How to clean a fiberglass brush ?

[Kiriakos-GR]

Before a day ago, I got my first fiberglass brush, and it is amazing at cleaning anything like:
AAA battery poles
battery compartment  contacts ( digital camera)
smartmedia cards - memory cards - GSM cards /  gold plated contacts.

But it gets very black from all those carbon deposits, that in some cases is a mixture of dirt plus oil from our own body.
The brush end become black very shortly.
I did try to clean the end of it with purified alcohol ( yes the very expensive) but nothing happened. 
I did try tab water and dish washing liquid, it did help up to a point like 70% clean.

Any ideas ?

[IanB]

When the end gets too dirty you are intended to trim it off like a lamp wick and roll out a fresh piece. To trim it I think you use a sharp knife and have to be careful of the tiny bits of glass fibre.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Well I have got also a strong warning from my boys at the Greek forum, about those bits of glass fiber.

Some one had suggest an very toxic liquid called as tetra chloride, but he also suggested to avoid it, even if it can clean those fibers in few minutes.
And so I am looking for a substitute.

About 15 years back I was working as repair man in Omron cash tills, we was using a special spay as ink and grease remover from the printing heads,
I think that this could act as degrease agent, but its just a theory.
     

[IanB]

Carbon tetrachloride, or "carbon tet" was a favorite degreaser in the old days, but it has been banned these days as it causes cancer.

There are other degreasing solvents you can use instead, but if the black stuff on the cleaning brush is not grease those solvents will not help. Instead of solvents try an acid like limescale and rust remover. When you clean a metal surface with an abrasive the black residue is metal particles and oxides, which acids are good at dissolving.

[david77]

Personally I never trim the end of the fibreglas pencils. Unless it is some really sticky stuff you got on there I actually don't think it matters. The bristles will still clean your contacts perfectly.

[Magicmushroom666]

I never worry about cleaning these either, they seem to break off slowly with use and expose more clean fibers.

Watch out for the tiny bits that break off, i made the mistake before of not cleaning up afterwards, and was getting those stuck in my fingers for weeks after!

[Richard W.]

There's no need to clean the brush, unless it's really greasy.