How do you folks clean dust off your models without damaging / breaking small, delicate details?
I discovered that soft makeup brushes are a pretty safe and effective way to clean my locos and rolling stock. (Thanks Mom for suggesting them) I have one that's bushy for cleaning things without a lot of fine details, (like the roof of a passenger car for example) and I have a fine tipped one for getting around small details or into tight spaces.
I cut little bits off the Swiffer dusters and use those, sometimes sticking them on the end of a skewer.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I use a soft bristle brush, sometimes a short blast with a can of air. The wife also does this to clean off some of her little porcelain and glass knic-knacs.
I have some detailed locomotives, and cars, and I haven't damaged anything with an air can or the brush.
What are some of the delicate details your afraid of damaging?
Whats on the roof of a passenger car that's delicate?
Mike.
My You Tube
Soft brush and canned air works for me.
.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Nobody's yet mentioned it, but it's best to do the cleaning outdoors, or at least not in the layout room. I use a 3/4" soft-bristle brush.
If I'm cleaning structures, most of which are not easily removeable, the brush, in conjuction with a shop vac, is my choice.
For track and non-fragile scenery, I use the shop vac with its supplied brush attachment.
Wayne
There are mini vaccuum attachments which fit on the end of a standard vaccuum cleaner or one of the small hose shop vacs.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
mbinsewi What are some of the delicate details your afraid of damaging? Whats on the roof of a passenger car that's delicate?
I use a dust brush that looks like this one. I have used it for years with great results.
Rich
https://www.montessoriservices.com/dusting-brush?m2k_source=googleprod&utm_source=googleprod&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Q10&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoJuKhaGx5wIViobACh1ZywilEAQYFiABEgJ_OfD_BwE
Alton Junction
I've also used some vac attachments, while brushing.
Spent some time on the layout the last 2 days, Looks like I better get busy, some trees are connected to each other via real fine cobwebs.
What looked like a hawk, was the remnance of a tiny critter swinging on a cobweb.
i just use the brush attachment on a small hand held vacumn cleaner ...
gets -most- of it ..
mbinsewi I use a soft bristle brush, sometimes a short blast with a can of air. The wife also does this to clean off some of her little porcelain and glass knic-knacs. I have some detailed locomotives, and cars, and I haven't damaged anything with an air can or the brush. What are some of the delicate details your afraid of damaging? Whats on the roof of a passenger car that's delicate? Mike.
I found these small shop-vac accessories...
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Marlon posted the ones I meant. Thanks.
Santa Fe all the way!Lots. In addition to HO, I have several HOn30 steam locos with fragile parts. Just picking up a piece of rolling stock wrong and you can break a stirrup or brake wheel. I also have ALOT of HO vehicles with side mirrors, firetrucks with a lot of details that are easy to get snagged on.
Yep, I get all that, along with what Rich said.
Heck, I pulled a big section of the brake gearing off a box car (actually, a beer car ) from BLMA just getting it out of the package!
I just remembered my kids gave me a small battery operated vacuum that was intended to clean computer keyboards. They thought it would work on trains.
I need to find that...
Here's a second vote for the makeup brushes.
I also second not doing it in the layout room.... at least not without a vacuum running right next to it.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
This is a big dilema we all live with, dust and dust is really not a good friend for our layout.
And dust cleaning for a layout is for sure not easy and need special care when it's time to clean structures or delicate details.
This is a big dilema which need some thinking before we start to build a layout.
Since I have the chance to extend my layout I have think a lot about how to avoid as much as possible dust like his production in the train room
This ended with a serial of decisions in the making of the benchwork, but also scenery, backdrop and everything included in a layout construction.
This reflexion take me a long time and is defined for a long time layout construction
The layout room need to be perfectly clean and if possible any big work finished before layout construction really begun.
1. If you don't have a separate room for your modelwork try to avoid to make heavy filling in the train room.
Of course building a layout give dust production
But
We can avoid as far as possible the making of dust in the train room
Less dust production in the train room less dust in this room
2. No big wood work or any wood dust work if possible in the train room, try to cut pieces of wood outside the layout room
Blow off any piece of wood before you introduce it in the train room and if time permit paint any piece of wood for the benchwork before to be put in place
3. If possible always close the door of the train room; this door need join it's important she will be somewhere impervious at any air stream ( see ventilation)
4. Not plaster job in the train room; in a long reflexion I have finaly prohibited the use of plaster and will use in place some kind of like goop in the train room in place of plaster or spackle, even plaster gauze must be prohibited because it produce dust.
5. Anyway if filling or drilling is required it's imperative to have vaccum in the other hand with a good filter to be sure he don't blow dust at the exit; any trash made by any work must be vaccumed immediately
6. I will not use plasterboard panels for backdrop but an hanged vinyl floor carpet roll to avoid dust and the use of plaster for the making of in the train room
7. My hardshell is red rosin paper; no dust production with it's use
8. Rock molds are done outside the room and glued dry on the red rosin paper hardshell
9. The valence will contains curtains to cover the layout when not in use
10. Once a week the floor room need to be washed
11. Smoking in the layout room is completely prohibited
12. The study of the possibility to put a dust filter on the forced ventilation need a real reflexion and approach.
Sure dust will come anyway, but maybe I can control it a bit following this reflexion