This is a messy way to go. You need a thinner bucket. I don't understand why commercial painters love to fling thinner around, it's a toxin and a fire hazard. Anything you aerosolize, you breathe.

Evenwils Wooden Stencil Brush (3 Pcs) - Natural Bristle Paint Brush for Acrylic Painting, Oil Painting, Watercolor Painting, Stencil Project, Card Making and DIY Art Crafts 4.3 out of 5 stars 715 $8.59 $ 8. Rigger – These long, thin round brushes work well with fluid paint. Originally used to paint the rigging of ships in paintings, they are the fine liners of the brush world. Rigger brushes, also known as liner brushes, make long continuous strokes that are useful for painting fine details like branches, as well as for lettering and calligraphy.

You can actually see the vinegar dissolve the paint. I included a video of the action. (Please excuse the upside down portion of it. My videographer is 11 and hereby adds the disclaimer that he is not a professional. However, he was paid well with cookies.) Video - How to Clean Hardened Paint Brushes.

Not being snarky - being concerned for your health. And your pocket book. I get that.

How To Soften A Hardened Paint Brush

I was trained to clean those brushes after the day by wiping them out, giving a good rinse in a thinner bucket to knock off any solids, and shampooing with Murphy's. Every Day After Painting. There's no reason for a brush to get to this state. The next morning, it's dry and clean and ready to go. You can also knock off any cruddy build up through the day in a thinner bucket. Which is a zinc or steel bucket, with a lid, with a grate inside to run the bristles over. Paint solids fall to the bottom and the thinner can be used until it's exhausted. No breathing micro droplets, none on the skin, and the fire hazard stays contained. Yes, paint thinner is a fire hazard. It comes from the same cracking tower as motor oil and gasoline, it's very dirty stuff. It often contains lead and other nasty things too. You don't want to breathe it.

How To Clean Hardened Paint Brushes

You can also give most brushes a 72 hour soak in Murphys as a maintenance deep clean. Every six months or so. This can also rescue brushes you've already trashed. No scraping or grinding needed if you clean up every day though. That's time out of your life. Go watch a game! The five minutes to wash brushes is worth having a clean dry well conditioned tool at hand the next morning. But a Saturday afternoon? Nah.

Clean Hardened Latex Paint Brushes

I'm trained as a portrait painter, but I renovate houses too. And I have a brush fetish, I have over a thousand high quality ones. I clean them all the same way, studio or house. They're all in great shape. Washing daily is not a problem, the oil in oil soap is a great conditioner for natural hairs. Just let them air dry out in the open, they could mildew in a closed container. Takes them inside in freezing weather. Love them and they'll love you back.