Wonder what everyone Dusts their trains with ?

[MartyE]

Another thing I do is to get an old sheet and rip it into strips that are wide enought when put over a train the side drape down to the platform. I usually keep 'em about 4ft long so they are manageble. I wash 'em about every 2 weeks to keep them clean. It helps.

[FJ and G]

30sWillGo,

yep

[daan]

I have a soft brush which can be fixed to the vacuüm cleaner. That works nice as well.

[bogaziddy]

What about those miniature computer keyboard vacuum cleaners? You can get them from computer mail order houses or computer tools retailers. Has anyone tried one of those? I use small paint brushes of varying stiffnesses and canned air - seems to work adequately enough. To clean a very dirty locomotive that's been covered in dust for years, I've dabbed a little Goo-gone on a soft cloth and gotten most of the dirt off. I have no idea what the long term affects of Goo-gone might be to a locomotive's finish.

The Bog

[prewardude]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tschmidt

I have used compressed air also but the cost is high. Someone just made a suggestion the other day to try pumping up a garden sprayer with air to see if that works. I am going to give it a try this week.

Just make sure there isn't any chemical residue left in the sprayer when you try it. I work with pesticides/fungicides/herbicides all the time, and believe-you-me, that stuff is corrosive as all get-out! [:(]

[tschmidt]

I have used compressed air also but the cost is high. Someone just made a suggestion the other day to try pumping up a garden sprayer with air to see if that works. I am going to give it a try this week.

[ChiefEagles]

I have seen smoewhere a toy trin cleaning station. Think it uses compressed air. I believe it was expensive. My question was, if it blows the dust off, where does the dust go then?

[Blueberryhill RR]

This is the largest I ever fired. For real.


30sWILLGO, Wait until you see my train car washer.
Chuck

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

Did I hear someone say they want to DUST their trains?

Try this:

If I'm not mistaken....that's a German piece from WWII.... a REAL RAIL GUN.

The 80cm 'Gustav' :

The largest gun ever built had an operational career of 13 days, during which a total of 48 shells were fired in anger. It took 25 trainloads of equipment, 2000 men and up to six weeks to assemble. It seem unlikely that such a weapon will ever be seen again.




You can even buy some of the models for your layout that were released in Feb. 2005.

One of the German 28cm K5(E) railway guns (firing above), "Leopold" was known as "Anzio Annie" by the US soldiers who were battered by its fire at Anzio Beach in Italy. Dragon's 1/144 scale replica is about 220mm long. Details are fine and all the stencil cautions are represented. The model also comes with the rail bed embankment, with "grass" and six gun crewmen. The completed model is packaged in a hard plastic display case.

[Anonymous]

A cosmetic brush . It works well enough for me.

[Jumijo]

I use 100 grit sandpaper.


Naaaaah, I keep mine boxed when not in use.

Jim

[FJ and G]

Did I hear someone say they want to DUST their trains?

Try this:

[1688torpedo]

I keep my Trains in their boxes. However, when I pick up a engine or car from a shop or show. I clean it using Q-Tips for the hard to get areas.

[cnw1995]

I am fortunate not to get dust through the floor above the layout, though I have a long pole where I duct-tape a track cleaning eraser or feather duster to one end. I also have hung a soft cloth off the end of a Marx crane - that sits athwart the track - and run trains slowly through it. Works pretty well.

[FJ and G]

I've never dusted mine. I'm looking at them now at work and the dust on them doesn't bother me much.

[laz 57]

QUE tips for tight areas. Otherwise just a rag.
laz57

[Anonymous]

I use a very soft bristle brush and canned air and I keep a clean filter in the train room's air return register.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Blueberryhill RR

Well, I have a very soft, type of feather duster, and I sit on a chair, and
run each train very slow. As it goes past, I will dust each car. Usually, it takes about 30 passes for each train. This is a very time consuming job, so I have a pot of coffee on hand and maybe a sandwich or two. Once I am done with
each train, I will blow the whistle and park it.
Wife seems to think that I am nuts, but dusting is a very important job.
Chuck

Chuck, maybe you could modify a gantry crane and place it over the main line. Add a contactor, a switch, a stepper motor to lower and raise the duster into position....hmmmm.

Maybe some creative soul could even mount a duster shed on top of the crane platform? Think that work get people in the hobby a talking?

Betcha someone will make one soon if they read this......

How about a Barbie Doll in a French Maid outfit with little feather dusters attached to each foot?[;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by overall

Has anyone ever thought about investing in one of those air purifiers? The Sharper Image has one. Also, there is a company called Oreck that makes vacuum cleaners and also makes an air purifier. I hera both of them adveratise on the radio.If anyone has ever tried an air purifier, can you post something about how it worked?

Thanks,

George

For my [2c] worth. Based on my little ranch home:

Check in to Austin Air air purifiers ($400)....they're a much better investment than the Ionic Breeze based upon a max throughput of 400 cfm vs whatever the Breeze is suppose to do. It will cost you though to replace the filters once every 3 years. I run mine a couple days a week on low while at work with the ceiling fans on and it really does a good job cleaning the air. For everyone with pets or smokers or children with asthma, I highly recommend one of these.[^]

Also, replace your cold air return filter(s) with electrostatic air filters with carbon pad inserts that are replaced every 3 months ($70) for a 20" X 20" X 1" filter from Oxyclean.com. You vacuum off the filters and then clean with something like Simple Green spray mix and rinse with a hose and let dry overnight. Use a standard pleated filter in place in the meantime while the electrostatic dries.

You'll be amamzed of what that combo can do. I wind up dusting about every 3 weeks unless I've had fires going in the fireplace. The electrostatic filter is the best initial investment IMHO. Be sure to give the house a really good dusting and vacuuming after it is installed and then wait and see if I am not correct.

A good vacumm cleaner, as posted earlier with hepa filtration and used once a week is a big help too.[;)]

[lyle_styles]

Hello all, I had purchased two of the Ionic Breeze air purifiers almost 4 years ago and I do recommend them. There has been a question about how much ozone they do generate but now they come with an attachment that is supposed to correct that problem. So I guess there was a problem with the ozone thing. LOL The attachment changes the ozone back into oxygen or something like that.

I am a smoker and I have people come into my house and tell me that they can't tell someone has been smoking in here. I had purchased the extra inserts for each one as the smoking does make them get dirty quicker so the inserts do need a good washing and need a few hours to dry. Sharper Image recommends at least 24 hours to dry if they are washed with soapy water. I need to change the inserts approximately every two weeks for cleaning.

They do come with a 5 year warranty so I'll have to see what happens after year 5 to see if I still recommend them. LOL

Hope some of this may help with a previous question.

I do like the idea of a brush on the end of a vacuum that I had read in this post so that the dust doesn't just get recirculated back into the air. Also the swiffer idea that collects the dust also sounds good.

Thanks for listening.
Lyle R Ehlers

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by overall

Has anyone ever thought about investing in one of those air purifiers? The Sharper Image has one. Also, there is a company called Oreck that makes vacuum cleaners and also makes an air purifier. I hera both of them adveratise on the radio.If anyone has ever tried an air purifier, can you post something about how it worked?

Thanks,

George

George, we were thinking about purchasing one of those air purifiers until we read Consumer Reports. They were very concerned about Ozone (H3O) generation especially if you put it in a bedroom. Still haven't decided.[%-)]

[Anonymous]

I use a 3/4 wide camel hair brush with metal band taped up and a vacuum cleaner nozzle to catch the dust. I have most of my trains on shelves and just dusting drops the dust to the shelf below without the vacuum.

Charlie

[prewardude]

I keep my trains boxed up as much as possible. I, too, live in an old farmhouse, and the dust is unbelieveable! Whenever I see a light layer of dust on my trains, I just wipe them off with a soft rag; I get rid of it as soon as i see it, and before it gets out of hand. This lesson I learned the hard way!

[IronHoarse]

A shop vac does a nice job for me.

[Anonymous]

swiffers work well...actually picking up the dust instead of just moving it around...without leaving any residue. Couple that with a can of compressed air for getting dust out of nooks and crannies and you can detail a piece of equipment in no time.

Bruce Webster

[pbjwilson]

I have a cleaning crew which specializes in trains and collectables. They come in twice a month. Well worth the $150.00 a month I pay them.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by overall

Will dust eventually ruin the paint on a train?

George

Only when it's so thick you can't see through it. [swg]

[overall]

Will dust eventually ruin the paint on a train?

George

[Blueberryhill RR]

Well, I have a very soft, type of feather duster, and I sit on a chair, and
run each train very slow. As it goes past, I will dust each car. Usually, it takes about 30 passes for each train. This is a very time consuming job, so I have a pot of coffee on hand and maybe a sandwich or two. Once I am done with
each train, I will blow the whistle and park it.
Wife seems to think that I am nuts, but dusting is a very important job.
Chuck