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Wish I never listened to that 'use old turpentine' tip

A guy in my old art class swore reusing turpentine from a jar that sat for 6 months was fine for cleaning brushes. I tried it last Tuesday and my sable brushes are ruined, the bristles turned stiff and brittle within an hour. He said the sediment would settle and the top layer was still good, but that leftover resin painted a film over everything. Now I'm out 3 decent brushes and a $14 jar of fresh cleaner to try and salvage the rest. Has anyone else gotten bad advice about reusing solvents that cost you more in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_ward14h ago

So the sediment settled and the top layer looked clear, right? That's the part I want to understand. Did you actually check if there was a layer of gunk floating on top before you dipped the brush in, or did you just trust him that it was fine? Because in my experience, old turpentine can look fine but still have that sticky resin suspended in it, not just at the bottom. And what was the brush doing, sitting in the jar for a while, or did you just dip and rinse? I had a similar thing happen with a cheap jar I left open for too long, the top layer was still cloudy and I knew better, but I tried it anyway. Also, are these sables you can replace, or were they special ones for you?

haydenp9525m ago

Yeah, I feel for you, that's a rough way to lose a brush.