Hello: An age-old topic....Dust!....(I know, nobody but me has it)
Have you ever had to cover a dormant layout for an extended period of time to prevent dust and if so, what did you use?
As always, many thanks.
PS... My neighbor says that dust just adds to the "ambiance'
Just once when the roof started leaking after a downpour of rain. Our roofer came and sorted it all out with a new roof. (We knew it needed doing.) All done inside a week.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
I've never tried to cover my layout, don't see any reason to do so.
Mike.
My You Tube
I've never done it, but would imagine that sheets of very thin plastic would work without damaging the layout. I'm thinking of the thinnest plastic that you might find in a paint department or store.
York1 John
I might add that I envision this task to be a two-person job. Don't try to do it yourself.
With a helper you can span the layout and gently lower the plastic sheeting so it drapes over tall items. You might want to think about clamping or screwing vertical uprights here and there to keep the sheeting off of finer details on the layout.
There are plenty of lighter, plastic drop coverings out there.
Good Luck, Ed
David, Mike, John, Ed: Thanks for your replies.
We had thought about the paint store tarp. (9' x 12' - will need two) If it does not work, at least we will be ready when we paint the walls.
Our house is virtually dust-free with the air filtration system we have on the furnace, however, during renovations, it is a different matter. We turned the furnace right off and I covered the layout with plastic. I got all these sheets for $2.00 at the Dollar Store.
I put as many locos in the RH as would fit and grouped the rest together and put a soft towel over them before laying the plastic on them. I did not want to chance the plastic reacting with the paint.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
If the overhead ceiling is finished, and not boards above joists, all open, and if the floor is kept clean, and a dryer isn't working nearby whose vent hose has...um...issues...I don't see the need to cover a layout that will lie unused for several months. It's only when the outdoors air can infiltrate readily, especially during pollen season, or when there's heavy construction nearby for weeks at a time, or when there's a lot of foot track near the layout constantly that one would probably be better to at least suspend something close overhead to minimize the application of dust...or pollen.
traindaddy1We had thought about the paint store tarp. (9' x 12' - will need two) If it does not work, at least we will be ready when we paint the walls.
Yes, I cover the layout, and I have for years.
I use the ultra-cheap thin plastic sheet "drop cloths" they sell in the dollar store.
I attached steel weights from freight car kits to the wall with Command adhesive strips about 18 inches of the the layout. Then I used magnets to hold the plastic sheet to the wall.
As suggested, it is a two person job to install or remove the plastic sheet, and it is effort well spent.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
As a kid, my first layout, on a 4'x8' was in a basement with a poorly-done concrete floor, which reacted poorly to a broom, filling the air with concrete dust.
My father added metal pockets to the 1"x4" boards which formed the perimeter of the layout, four on each side, as I recall, and one at the mid-point of each end. Removeable 1"x2" stakes, with screw-in eyelets added to the top, were then slipped into the pockets. Heavy string was then threaded though the eyelets (I don't recall the fastening mechanism, but it was easily disconnected when the layout was to be used). Over this was placed a sheet of heavy clear plastic (the same stuff as is used as a vapour barrier in house construction) which draped over the layout and hung down on all sides to the bottom of the framing. The stakes were tall enough that even the tallest structure (a three story meat-packing plant, a kit made of heavy cardstock), wasn't in contact with the plastic sheet, although I did have to remember to lay the plant's smokestack down atop the roof, before re-installing the dust cover.With a little care, it was easy enough to remove the plastic without help, folding it over itself and setting it aside, so that when it was put back over the layout, the dusty side would always be up.
The layout was later sold in its entirety, although I kept the locos and cars... a couple of them still in use on my current layout, which has a much better concrete floor and a drop ceiling. We don't have a furnace, (electric heating) but we do have air conditioning. It's not need in the basement, though, so there are no outlets blowing house-dust into the layout room or any of the other basement rooms.
Wayne
$ store drop cloths are really thin which is what you need to protect and not damage.
Neither layout (1st and current one) have I bothered to cover. Knowing me, I'd knock something over with the thin film. Good to know that the Dollar Store has cheap plastic tarp.
I agree that with a finished ceiling, there's no need to worry about dust. Perhaps because I work on the layout most every night.
kasskabooseGood to know that the Dollar Store has cheap plastic tarp.
In my local dollar store they are in a bin on the bottom shelf in the hardware aisle.
As with most items, they do not always carry them. I usually buy $20.00 worth when I find them.
If I was going to cover, I'd use the thin plastic as others have mentioned, 2.5 to 3 mils thick, or less, if you can find it. 4 mil would be too heavy.
My layout is against the wall, so trying to cover it would cause more destruction than it's worth.
So, when a lay out is being used and/or worked on, it doesn't get dusty? only when it sits unused? Don't get that one.
Two 9' x 12' ( .7 mil ) Drop Cloths worked fine. Thanks for all your assistance.
traindaddy1Thanks for all your assistance.
You're welcome. I hope I was helpful.
In getting permission to have a shelf layout in the family room or bedroom, I had to promise to keep it presentable at all times. Presentable at SWMBO standards. I realized the only way I was going to get there was to do the initial construction in the basement storage space, and then move it into the living space.
As a member of a modular club, I wanted to take some of the layout to club setups. So I ended up with modules and sections that sit on shelf brackets (I attach leg assemblies when used in a club setup). I use the double slotted standards and brackets, which allows me a lot of flexibility in use at home. The modules can be removed or have the height or position changed at will.
My normal module has an accompanying roof shelf which contains the lighting and to which a hung backdrop could be attached (club strongly prefers reversible modules a la Free-mo, so no permanent backdrop or lighting). I had originally planned on a hinged cover extending from the upper to the lower shelf, but have settled on a "curtain" attached to the upper shelf with Velcro as a more flexible, but acceptable option. The curtain maintains the height flexibility and easy removability of both shelves.
SWBO is happy and I have 14 ft of usable wall space for my home layout. And can build multiple levels - I've always had a hankering to try O/On30 instead of HO/HOn3.
Fred W
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....