It occurred to me that if I had not happened to see these a few years ago at a good electronics store, I might still be struggling along with the usual little ear swab thingys for painting, cleaning, and hundreds of other uses on my workbench.
Now I don’t know how I ever go along without these…especially the “pointy” ones.
If you don’t already, go over to a good electronics store (one that sells circuitry components etc, not home entertainment) and get some of these long cotton swabs. They are wound much more tightly than an ear swab, are 6 inches long, and have a firm birch shaft…and give back those crappy little ear swabs to your wife. You’ll wonder why you hadn’t gone for these before.
Ah, no…my electronics store just lists them as cotton swabs and they pack them in bags of 100. I’m sure they buy them in bulk from a medical supplier.
I have used the pointed ones for dabbing and painting. I suppose they are better than a microbrush in one sense…you toss them out after.
My best use is in cleaning loco trucks, gear boxes, metal wheels up to the flange, backside of driver wheels, and the pointed ones fit into HO size axle holes in brass bearing blocks, sideframes etc.
