil, acrylic, and water color. Available in 32 oz. size at Dick Blick and Jerry's Artarama for $14.06. It is currently on sale at ASW in 32 oz. size for $8.91. You should be able to use this on your WMO's and regular oils. I'm so excited!!! I'll be able to use my regular oils too, if I want to.

A lot of us use The Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver. I've assumed it is non-toxic and has a pleasant gentle fragrance and appears non-flammable and biodegradable. I checked the container to see if it says any of that or lists any ingredients, but it does not.

I know it is not a solvent like we used with regular oils because I do not react to it with breathing problems like I do with solvents.

I'll have to research it further, but I 'm glad you found a second option for us to consider for brush cleaning. Thanks for sharing.

Judy

It sounds exactly like Aquasol, which I used to order from ASW. They've put Aquasol in the clearance stuff and replaced it with the W&N cleaner. Seems it's been discontinued - maybe W&N bought them out , it sounds like the same stuff.
I like the Master's brush cleaner, but get more use out of the Aquasol. I soak my rinse-water jars clean with it, soak/wash the alkyd medium out of my brushes, clean my glass palette off.... I think I'm down to my last 2 gallon jugs of it - hope the W&N works as well!
Crystal - let us know if it works well for you!

So this cleaner is liquid not like the soap format that the Masters Brush Cleaner come in? Can you use it to clean your brushes as you paint? I'd be interested on how it works as well Crystal and thank you for the heads up.

Yes, it's liquid - but don't use it during painting, only for clean up afterward. If it works as well as the Aquasol, it would be stripping the paint right back off the canvas as you paint! After using the brush cleaner, you should give your brushes another quick wash to take the cleaner and the paint residue out of them (the cleaner loosens up paint that doesn't come out with just soap and water washing). I like to use the Master's soap for the final wash.

Thank you Callie for the information!

I was tempted to order some of the W&N cleaner to give it a try, but I'll wait to hear how Crystal likes it since I've still got 2+ gallons of the Aquasol.
....wonder if it's just coincidence that W&N put out their cleaner at the same time that Aquasol was discontinued? I'm hoping they're the same product

Hi Folks;

I use "The Masters" and have been very pleased with it (even when I've forgotten to clean a brush for too long ). For WMO's it doesn't take much effort or much water to clean them up. However, I've never tried it with a brush used in walnut oil. Also, in cleaning my palettes a razor-blade-based scrapper, then water and a paper towel keeps them in good shape. Does using walnut oil require more cleanup effort for either the brushes or the palettes?

Regards,
Jim

Hi Jim,
It's the walnut-alkyd that needs a little extra cleaning help - especially if you leave your brushes laying around unwashed like I do!
The alkyd speeds up the drying time and as it "sets up", it has a sticky feel to it.
If I wash my brushes in just soap and water they seem to be clean, but when they dry, they're a bit stiff 'cause not all the alkyd medium is gone. So they need a swish in a good brush cleaner (Master's is too gentle) to release that alkyd residue and soften up again. I used to scrape my palette as well, but now I pour some cleaner on it, leave it a little while, then wipe it off with a paper towel. I also soak my medium cups and paint-tube caps in it - gets rid of gunked up residue.
The plain walnut oil doesn't get stiff/sticky.

Yes, I've used The Masters Soap and it works very well. I am just not too sure about these WMO's. To get a good brand is very expensive and so far I only like the Lukas Berlin. I haven't tried the Holbein Duo's, but I think they would be too expensive for me, unless I were making some money selling my paintings. I like the idea of mixing some of my regular oils in with the WSO's anyway, since I have a lot of regular oils left over. At any rate, the liquid cleaner by W/N should give me some freedom to try out different things. Too bad the W/N brush cleaner doesn't come in gallon containers like the Aquasol did.
At any rate, I ordered the W/N Brush Cleaner last Tuesday and will let you know how it turns out.

I was avoiding using a glass palette because having to clean it. Thank you Callie for sharing your process. It sounds like it would work a lot better. With the glass palette I think it would be great to be able to put a piece of colored paper under it that matches the color that I tone my canvas.

Crystal I'm looking forward to hearing how it works. Does it have much of a smell to it?

I have ordered the W/N Brush Cleaner and should get it within 2 weeks--I am three hours round trip from a small art store, so I just order things. Greywolfe tells me that this cleaner is based on ethanol, which can cause respiratory problems--I don't see how they can call this NON-TOXIC. I'll let you know what I think, once I've used it.

Crystal,
I'll be interested in seeing how you make out. If it smells like ethenol, let me know. I just seem to be too sensitive to things. I was disappointed that the walnut alkyd caused so much problem for me with breathing.

Jim,
I'm glad to see you back. I love all your landscapes on your website. The colors are always so refreshing, crisp and beautiful.

Judy

I was able to get some of the Windsor Newton Cleaner and restorer at my local Arizona Art Supply where I teach acrylics arizonaartsupply.com and was pleased with how it worked. There was no strong smell to bother my breathing, and it cleaned wso brushes within an hour. Acrylic brushes needed to sit in it over night.

The one thing I learned was not to put it into disposable plastic drinking cups to soak. It eats right through them. Now I use a tall glass container.

judy

Thanks for the heads up, Judy! The Aquasol was just fine in plastic, I wouldn't have expected the WN to be that different. Sounds like it takes a lot longer to work than the Aquasol also. That's too bad, I guess it will have to do

The timing on cleaning these brushes was based on the fact that these were brushes with years of build up. I imagine that if I had used this to clean them right from the start, there would not have been the build up and they would have cleaned up in minutes.

Judy

Judy, thank you for the review of this product! Sounds like it works really well.

I did receive the W.N. Brush cleaner, but haven't used it yet. I did smell it and it's almost odorless, which made me think of OMS. I don't have an allergy problem with solvents, so I can't really tell if will be a problem for allergy sufferers. Good luck and thanks for the info Judyfilarecki.

Dayle

Your welcome Dayle. It didn't bother me at all, and I could barely detect any odor. Thanks for introducing us to it.

Judy