Synthetic brush care

[lordalexander74]

Couple questions for y'all regarding synthetic brush care. I've a G5C Synthetic from APShaveCo that I'd like to keep healthy.

1- What's better when rinsing, letting the water flow directly onto the knot, or down the handle and away from the knot?
I've been going with the latter method, and gently squeeze the brush until I can't see any soap come out. And that brush holds an impressive amount of soap.

2- When travelling, are hair dryers safe to use on this brush? Or synthetics in general. I'm planning on leaving the brush out to dry naturally whenever possible, though I might need to speed up the process when packing up to go home. I've got a brush travel tube on the way for out of state trips.

3- On the topic of bringing one's shaving kits on trips, I can't bring my razor/brush stand. My dad made it out of leftover bits of lumber and it's liable to break in transit. Is it safe to lay a brush/razor on a towel or is there another method I should go with?

Thanks y'all

 

[Phoenixkh]

I clean my brushes by gently spreading out the bristles in running water into my shave bowl..... until I can't see any soap coming out.... then I hold the brush around the circumference and put it head up into the water stream, making sure there is no soap residue left near the glue bump.

So I do both but away from the knot to start out. I don't want to drive any soap into the base of the knot. At the end, as I said, I run water from the top down into the knot, making sure the last little bit of soap residue is gone. I've been using that method with quality latex paint brushes for years. Some of my paint brushes are decades old: still without paint build-up or gummed up bristles.

For oil brushes, I use a brush spinner at the very end, since I don't have any running solvent source. Same results.

 

[JCarr]

Under warm water, I pretend like I'm lathering my palm until I no longer see any lather being produced. Then, I squeeze it out and shake it several times to remove the excess dampness. Anyway, that's what I do. Not sure if there's an official owners manual step by step on this.

 

[NorthernSoul]

The easiest way to rinse the brush, I think, is to hold it upside down under the faucet and let the water run into the base of the knot. Squeeze a few times until the soap is all out.

Synthetics dry so fast. In a hotel, I would just roll the brush up in a hand towel and press the water out. You can stand the brush up its end to finish drying.

 

[DrStrange]

Faucet straight into the brush.

I noticed the brush losing its shape under hot water and I didn't like that,
so I use cold water now.

 

[gpjoe]

Bristles up, under the faucet, squeeze, repeat until I don't see any soap. That's my way, not necessarily the "right" way.

Regarding travel, again my thoughts: I wouldn't worry about packing MY damp brush for the trip home. Pretty sure a synthetic brush will be ok in my bag for 24 hours, and allowed to dry at home - though I might be all wet.