I have to admit that for over 25 years I have not felt the need to dust the layout or rolling stock. I still haven't gotten around to weathering and the dust actually helps tune down the "new" look.
I recently have been working on finishing an area and decided to skim coat plywood. In the process of sanding it smooth I now have white dust all over and need to address it. Will any of the mini-vacs work well for this or is a feather duster more appropriate?
Rick
George Selios uses an airbrush, in one hand, to loft the dust and a vacuum, in the other, to catch it. Also lofted is anything not glued down. So, use an old stocking over the mouth of the vacuum to catch the figures, etc.
Mike
MikeFFGeorge Selios uses an airbrush, in one hand, to loft the dust and a vacuum, in the other, to catch it. Also lofted is anything not glued down. So, use an old stocking over the mouth of the vacuum to catch the figures, etc.
What I used was one of the 'magnetic' (really, electrostatic) dusters, with enough agitation to move the dust off the surfaces. If there was too much to 'cling' to the duster, I'd have a Shop-Vac or Electrolux vacuum hose nearby (with the special 'plaster dust' filter installed)... but I was not smart enough to put a stocking or gauze across the port!
At one point a vacuum manufacturer (I remember it as Hoover, but that might not be right, or the only one that did this) had one of these dusters that 'holstered' into a special cyclonic chamber on an upright vacuum cleaner. You'd 'magnetically' dust, then put the duster into its place, turn on the vacuum, and have the thing cleaned with the HEPA filtration in the vacuum keeping fine dust from re-entering the room. I'd think such an arrangement would be valuable for helping dust large layout areas, especially in conditions (as described in other posts here) where it is impossible to prevent dust from entering a layout room.
I'll have to try that air brush trick.
Mike.
My You Tube
This is only good for two or three tries before one is simply displacing the crud in a non-productive way, but I use my pursed lips and a long-haired soft artist's brush. Or, when I'm not feeling particularly lazy, I'll actually remove the item, walk eight steps to the outside of the building, and perform the same operation.
Works well enough for me.
Thanks for the tips. I'll try the air brush idea.
There are also micro vacuum nozzle attachments that step down the shop vac hose diameter.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddyThere are also micro vacuum nozzle attachments that step down the shop vac hose diameter.
I used one of these for years, and it worked very well. It attached to a small (1 1/4") diameter shop vacuum hose.
Mine was similar to this one. I can't tell from this picture, but mine had an adjusable hole in the adpater that would let some air into the suction hose and reduce suction. This helped save a lot of smaller details.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Yeah, the adjustable spill orifice is an essential part of using any of the smaller attachments. In fact I sometimes used a piece of cloth across part of the joint between the hose and the attachment to cut down the airflow through the hose as well as bypassing some of it around. (But I still wasn't smart enough to rig a stocking or gauze across the end of the hose!)
Vacuum cleaners don't pick up by magic attraction, they pick up by using wind. The trick is to have just the right amount of wind, through or around where you want it to entrain the dust and "little else". Some of that is velocity and some of that is volume...
Unfortunately it is packed away, so I cannot get a picture.
I have a dusting brush that I might have bought from Micromark. It has perfectly straight soft bristles about 2 inches long, and it will safely brush dust away from all the delicate details.
Large make-up brushes have also worked well.
I wonder if a drafting-table brush would be useful for larger areas?
Lastspikemike Auto detailing shops sell dashboard brushes designed specifically for this type of dusting. Walmart type places may also sell these in their auto departments Make sure you leave enough dust behind for prototypical realism.
Auto detailing shops sell dashboard brushes designed specifically for this type of dusting. Walmart type places may also sell these in their auto departments
Make sure you leave enough dust behind for prototypical realism.
Duh, I have some of those in the garage. I'll have to go out and see what I have.
Make-up brush for the models, filtered vac hose for the rest.
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.
OvermodI wonder if a drafting-table brush would be useful for larger areas?
I had not thought about one of those.
Where would you even buy one of them? I had one 30 years ago.
What I really need is a good technique to get dust off of ground cover. Any ideas?
I would spray it with wet water, Kevin. Once it washes off and onto the 'surface' material, you probably won't notice it if it's painted plaster or goop. And by spray, I don't mean with a garden sprayer or a hose, just a spritz bottle.
An art supply store would be my first place to check for any architect supplies. That's where I got them when I took architectual drafting 40+ years ago.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Sorry, I should have said "completed scenery" rather than "ground cover".
Getting dust off of the countryside has always been a problem for me.
SeeYou190What I really need is a good technique to get dust off of ground cover. Any ideas?
Backstop it with a good whole-house electrostatic filter, and perhaps a good HEPA-type room air filter 'elsewhere' in the train room space.
A drafting brush might have to come from some Amazon seller or off eBay. My favorite architecture store, Charrette, gave up the ghost in the recession, about 2009, but the rise of CAD had crippled it progressively long before. Drafting supplies at chain office places are cute, but overpriced and not very good.
Exactly what I was thinking, I use a mini vac to clean a lot of surfaces,it's much easier to control.