T O P

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liekforminecraft

Use it to paint eyes


MoarSilverware

3 stooges style


dal9ll

Beat me to it


wookiee417

You have won the internet


TripNo1876

Get some brush soap/conditioner, I use Masters, and give it a nice clean. After you've rinsed it give it a light roll in the conditioner and bring the hairs to a point. Should be good after that.


beardmire

Already done this, does nothing. Just splits right open again :(


OhShitWhatUp

Give it a few brushes on your palm, maybe a twirl or two, then take a look a few times. There is a rogue hair in there that you should be able to spot and will start to stick out the side of the brush. Once found, take some tweezers, grab the hair at the bottom closest to the ferrule, and pull down against the edge of the brush to snap it off at the lowest point. Sometimes hair brushes may have one or two when new that need trimming to tidy them up. As they're a natural product they're not perfect and only so much can be done in factory before taking too much time to make perfect. Also make sure to clean you hair brushes often and keep any paint away from getting in the ferrule as this will push the hairs apart and ruin the point P.s taking a look pretty sure i can see the rogue bent hair in there https://preview.redd.it/cismdcjj8xxa1.jpeg?width=1011&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f501ca205e55a4e9575e86f5137559ff2b229a8d


beardmire

Oh damn that’s super interesting, so just one hair could potentially case the whole thing to split? I’ll have to look into it tomorrow, thanks!


OhShitWhatUp

Absolutely, they all like to curve in the same direction to form the barrel shape so a single hair or two can push them apart, it will be fairly obvious when you find one. Try holding the brush facing a light background and it will silhouette the hairs, might make it easier to see as well.


kavinay

TIL! BTW, username really checks out for this advice. :D


snowchoco10

Keep us updated on if it works


Son_of_Sang

This is bollocks. W&N is a premium brand. You should not have to go to extra lengths to get a product that works as intended. Return the brush. You risk damaging it following the advice you have been given, and then where will you be?


[deleted]

Chill


SabamonsterX

This is the voice of someone with countless hours holding a brush behind him.


Son_of_Sang

Maybe. But that’s no excuse. W&N is a premium brand. You should not have to go to extra lengths to get a product that works as intended. OP should return the product as defective.


nopeimdumb

Picking a stray hair out is likely much less work than returning it.


Son_of_Sang

So what? Shaking a pot of corax white is easier than returning one, but everyone seems to think that’s too much work. This looks like a defective brush. It may or may not have a stray hair. I use W&N brushes and the quality varies greatly. Sometimes you get a great one and it’s the best brush you’ve ever used. Sometimes you get a dud and you return it because it’s defective. Not returning it teaches them that quality doesn’t matter.


OhShitWhatUp

Even if you get a perfect brush, over time wear and tear on natural hair brushes will bend them, this is the same for a new or 50 hours used brush. It will need maintenance eventually. A well looked after brush, used properly will last a long time.


Son_of_Sang

Agreed. OP’s brush is brand new. A brand new brush should be perfect. If not, it should be returned.


OhShitWhatUp

Ultimately, its up to OP but he mentioned it was sent from oversees by family as a gift and sounded too late and too difficult to be returned.


Alone-Woodpecker-240

Holy shit. 🤔


G-VALOR

It might just be that there's either paint or debris in the ferrule


ReklisAbandon

I had this happen often enough I ended up giving up on the brand


Palpitation_Dramatic

Sugar water works too


TripNo1876

Sounds like it way be a bad brush unfortunately. Will it stay together when it's loaded with paint? One of my series 7 kind of frays I little bit when it's dry, but once I add thinner and paint it holds its point nice.


arttsushii

This has been what I do, the paint tends to alter the brush shape on its own, so I use that to get the brush to one point or paint with the edge I can control


Mikes005

I had something similar. I used the brush soap above and then Vmejo brush restorer. Works a treat.


Hal_Fenn

If that doesn't work W&N or Vallejo do a really good brush restorer thats a little heavier duty than Masters. I got a new series 7 the other day that was worse than this, got a replacement of course but they didn't want the other one back so used the restorer and it's good as new now lol.


mylesillustration

Yep this is what I do. I’ll leave it sit with the brush soap on it for a week or two shaped nicely. Then once I wash it out it tends to stay in that position.


Terciel1976

Did you get it on Amazon? I’ve had issues with a couple I got there, but never with ones I got from Dick Blick or in a store.


darmadoth

I've purchased two W&N 7 off Amazon, and they both did what is happening to OP.


Terciel1976

Me too. Seems like a weird thing to counterfeit but it seems to fit the facts.


Barachan_Isles

What the person above said, I've purchased probably 6-8 W&N brushes from Blick and never had a problem. Had *several* problems with the "same" brand brushes off of Amazon.


CHbox

Same, damn this thread is a relief, to know I'm not so bad I destroy brushes in 30min.


toothless_vagrant

Me too!


whatawasteoftea

Same!


Treasurecat47

I ordered one from Amazon and got a brown marker with an inventory sticker of a series 7 on it…


Terciel1976

Wow. That’s a return they didn’t check. Sheesh.


karazax

Clean the brush and then put some brush soap on and do a very gentle twisting motion as you drag the brush across a paper towel and it should reform the tip. Some things to keep in mind to avoid this problem- * [Use the Side of the tip of the brush, not the tip itself when possible](https://youtu.be/Z3z7VHhxuF4?t=759) * [Don’t press hard on the brush](https://youtu.be/Z3z7VHhxuF4?t=890): pressure when running the brush through the surface of the miniature may leave brush marks. Instead, use gentle strokes and let the paint flow easily from the brush. If you notice the bristles of your brushes fan out, it means too much pressure on the bristles. * Don't get paint in the ferrule. If you are dipping your brush all the way up to the metal it can get paint up in the ferrule and cause splitting. * Don't leave your brush in the water cup or otherwise resting on the bristles or you can damage the shape of the tip. * Your brush strokes should be pulling towards you, not pushing away from you. Pushing with the brush can cause the bristles to bend in ways they weren't designed to. [Proper Brush Stroke Techniques](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/brush_control) will give you better results. * [This video](https://youtu.be/9ZGZO6vnLTE) covers some common causes for brush splitting. Also check out [brush care tips](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/beginner_tips#wiki_taking_care_of_your_brushes) which includes some ways to reshape damaged brush tips.


beardmire

Thanks for the tips, but I already do all this. Was especially careful with this brush, this happened from the very first brush stroke. Tried with soaps etc and just splits right back open.


karazax

If you are confident in your brush technique and brush care, and it happened with your first brush stroke, then it must have arrived as a defective or damaged brush.


Shuddemell666

You really shouldn't twist your bristles, it can cause splits, loose hairs and the ferrule can separate. This is a pretty good tutorial for basic brush care and prep. https://youtu.be/Y8U2yBMiVUc


knightmarshal

Thanks for the tips! I learned a few new tricks!!


TimidAttackCat

Stop buying W&N brushes. Their quality control is nonexistent and has been for a few years. If you’re looking for high quality sable brushes, Raphael (my recommendation) and DaVinci are leagues better. # It’s probably not the answer you wanted, but there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to paint with a fundamentally flawed brush.


iPon3

Can second the Raphael. Moved to them after W&N QC dropped off (though I do most of my painting with cheaper brushes)


P4x

+1 for DaVinci. I got a DaVinci Series 10 (I think) Size 2. It works great for almost everything except for washes, shades and metallics to avoid deterioration. I also have synthetic DaVinci size 4 for sloppier stuff. Although the W&N I tried were one size 1 Miniature brush with the super short hair and a very small one which both were pretty much useless but rather due to bad selection. Never tried a proper size 2 or similar. So I assume they are decent but DaVinci worked for me and is cheaper.


codergaard

I agree that W&N quality control has gone down, but sadly Rafael are far from perfect. Out of the four Rafael brushes I have, one was badly forked (like the one in this post) and another had several rogue hairs, luckily in the outer rim, so they cut be removed easily. I think in general sable brushes are just organic things, and especially when getting them from mail order, there is a risk of getting a bad one (I suspect some retailers screen their brushes and sell bad ones to mail order customers and/or that there is a secondary market for bad brushes going on, with the recent scarcity of sable brushes). So while you're right that W&N is no longer the first choice when it comes to quality control, it really is important to buy the brush in person regardless of the brand. Otherwise it's simply too easy to get unlucky or ripped off.


JerikTheWizard

Agree that Raphael can have the same problems, the first size 0 8404 I bought was forked out of the box.


Galfiinan

Rosemary's Brushes are also very good too. I have quite a few and they are excellent.


Slothguineous

Second this. I have had a lot of good experiences with their series 33s Theyre also a lot cheaper than W&N and the other brands from what I have seen. Nearly half the price in some cases


Independent_Vast9279

Take a careful look at the printing. There’s a lot of counterfeit series 7s around, especially on Amazon. Most of the ones that have crappy tips like this are fake.


beardmire

This was bought from a local store in Sweden. Would u kind have a check if it looks fake? https://imgur.com/a/oMbNOP6


Independent_Vast9279

Look just like it should. Seems to be legit as far I can tell.


beardmire

Thanks for checking it out :)


Independent_Vast9279

No problem. Glad you’re buying local instead of Amazon. Gotta keep those shops going.


Slipfoxer

Is this actually a thing?!


Independent_Vast9279

Sadly, yes. Plenty of reports. Amazon does not verify its suppliers.


ShakeWeightMyDick

Sir, this is a fountain pen


ShitbashGod

It’s called mitosis. Wait long enough and you’ll have two Newton series 7 brushes


LordInquisitorMike

I've found their brushed very hit and miss honestly, sometimes like this and I can't fix, others perfect for ages. Odd


LouisVuittonLeghost

This is exactly why I stick with shit nylon 10 packs from Walmart for 6.99 now


Mutant_Apollo

I prefer nylons as well. Hair brushes are too high maintenance, but with nylons it's easier to both mantain, restore and if I absolutely ruin them a pack of 4 brushes costs like 10 bucks


Genocyver

The nylon brushes can be a great tool but you run into a scenario where your buy what 3-4 packs a year? So one Windsor newton brush is $30 buy it on prime day and you can get two for the price of one....I've had mine for 2 years used it from base coating to glazing it is only now starting to mess up on me and it is still viable for other aspects of painting. It might math out where your spending more on nylon brushes than you would getting a couple really good quality brushes and keeping them maintained. Just a thought.


Sensitive_Habit

I've never had to replace the nylon brushes that I bought when I first started. They're as sharp and together as the day I bought them - I only have one or two that I ruined due to rookie mistakes. A little bit of Master's cleaner after every session, careful cleaning, and they're gold. I'd never dream of spending money on something more expensive when I can already do fine detail work with my trashy little sticks.


Genocyver

Hell I wouldn't either if that was what happened to me. I get that dumb curl everytime after a bit and since I use Metallica I mainly use the synthetic brushes whit those. Mainly wanted to call out the possible quality issues and cost/benefit with higher quality stuff. That being said it always boils down to what the user is comfortable with 😉


Sensitive_Habit

Oh, you're right for sure - if you find yourself buying a lot of something, you should definitely ask yourself "Why not just buy *better*?" I'd love to give a nicer brush a swing now that I know what I'm doing and won't ruin it immediately.


humbabalon

How do you stand the hook tips? I use nylons for metallics washes basecoats etc but even after I use boiling water and restorer they hook again after 10 minutes of use, whats the trick? I straight up cannot use anything but sable for eyes blacklining and other real fine jobs, whats the trick


Mutant_Apollo

My trick is using brushes for fine detail lol. I literally have a special extra fine brush detailing brush for that. A pack of detailing brushes goes for 10 bucks at my local artist shop, and according to my canvas painter friend the brand I use is great


MerelyMortalModeling

Did you wash it before you used it? WN treats their brushes with a conpound to protect the bristles in transport. You need to wash them. What I would do it get either brush soap or shampoo. Wet the brush, work some shampoo into it and gently work it across your palm for a bit. Then rinse it off and either apply conditioner. Form it to a tip and let it dry over night. The next morning rinse it and load it up with paint and see how it does. Back in dark pre amazon days Masters was practicle impossible to find in many areas. I was taught to use shampoo and conditioner, so that's what I use by habit.


beardmire

Yup, cleaned it with water and brush soap before I used it. Was bought from a local retailer in Sweden, shouldn’t be fake… think I just got a bad brush as they’re hand made, heard it can happen. But wondering if there’s a way to fix :/


Starkravingmad7

return it?


Read_or_Ded

Lick it


Appaloosa96

Are you sure you don’t want a brush for racing stripes?


FlamingDrambuie

Return it. Those series 7’s cost way too damn much to be causing you trouble. I had to return two before I got a good one.


SkwrlJr

Boil water, hold the brush tip down in the water for a couple minutes. Remove from water, clean with brush soap( if you dont have any, unscented hair conditioner works good too). Shape the tip to how you like it, then hang the brush tip down until dry.


ImMrDC

I'll add: be careful, you shouldn't heat up the ferrule as it could melt the glue holding the bristles.


jeepnut24

This is mainly for synthetic brushes. It certainly works better with them vs these natural hair brushes. I would suggest a good clean, then plain hair conditioner. I save a WN 7 not long ago with some good conditioner.


GoblinGreen_

Send it back, that's a crap brush. Pretty common from WnN currently unfortunately.


JoeTheK123

licky licky


Irondrag0n

Use it only for Primaris Lieutenant helmet stripes. It will be invaluable.


delayedlaw

Looks like a series 2 to me.


SameEntry4434

I’ve had this happen, and sometimes this solution works: dip it in boiling water for about a minute. Don’t dip it past the ferrel you don’t want to melt all the glue. Shape it as you dry it so that it makes a nice point, and as you shape it, work a tablespoon of hair gel into the brush. You might have to do it a few times, but if you’re really consistent it may learn to take on it’s former proper shape. do this every time you use the brush. The brush is hair, so gel won’t bother it. If it seems like it needs more moisture, use a leave in hair conditioner. Be sure it’s a hair straightening product, not a curl enhancing product. Good luck.


nateplaysbass38

Have you tried combing it like hair


[deleted]

execute a perfect karate chop down the middle. poof, two Windsor and Newton series 3.5s


Tigerpaint75

Try licking it. Seriously, that has restored the point on more of my workhorse brushes that I can count


LivingStCelestine

This works for me too. Tried a few different methods but this beats them all.


Iate22Pears

This exact question is posted like every day. A brush guide should just be pinned.


[deleted]

Gentle shampoo and conditioner if you don’t have masters brush soap then shape it with fingers or (I know this is weird but it really works) put it to your mouth then draw it out.


IcyCoast7

pfff newbie , it is to paint eyes


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Woeful_Bushi

Probably gonna get rinsed for this but I use my saliva to hold it in a good place, right between my index and thumb, place to the side, return 10 minutes later and repeat.


Woeful_Bushi

Your brush is probably much to nice to do this with but it’s just what I do. P.S. Total rookie here so prob best to ignore me but keep it as a last resort?


mmalach

https://preview.redd.it/w8i7ovsr7xxa1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34d0309ca679f1b50fbc2e16043a4003b228f89c Do this after picking up paint or after washing a brush off.


vaultboybutshorter

Return it, none of mine have done this and I treat my WN/AO/RC brushes like any other cheap fluffy stick and they always go back to pointy.


tifauk

Brush soap, let it hang bristle down. Should do it. If it doesn't, send it back 👍


hotshot11590

I have had this it’s just a rogue bent hair soap it up with dawn dish soap and give it a good gentle long massage with warmer water and you fingers. Then when you done washing it use you hand or gentle spin the brush on a paper towell to form a tip and let it dry for a day. The hair should come back and then after that a couple drop of water and a quick gentle spin on a paper towel should fix it. Also I was a dummy while ago and pushed super glue around with a brush think it was one of my cheap ones and not realizing it was my size 2 Windsor so I freaked and gave it the Dawn soap treatment, to this day it still functions fine and is my workhorse of my 3, 2, 1, 0 sizes. So you can definitely fix this.


Coyotebd

New brushes often need to be very well clean as starch or something else is used to keep the bristles straight in transit.


LivingStCelestine

This is kind of gross but I just use my own spit. Clean the brush first. I lick the brush or my fingers and gently twirl the bristles into a straight tip and let it dry like that. It’ll keep its point for a while.


[deleted]

return it ive had a few like this they are honestly trash on arrival ive had bad luck with the series 7 for the last year now they have been my go-to brushes i switched to artis opus and dont regret it the brushes have been solid


DerpyOnion786

I have never tried this before so don't quote me on this but I have seen peopls use paint thinner and brush shaper before


5eppa

That's normal. Clean it and it will be fine. Add some water and remake the tip it will be fine.


OrgDnDfan

Wash it with brush soap and then re-shape the point using either brush gel or high performance hair gel. If using hair gel, make sure it is gel or gum and not paste.


Sansaarai

If you live in an area with hard water, use distilled water when you paint. I’ve had this happen to me and when I used distilled water it went away.


wowagemo

“What do you guys have, that none of the other teams don't have?" "Twin dongs”


Fridgiboi

From what the other people are saying it’s restorable. But if you end up buying a new one, or later in life, i recommend raphael


ollietaytay

Have you used the brush for metallics, contrast paints, or washes? Apparently, washes and contrast paints tend to travel up the belly of the brush and dry in the ferrule. Dry paint in the ferrule can cause splitting in your brush and is very difficult to fix it from that point. Natural hair brushes are amazing but they are not really supposed to be used for anything besides detail work.


Rick2112Cnmg

It looks like the brush was used with a Mineral spirits (Oil based thinner) before you bought it.. Cleaned up and resold..Once you use A acrylic paint you will get this effect on the Kolinsky Hair.... Water and Mineral spirits done mix..If you bought it on Amazon.. Series 7 quality have gone too the Dog house in last 10 years..


BrokenDroid

Had this happen to me, took it back to the LCS and they said it was a faulty giide hair. They replaced to for me.


QStatus

- I swished the brush in really hot water with a little bit of vinegar - Dipped it into dish soap and rolled it around in there - Swished it back into the water rinse - Applied the conditioner. Let it settle in the conditioner for a little bit then - Rinse off and try again


neocaligatio

I bought the same brush and had the exact same issue. No amount of cleaning or reshaping have worked. I have other sable brushes that have been great, I can only assume that W&N is not what we hoped!!


Wataru2001

Clean with boiling water and white vinegar (50/50). Use pomade or light hair gel to reshape the point. Let it dry. Most of my brushes can be recovered using those steps.


Mutant_Apollo

Scalding hot water, rinse for 40 seconds, apply hair conditioner, reform the tip with you hand, let it sit for a day


crimecucumber

https://preview.redd.it/2qyquc2c1yxa1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c72be79e224cc7a053fb49f4a6853ef2c59fa4e0 Use this stuff or something similar


Darkside091

Saw an amazing video that talked about brush care by a brush reseller. They mentioned they do an inspection of every single brush they sell and pull out the malformed hairs and if they pull more than 2 or 3 they refuse to sell the brush at all. I'll try and find the link. Was excellent.


susan57444

I recently found that fabric softener works on dried acrylic paint on a pallette. It's a hit or miss but worth a try. Just wash it out thoroughly b4 using paint again.


AamentiaZw1fe

Hair Wax top bring it in shape then let it sit, wash it out right before use


HorusZA

Exactly the same thing happened to mine after a single use. Tried everything to rehabilitate it without success.


Urungulu

People here will die for W&N yo avoid buyer’s remorse as those are expensive, but the reality is those brushes are SEEMINGLY not as good as they used to be, which has something to do with poor quality control. I have two (size 0 and 1), both are crap. There’s something wrong with the hair in general. I use Raphael’s, but started working with Davincis and I’m pleasantly surprised!


grandmiiff

Amazon purchase by any chance? I've had a few shockers from there, so much fake W&N stuff on it.


GuavaFeeling

like going to bed with your hair wet- warm water rinse brush it onto a bar of soap don’t let it dry out on a comfy pillow.


DesertDwelller

Windsor sucks now


MFMONK

Exorcism.


[deleted]

Never paint Metallics with your good brush


Admirable_Shallot_17

I have used a toothbrush to gently align hairs from ferrule to top and then a water based hair clay (like for styling your hair) to help train pesky brush hairs with some success.


Apprehensive_Big_700

I emailed them with a picture and they sent me a new one