diff --git a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe-load.c b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe-load.c
index 1c6612d8be..18ad8989d0 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe-load.c
+++ b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe-load.c
@@ -21,10 +21,8 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
 #include <gdk-pixbuf/gdk-pixbuf.h>
-#include <gegl.h>
 
 #include "libgimpbase/gimpbase.h"
-#include "libgimpbase/gimpparasiteio.h"
 
 #include "core-types.h"
 
@@ -42,14 +40,12 @@ gimp_brush_pipe_load (GimpContext   *context,
                       GInputStream  *input,
                       GError       **error)
 {
-  GimpBrushPipe     *pipe = NULL;
-  gint               i;
-  gint               num_of_brushes = 0;
-  gint               totalcells;
-  gchar             *paramstring;
-  GString           *buffer;
-  gchar              c;
-  gsize              bytes_read;
+  GimpBrushPipe *pipe      = NULL;
+  gint           n_brushes = 0;
+  GString       *buffer;
+  gchar         *paramstring;
+  gchar          c;
+  gsize          bytes_read;
 
   g_return_val_if_fail (G_IS_FILE (file), NULL);
   g_return_val_if_fail (G_IS_INPUT_STREAM (input), NULL);
@@ -105,10 +101,10 @@ gimp_brush_pipe_load (GimpContext   *context,
 
   if (buffer->len > 0 && buffer->len < 1024)
     {
-      num_of_brushes = strtol (buffer->str, &paramstring, 10);
+      n_brushes = strtol (buffer->str, &paramstring, 10);
     }
 
-  if (num_of_brushes < 1)
+  if (n_brushes < 1)
     {
       g_set_error (error, GIMP_DATA_ERROR, GIMP_DATA_ERROR_READ,
                    _("Fatal parse error in brush file '%s': "
@@ -122,74 +118,9 @@ gimp_brush_pipe_load (GimpContext   *context,
   while (*paramstring && g_ascii_isspace (*paramstring))
     paramstring++;
 
-  if (*paramstring)
-    {
-      GimpPixPipeParams params;
+  pipe->brushes = g_new0 (GimpBrush *, n_brushes);
 
-      gimp_pixpipe_params_init (&params);
-      gimp_pixpipe_params_parse (paramstring, &params);
-
-      pipe->dimension = params.dim;
-      pipe->rank      = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
-      pipe->select    = g_new0 (PipeSelectModes, pipe->dimension);
-      pipe->index     = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
-      /* placement is not used at all ?? */
-
-      for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
-        {
-          pipe->rank[i] = MAX (1, params.rank[i]);
-          if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "incremental") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_INCREMENTAL;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "angular") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_ANGULAR;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "velocity") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_VELOCITY;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "random") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_RANDOM;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "pressure") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_PRESSURE;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "xtilt") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_TILT_X;
-          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "ytilt") == 0)
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_TILT_Y;
-          else
-            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_CONSTANT;
-          pipe->index[i] = 0;
-        }
-
-      gimp_pixpipe_params_free (&params);
-
-      pipe->params = g_strdup (paramstring);
-    }
-  else
-    {
-      pipe->dimension = 1;
-      pipe->rank      = g_new (gint, 1);
-      pipe->rank[0]   = num_of_brushes;
-      pipe->select    = g_new (PipeSelectModes, 1);
-      pipe->select[0] = PIPE_SELECT_INCREMENTAL;
-      pipe->index     = g_new (gint, 1);
-      pipe->index[0]  = 0;
-    }
-
-  g_string_free (buffer, TRUE);
-
-  totalcells = 1;                /* Not all necessarily present, maybe */
-  for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
-    totalcells *= pipe->rank[i];
-  pipe->stride = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
-  for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
-    {
-      if (i == 0)
-        pipe->stride[i] = totalcells / pipe->rank[i];
-      else
-        pipe->stride[i] = pipe->stride[i-1] / pipe->rank[i];
-    }
-  g_return_val_if_fail (pipe->stride[pipe->dimension-1] == 1, NULL);
-
-  pipe->brushes = g_new0 (GimpBrush *, num_of_brushes);
-
-  while (pipe->n_brushes < num_of_brushes)
+  while (pipe->n_brushes < n_brushes)
     {
       pipe->brushes[pipe->n_brushes] = gimp_brush_load_brush (context,
                                                               file, input,
@@ -198,12 +129,26 @@ gimp_brush_pipe_load (GimpContext   *context,
       if (! pipe->brushes[pipe->n_brushes])
         {
           g_object_unref (pipe);
+          g_string_free (buffer, TRUE);
           return NULL;
         }
 
       pipe->n_brushes++;
     }
 
+  if (! gimp_brush_pipe_set_params (pipe, paramstring))
+    {
+      g_set_error (error, GIMP_DATA_ERROR, GIMP_DATA_ERROR_READ,
+                   _("Fatal parse error in brush file '%s': "
+                     "Inconsistent parameters."),
+                   gimp_file_get_utf8_name (file));
+      g_object_unref (pipe);
+      g_string_free (buffer, TRUE);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  g_string_free (buffer, TRUE);
+
   /* Current brush is the first one. */
   pipe->current = pipe->brushes[0];
 
diff --git a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.c b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.c
index db02feee51..6d1aa02ed5 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.c
+++ b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include <gdk-pixbuf/gdk-pixbuf.h>
 #include <gegl.h>
 
+#include "libgimpbase/gimpparasiteio.h"
 #include "libgimpmath/gimpmath.h"
 
 #include "core-types.h"
@@ -333,3 +334,88 @@ gimp_brush_pipe_want_null_motion (GimpBrush        *brush,
 
   return TRUE;
 }
+
+
+/*  public functions  */
+
+gboolean
+gimp_brush_pipe_set_params (GimpBrushPipe *pipe,
+                            const gchar   *paramstring)
+{
+  gint totalcells;
+  gint i;
+
+  g_return_val_if_fail (GIMP_IS_BRUSH_PIPE (pipe), FALSE);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (pipe->dimension == 0, FALSE); /* only on a new pipe! */
+
+  if (paramstring && *paramstring)
+    {
+      GimpPixPipeParams params;
+
+      gimp_pixpipe_params_init (&params);
+      gimp_pixpipe_params_parse (paramstring, &params);
+
+      pipe->dimension = params.dim;
+      pipe->rank      = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
+      pipe->select    = g_new0 (PipeSelectModes, pipe->dimension);
+      pipe->index     = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
+      /* placement is not used at all ?? */
+
+      for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
+        {
+          pipe->rank[i] = MAX (1, params.rank[i]);
+
+          if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "incremental") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_INCREMENTAL;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "angular") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_ANGULAR;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "velocity") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_VELOCITY;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "random") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_RANDOM;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "pressure") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_PRESSURE;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "xtilt") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_TILT_X;
+          else if (strcmp (params.selection[i], "ytilt") == 0)
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_TILT_Y;
+          else
+            pipe->select[i] = PIPE_SELECT_CONSTANT;
+
+          pipe->index[i] = 0;
+        }
+
+      gimp_pixpipe_params_free (&params);
+
+      pipe->params = g_strdup (paramstring);
+    }
+  else
+    {
+      pipe->dimension = 1;
+      pipe->rank      = g_new (gint, 1);
+      pipe->rank[0]   = pipe->n_brushes;
+      pipe->select    = g_new (PipeSelectModes, 1);
+      pipe->select[0] = PIPE_SELECT_INCREMENTAL;
+      pipe->index     = g_new (gint, 1);
+      pipe->index[0]  = 0;
+    }
+
+  totalcells = 1; /* Not all necessarily present, maybe */
+  for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
+    totalcells *= pipe->rank[i];
+
+  pipe->stride = g_new0 (gint, pipe->dimension);
+
+  for (i = 0; i < pipe->dimension; i++)
+    {
+      if (i == 0)
+        pipe->stride[i] = totalcells / pipe->rank[i];
+      else
+        pipe->stride[i] = pipe->stride[i-1] / pipe->rank[i];
+    }
+
+  if (pipe->stride[pipe->dimension - 1] != 1)
+    return FALSE;
+
+  return TRUE;
+}
diff --git a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.h b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.h
index 0f27fa70f5..9615210392 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.h
+++ b/app/core/gimpbrushpipe.h
@@ -71,7 +71,10 @@ struct _GimpBrushPipeClass
 };
 
 
-GType   gimp_brush_pipe_get_type (void) G_GNUC_CONST;
+GType      gimp_brush_pipe_get_type   (void) G_GNUC_CONST;
+
+gboolean   gimp_brush_pipe_set_params (GimpBrushPipe *pipe,
+                                       const gchar   *paramstring);
 
 
 #endif  /* __GIMP_BRUSH_PIPE_H__ */