FAQ: Winsor and Newton brush cleaner

I use the sponges only for spot cleaning on the resin then rinse it off with water.

I'd never mix cleaning agents... They could have an even worse reaction than hives and yellow goo.

 

thats really weird...that shouldnt happen because the Mr Clean erasers dont have any sort of chemical on them.Ive used that combination before and never had that happen.Is it possible that someone used the eraser to clean up something else and maybe left some sort of chemical on it?

 

I use that combination and have never had that problem! How odd!

I usually wash it off immediately though....

 

I guess the brushcleaner started to dissolve the sponge and released some of the chemicals the sponge was made of. It's the same as applying solvents or heat to styrofoam ~ just don't do it!!

Use cotton buds/balls or tissue paper to apply brushcleaner, or anything made of natural/organic materials, don't use synthetic things like the Mr Clean sponge.

 

Yeah thats true, I usually start with a cotton ball, come to think of it... then I use Mr Clean sponge after I've washed her once....

Interesting. I'll keep that in mind!

Also, you are definitely using the ACRYLIC brush cleaner right?

 

w/ the w&n brush cleaner - I just use a cotton ball and it removes everything just fine. Mr. Clean sponges are meant to only be used w/ water

 

I have no problem with just the plain brush cleaner and q-tips. Mixing chemicals is for scientists, not hobbiests. Please be careful. ^^

 

I've had bad (non-doll) experiences mixing Mr. Clean Magic Sponge with any other sort of of cleaning product. It says it's not embedded with anything, but whatever it's actually -made- of seems to react badly to certain other cleansers.

 

Just a reminder, the box of Mr. Clean Magic Sponge says to only use water.

 

I would love to see a picture of how the bottle look and what the full name is. The lady in my art supply shop hasn't been able to find it for me since the company that imports Windsor & Newton products to Sweden says that it doesn't exist. Instead the company suggested a cleaning product with ammonia used for cleaning old paintings. NOT what I had in mind at all.

I promised the art suppply lady to try to get a pic of the bottle.

Annefia!

 

I just Googled "windsor and newton brush cleaner", by the way.

 

Thanks Ophelia!

The problems with googling something you've never seen before is that it's hard to know if it's REALLY the right product. I wanted to be REALLY sure I got the right thing since the import company claimed that it didn't exist.

Annefia!

 

So what is it this does that you can't do with something else? It's for removing faceup, right? The one time I removed my doll's faceup, I just used isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) - and it worked like a charm It's also easy to get hold of. At least here...


Systembolaget kanske?

 

It's also for cleaning your brushes after *grin* After seeing satoru take well over forty-five minutes with a Magic Eraser and isopropyl alcohol to remove a faceup off one of my dolls because I left my W&N at my friend's house in Orlando...well, I'll take my ten minute entire body blushing removal with W&N any day! And also, no need to worry about the resin suffering ill effects like you would if you used alcohol or acetone.

W&N does the job in a fraction of the time, safely. That's why you get it.

 

Great! Thanks for the reply! I found rubbing alcohol on a piece of Magic Eraser worked pretty fast, but of course there was some residue left in various crevices I'll see if this W&N Brush cleaner is available here. I've seen lots of paint ect from them, so I hope...

 

Mmm, is anyone else having trouble finding this in the UK? I'm in Cambridge and I can't bloody find the stuff anywhere! Maybe I have, uh, bad eyes.

 

Hm..I buy mine in a square-ish glass bottle. And I think it's quite hard to find in the UK. Apparently, some people use isopropyl rubbing alcohol with no ill effects. ^^

 

LMAO! No they don't carry THAT kind of alcohol, only the kind you drink. I was able to find isopropyl alcohol at "Apoteket" though since I didn't have time to wait to find out if I could get W & N's brushcleaner in Sweden or not. (My first experiment with MSC didn't turn out well enough to wait. ) It worked well and didn't leave any residue.

Was the alcohol really strong enough in that case? I've heard that it needs to be over 70% but that 90% works the best. Not even my "waaaaayyyyy to thick" layer of MSC to that long to remove.

Annefia!

 

Actually, you may want to be careful using it to clean your brushes. If the handle of the brush has any type of varnish-coating or paint on it, the W&N may react with it, leaving a sticky residue on the handle that has to be cleaned off with soap and water. It will also react with the plastic handles of less expensive brushes. I learned those lessons the hard way, and I don't let the stuff anywhere near my brushes anymore (despite the name of the product).

But I do agree about the "faster" thing. It works much more quickly and effectively than the isopropyl alcohol or non-acetone. Less scrubbing, too... which is good for us lazy types who hate removing faceups.

 

I always use Windsor and Newton to clean my dolls, works great! and fyi, it does take the varnish off of your brushes, and anything else with paint! i had a bottle in the bathroom, that i guess had some on the bottom, my sis puts it on the staircase landing, and well, after sitting there for half an hour, there's no paint left on it. ><

 

besides stripping the varnish off brushes, it takes nail polish off too I was a little freaked out by the oily feel to it when I was taking the face up off but very glad to see that there is absolutely no oily residue after washing the head with water.

 

heh, wow so i just went to grab my Windsor rand newton that was in a small storage bin with my brushes laying on its side with some pencils. it melted the pencil in half! (mechanical plastic) and my rubber gloves i had in there. it was in there like that for only a month. >< I gotta find somewhere to put this stuff, lol. XD

 

Well, there is an area where the bottom of the bristles connect TO the brush handle. The bristles aren't just floating in space separate from the handle. The first time I tried to use it to clean brushes, I had a small glass with Winsor & Newton at the bottom and dipped the brushes into it to clean them. Some of the product got on the lower portion of the handle. It's not that far-fetched, really.

 

But...isn't that part *metal*?

 

On some of my brushes (Simply Simmons brand) it's metal coated with a black paint. The black paint is what reacted to the Windsor & Newton. On the inexpensive plastic brushes I mentioned (the kind that are $3 for a set of 12), that part is plastic instead of metal and it does react as well.

Honestly, we're just nitpicking at this point though. I was merely trying to pass on a precaution for others who might be thinking about using Windsor & Newton, so they wouldn't have to deal with the same mess I did. I didn't intend to put myself in a position where I felt I needed to defend my statement. If you don't believe me, or if you have this mental image of me just dousing my entire paintbrush with the product, so be it. People always have the right to disregard my first post in this thread if they wish, or they can experiment for themselves. *shrug*

 

TheFontBandit - Don't worry I actually used your precaution and went to check my brushes to see if they have any paint or plastic like you said (I'd been using those $3 plastic kind to apply gloss) *___* I think that's really useful. Ugh, I really don't want the paint smearing off my brushes onto a doll!! I honestly don't think OpheliaB inteded you to feel the need to defend your post -- she was probably just curious. My brushes have metal down there, so those might have been the only artist brushes she's ever really seen up close in person??? D: I don't know... haha.....
But really, your advice is great, so thanks muchly for sharing

 

After this incident I'm weary about cleaning doll heads with the Winsor & Newton Brush cleaner. I was cleaning some dried oil paint off of one of my brushes, and I left it in a plastic cup for less than 5 minutes, only to return and BARELY touch the cup and the bottom falls out. Is there a possibility that W&N can weaken or perhaps RUIN Resin?

 

I understand your concern, I have melted a few things with Winsor and Newton's too. However I don't think it's harmful to resin, because resin's not exactly like other cheap plastics that do melt.

I'm not sure on this though, as I definitely don't have the chemistry background to figure out the chemical reactions. ^^;; I'm interested as well to see if it could possibly be a threat.

 

I don't know about the chemistry side either, but I use W&N on my dolls all the time to remove face-ups. If you pair it with a Magic Eraser removing face-ups is really fast! And I find it helps get rid of the teeny leftovers in the mouth and eyes much better because I've left it on for ten minutes and then come back to remove the leftover paint.

The only harm I've seen it do was remove the color off of the color part of the handle on my paintbrush when I left it sitting in the bottle for awhile.

 

well, what's coming off the brushes is the lacquer, so technically, the W&N is doing to the brush what we want to do to a faceup---and that's stripping it off. It's pretty safe on dolls though--I don't think it has the same harsh properties as say, nail polish remover.

 

where can you get W&N brush cleaner? is it available at hobby lobby?

 

I get mine at Michael's.

- Mel

 

Yeah, mine melted one of those paper-with-plastic cd cases before. It freaked me out so bad, but I figure people have been using that stuff FOREVER to take face-ups and such off their dolls, if there would've been an incident, it would've happened already.​

 

I've seen it at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and acmoore. I put mine on it's side and it leaked, and melted through a mechanical pencil. >< but, as far as dolls go, i haven't had any problems.

 

I have left a head submerged in it on accident overnight. it was just fine. I keep it in a ziploc plastic bowl just for the occation. and stick a cheapo mechanical tooth brush and have a go with it.

 

I've used Windsor Newton a number of times without misshap. I just make sure that whatever cleaning agent I use on my dolls' heads I wash off thoroughly as soon as possible just to be on the safe side. W&N works well to get off some of the tougher stuff that alcohol won't remove.

 

What is this stuff made of? I keep hearing people raving about this stuff, but I have some now and it feels really very greasy. I also had some in a small jar to soak a dye stained head in and saw little bubbles like you get when you mix a teeny bit of oil in water and stir it up. It does work, but I am conserned bout long term effects if it is made of oil.

My bottle does not have an ingredients list, and my current computer wont let me go to the google website or yahoo, so I cant easily search.

 

It's made of awesome, that's what

I have actually wondered what gives it the greasy feel as well. It cleans up nicely with a little mild soap and water. Glycerin maybe?

 

all i could find is that it contains ethanol.... whatever that is.

 

Ethanol is alcohol. Like drinkable alcohol. Wouldn't it be funny if W&N was just expensive moonshine? My boss has a jar of strong 'shine in his office, maybe I should try it on my practice head. It certainly clears sinuses...

 

W&N fact sheet

http://www.winsornewton.com/assets/...Solvents/Artists Picture Cleaner/04412238.pdf

 

^ That’s for the wrong product – I believe the OP is asking about W&N “Brush Cleaner & Restorer/Reconditioner.”
The health & Safety sheet for that product can be found here. All that is listed is ethanol, as mentioned above.


- Enzyme ^.^

 

Yea that is what I am talking about. I have a very small bottle of it, and it has no ingredient list what so ever. It can't be just straight up plain ethonol tho, there has to be something else that gives it that weird feeling.
That worries me too, that they don't have a full ingredients list that is easily accessable. But then I'm a born worrier

 

Truthfully I think anything caustic enough to remove sealer has the potential for damage, if used improperly, too much for too long, or on resin that is less stable. But Winsor & Newton, based on my tons of reading around here, is the product that works most effectively in the shortest time with the fewest incidents of damage. The only things I can remember that stated they were damage caused by Winsor & Newton turned out to be MSC they hadn't gotten all the way off yet.

Even if W&N did have a bit of oil in it, you can simply wash it off after using it. Oil isn't particularly good for resin, but it's not going to cause instant damage on contact with finished, cured resin. If left there over a period of time (probably a long time) it might; if it's combined with a pigment of any kind it might make it far more likely to stain; but it's not like sulfuric acid that will dissolve it. I suspect it's probably not oil, though, probably more likely glycerine or something to make it evaporate more slowly. Or I bet they put something in it to make it taste nasty so people don't drink it.

 

Here's the complete MSDS, downloaded from the Winsor & Newton website:

SAFTETY DATA SHEET
WINSOR & NEWTON BRUSH CLEANER AND RECONDITIONER
1 IDENTIFICATON OF THE SUBSTANCE/ PREPARATION AND COMPANY UNDERTAKING
PRODUCT NAME WINSOR & NEWTON BRUSH CLEANER AND RECONDITIONER
APPLICATION Colors for art and creative use
SUPPLIER ColArt America Inc.
11 Constitution Avenue
Piscataway
New Jersey
08855-1396
Emergency telephone number 1-800-628-3385
Tel. number for information 732-562-0770
2. COMPOSITION INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
COMPOSITION COMMENTS
Hazardous Components CAS Number OSHA PEL TLV
Ethanol 64-17-5 1000 ppm 1000 ppm
.3. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
Low toxicity. May cause slight irritation on contact with skin and eyes. High concentrations may be
irritating to the respiratory tract. Ingestion of large amounts may cause headache, dizziness, diarrhea and
general weakness.
4. FIRST AID MEASURES
INHALATION
Move the exposed person to fresh air at once. Get medical attention if any discomfort continues.
INGESTION
NEVER MAKE AN UNCONCIOUS PERSON VOMIT OR DRINK FLUIDS! Rinse mouth thoroughly.
Drink plenty of water. Get medical attention if any discomfort
SKIN CONTACT
Remove contaminated clothing. Wash affected areas with soap and water. Get medical attention
if irritation persists after washing.
2
EYE CONTACT
Make sure to remove any contact lenses from the eyes before rinsing. Promptly wash eyes with plenty of
water while lifting the eye lid. Continue to rinse for at least 15 minutes. Get medical attention if any
discomfort continues.
5. FIRE FIGHTING MEASURES
EXTINGUISHING MEDIA
Carbon Dioxide, water, water fog, dry chemical foam.
6. ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES
SPILL CLEAN UP METHODS
Evacuate and ventilate area; remove all sources of sparks, ignition and open flames. Absorb in vermiculite,
dry sand or earth and place in to containers. Do not contaminate water courses or sewer.
7. HANDLING AND STORAGE
USAGE PRECAUTIONS
Avoid spilling, skin and eye contact.
STORAGE PRECAUTIONS
Combustible. Vapor may form explosive mixtures with air. All sources of ignition should be controlled.
Keep in original container. Store at moderate temperatures in dry, well ventilated area.
8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS/ PERSONAL PROTECTION
ENGINEERING MEASURES
No particular ventilation requirements.
HAND PROTECTION
No specific hand protection noted. For prolonged contact use neoprene or rubber gloves.
EYE PROTECTION
If risk of splashing, wear safety goggles or face shield.
OTHER PROTECTION
No specific protective equipment noted, but may be required anyway.
HYGEINE MEASURES
Wash at the end of each work shift and before eating, smoking and using the toilet. Promptly remove any
clothing that becomes contaminated. Use appropriate skin cream to prevent drying of skin. When using do
not eat, drink or smoke.
3
9. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
APPEARANCE Colorless liquid
COLOR Colorless
ODOR Sweet smell
SOLUBILITY >20%
BOILING POINT (oC) 209 mm Hg
RELATIVE DENSITY 0.97
VAPOR DENSITY (air=1) 6.6
pH-VALUE CONC. SOL . Not applicable
10. STABILITY AND REACTIVITY
STABILITY
Stable under normal temperature conditions.
CONDITIONS TO AVOID
Avoid strong oxidizers, strong acids.
HAZARDOUS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS
Fire creates: Carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon dioxide (CO2). Black smoke may affect eyes and lungs.
11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
This product has low toxicity. Only large volumes may have adverse impact on human health.
INHALATION
May cause irritation to the respiratory system.
INGESTION
May cause discomfort if swallowed
SKIN CONTACT
Slightly irritating. Prolonged contact may cause dermatitis.
EYE CONTACT
Slightly irritating to eyes
4
HEALTH WARNINGS
No specific health warnings noted.
ROUTE OF ENTRY
Inhalation. Skin and eye contact.
MEDICAL SYMPTOMS
Irritation of eyes and mucous membranes.
12. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
ECOTOXICITY
Not regarded as dangerous to the environment
13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS
DISPOSAL METHODS
Dispose of waste and residues in accordance with local authority requirements.
14. TRANSPORT INFORMATION
RAIL TRANSPORT NOTES Not classified
SEA TRANSPORT NOTES Not classified
AIR TRANSPORT NOTES Not classified
15. REGULATORY INFORMATON
This product has been evaluated by a toxicologist and is labeled for acute and chronic health hazards in
accordance with the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act and Federal regulation 16 CFR 1500.14 of
the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
This product conforms to ASTM D 4236 Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials for Chronic Adverse
Health Hazards
16. OTHER INFORMATION
INFORMATON SOURCE
Material Safety ~Data Sheet, Misc. manufacturers.
REVISION DATE
06/03/08

They aren't going to list their ingredients, but they do give ColArt's number for further inquiries.

 

I suspect the stuff that gives it it's oily 'feel' and sweet smell is glycol, either propyl or ethylene. For this reason, I'd keep it away from pets - glycol is deadly poison to them, even though it is a common food and drug additive for humans.

Glycol is one of the main ingredients in antifreeze, and is what is used in boiler-based heating systems here in the Arctic, where the more-usual water is an invitation to burst pipes and major disaster.

 

Well, I've looked in several webshops for the cleaner
but none would ship international/take Paypal...
The shops in town don't carry it.
Would anyone of you US residents be willing to buy some and send it to Europe?

 

I'm having the same problem a lot of others living outside the states. I can't find W&N anywhere, and well, since it's hard to find out what it contains..other than Ethanol..I can't really figure out what to use as a replacement. Could someone give me some general guidelines? like what it for sure can't contain. Then i might not go completely wrong. My art supplies store keeps wanting me to buy a terpentine based cleaner..but I think that might be a bad idea?
Also..this mr. magic sponge..cleaner thing..what's special about it? lol...is it necessary to have one?

 

Same problem here. Local art stores carry just about any Winsor & Newton product imaginable, but not the brush cleaner. I'm wondering if the W&N brand is different from other artist brush cleaners - the one I do find in shops here is Sennelier (http://www.jerrysartarama.com/disco...-and-mediums/sennelier-oil-color-solvents.htm). Any idea if this comes down to the same thing?

 

The sponges are made of " formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer."
But in simpler terms, it's just really abrasive on your skin, so getting Windsor and Newton in it probably isn't the best thing.

 

How fast does this stuff evaporate? I just cleaned off a bunch of pieces and set them out to dry, but I haven't rinsed them.... It's not like they were soaking in the stuff for very long either, but I don't know if letting it evaporate off is the way to go since I don't know how long resin can be exposed to it without being damaged..... I know it can last a long time without any damage when soaking, but I have no idea how long it'll take to dry or the long-term effects of not rinsing the pieces! I could just go on the safe side and rinse them all, but it's something I'd like to know for future reference.

 

Ive definitely heard of this happening before. Someone mixed the two when cleaning off a face and all the color came off and the face turned a different color. I guess maybe it has to do with the time and amount that the cleaner was soaked in the sponge. As a few others said, it could possibly melt the sponge and create a new harmful substance. Beats me but Id say never combine the two.

 

I don't know what give it that very slick feel either, but I will say that I do use it with a magic eraser, pretty much every time I clean my practice head to wipe the old work, and it hasn't done anything strange, or harmed the head or myself. I also thoroughly rinse both the piece of sponge I used and the head after using W&N cleaner on them, so perhaps I'm cleaning them well enough not to cause any problems. The only other thing I use on my dolls are water and cotton pads to rub off the slick residue from the cleaner, occasionally a toothbrush to get into crevaces. But the toothbrush also gets washed, usually with a little plain dish soap to make sure it's clean the next time I use it.

 

I'm having a problem. I cleaned my tan doll with W&N and it turned cloudy. Can I get that off?

 

This is the product I found in stores here:

It's great for my oil paint stained material, but I'm not sure it's the one for removing face-ups? Can I soak a doll's head in it?

 

Hey guys, sorry if this has already been asked, but I have my bottle of W&N and my dolls head in need of faceup removal.
But how exactly do I use this product? Do I use it neat or dilute it in water? Do I need to soak the head or just use it to wipe off the faceup?

I don't want to risk getting it wrong since it sounds like pretty strong stuff lol Don't want to end up with a deformed doll D:

 

What I do is put the head I'm cleaning in the smallest container it fits into (no plastic!) and pour the W&N straight in until the head is completely submerged. Wait a few hours, run the head under cold water, rinse and repeat (literally!). You can also just swab the faceup off with the use of q-tips and cotton swabs. I prefer the soaking method because I'm lazy

What turned cloudy? The cleaner, your head...? Can you post pictures?