Dust on Completed Models

[Brewerpaul]

I have an inexpensive rechargeable mini-vacuum which I love for cleaning up my keyboard etc. I haven't tried it on a model yet but I'm guessing that it would work well. You can add attachments to either the suction end or the blowing end.

 

[Smithy]

You can add attachments to either the suction end or the blowing end.

If you had particularly delicate bits even a small vacuum might suck them off completely. I recommend the blowing end with a nice soft brush to tickle up the dust. Let us know how you get on.

 

[RogerD]

Roger, you can reduce "wind speed" by moving the can further & further away.

Yeah, that might limit specific small space control though. With so many tiny delicate parts I carefully use an airbrush and dialled down air compressor pressure to get into the annoying little dusty spots with finer control.

 

[Peter Gutterman]

I used to do this for $ and as a volunteer at the USNA museum workshop. Cases, however you achieve them are the only solution.

 

[Brewerpaul]

If you had particularly delicate bits even a small vacuum might suck them off completely. I recommend the blowing end with a nice soft brush to tickle up the dust. Let us know how you get on.

There is an easily accessed filter inside the vac, so if a small part did get sucked up, it could be retrieved with no trouble. We're not talking about a huge, powerful device. Mine is similar to this one;

iJoy 2-In-1 Double Duty Portable Handheld Vacuum | Five Below

Use an iJoy 2-In-1 Double Duty Portable Handheld Vacuum for strong suction cleaning (without the annoying cord!) Find cleaning tools at fivebelow.com

www.fivebelow.com

It's great for workbench cleanup too.

 

[Bill Gray]

Having not long completed my first build, it now sits on a shelf in my Workshop / garage collecting dust.

I have seen many of you put a glass box around it, which then obviously stops the dust on the model, but for those of you who do not put your prize possession in a glass case, how do you get rid of the dust around all those delicate structures on the model as it will accumulate the inevitable dust.

Dennis, to remove light accumulated dust try a hair dryer at a low , cool setting. Any remaining dust can be removed using a dampened, wide artist’s brush. Do not get water on cloth sails as staining will occur. Since the boat is finished with painted and varnished areas a damp brush works well. Grease is another problem. Can’t comment on that area since I have never had that problem.

 

[Bill Gray]

Dennis, in my reply about dust removal from models I forgot to mention anything about protecting models with cases. Some mentioned glass cases but I felt they are too heavy and prone to accidental break age. I decide to go with a plastic display case as you see in many stores - but I made an error in not checking out, or asking, about scratch resistance of various plastics/acrylic materials. I am not sure what material was used as I no longer have a receipt but anyone going that way should confirm the scratch resistance of the material being used.

Bill

 

[ChrisP]

Dennis, in my reply about dust removal from models I forgot to mention anything about protecting models with cases. Some mentioned glass cases but I felt they are too heavy and prone to accidental break age. I decide to go with a plastic display case as you see in many stores - but I made an error in not checking out, or asking, about scratch resistance of various plastics/acrylic materials. I am not sure what material was used as I no longer have a receipt but anyone going that way should confirm the scratch resistance of the material being used.

Bill

Acrylic (Perspex) is very stiff and resists scratching but obvs. not as good as glass.
Polycarbonate is extremely strong and will not break but is is somewhat flexible and scratches easily.
Hope that helps.

 

[RickNoyes]

I bought this set of vaccum attatchments from a (now defunct) specialist shop in Australia which sold vaccum cleaners. In the second picture it shows the end which attaches to your vaccum cleaner and it can be rotated to ajust the amount of suction/airflow. (the green tape is so it doesnt change the setting while in use). It is very gentle and as you can see there are numerous attachments to get into the smallest of most places. I only have to remove all the tiniest non attached objects from my ships boats before use, ie water barrels, lanters etc . I have never had a problem damaging any part of my ships or boats wood work sails or rigging. It is far more effective than blowing the dust around with those bulb thingies.

Its still a pain cleaning the objects and is only undertaken when my ncommander notices an accumulation.

 

[Van]

If you can find one to fit then an upside down fish tank might work. They're not too expensive.

 

[Rob444]

One other point, if you use a case, it has been advised that the interior of the case should be allowed to circulate air from the outside. It should not be sealed. The ship has to "breath" with changes in humidity and it also outgassed from the wood and glues.

Rob

 

[Thomas]

I bought this set of vaccum attatchments from a (now defunct) specialist shop in Australia which sold vaccum cleaners. In the second picture it shows the end which attaches to your vaccum cleaner and it can be rotated to ajust the amount of suction/airflow. (the green tape is so it doesnt change the setting while in use). It is very gentle and as you can see there are numerous attachments to get into the smallest of most places. I only have to remove all the tiniest non attached objects from my ships boats before use, ie water barrels, lanters etc . I have never had a problem damaging any part of my ships or boats wood work sails or rigging. It is far more effective than blowing the dust around with those bulb thingies.

Its still a pain cleaning the objects and is only undertaken when my ncommander notices an accumulation.

View attachment 520293

View attachment 520294

I was just about to go take a pic of the same system I have-it works really well. I have a two ended vacuum that can either suck or blow. This gear and a few long brushes usually do the job.

Ideally I'd put all my models in cases but that adds to the footprint and I just don't have room for them.

 

[seadeep]

FWIW, I too use a small rechargeable vacuum that's intended for cleaning computer keyboards. It also reverses to provide a blow function, though in honesty I've never used it to blow air. What I typically do when cleaning models (not just ships), is delicate use of the vacuum with an extension tube I 3D printed... combined with extremely soft artist brushes. But as with any work performed on a model with complex and fragile assemblies, maximum care has to be taken to ensure nothing is broken or dislodged during the cleaning process. There's a lot of effort that goes into looking at everything before each and every area is cleaned to ensure impacts don't occur.

Of course, as others have noted, ventilated display cases are the best option... ventilated to allow for variations in ambient moisture levels, as well as preventing massive heat accumulation if the display is in an area that might be exposed to sunlight. UV exposure in its own right creates it's own damaging effects to the model, and I have never spent the money on UV filtering glass panels, so I do my best to locate them out of direct exposure.

The only downside to all this is that the spiders no longer have a place to practice their own rigging skills.

 

[Captain Mikey]

I make cases for all my models. I use acrylic sheet. Use thin sheet, or the case for a large fully rigged model will be very heavy. Acrylic solvent or cyano instant glue works. Four short vertices dowels just inside the corners keeps the plastic in place on the base. I cut the sides and top on my table saw.

 

[bill graeser]

How to prevent a model that's not in a case from getting dusty? Well, if you want to look at it, the honest answer is, "You don't." An uncovered model will inevitably accumulate dust and, even worse, all manner of air pollutants, airborne smoke and kitchen grease, and the rest. This destroys the model's appearance and promotes decay of finishes and rigging fibers and other types of deterioration.

When I have a model that comes into my possession without a case or requires being out of its case for long periods, I always keep such models covered with lightweight plastic bag material. I save the lightweight plastic bags that dry cleaners use to cover cleaned clothing. Cut and opened into flat sheets and joined with light clothes pins, they effectively prevent dust buildup on uncased models in my shop for work. Parenthetically, I would not consider spending time trying to effectively clean a filthy model that's been uncased for a long period unless it was something stupendously valuable that warranted conservation. Cleaning a cobwebby, dusty, tobacco smoke-stained model is tedious, miserable, nasty work that's best avoided.

 

[ilanortho]

I find these products work very well as a goo dust magnet that is soft gentle, works nicely into crevices and pulls off without leaving residue (counterintuitive when you first use it.) Relatively inexpensive and gobs of it are reusible quite a few times so goes a long way. Good on wood decls and deck furniture etc. as is easy to get into crevices. Requires finesse and patience as hamfistedness never works well with any method.

 

[Roger Pellett]

The glass in my glass cases fits into saw cut grooves in wooden framing. I do not glue or otherwise attempt to seal into the grooves. I also make no attempt to ventilate the cases. Air leakage around the glass is sufficient and I have had no problem with dust in a house with forced air HVAC.

Roger