I was looking for some good ideas on what to use for cleaning my layout. I would like to go through my whole layout and clean all the dust off builings and railcars etc. Please explain in detail for example if you use a brush what type of material the brush is made out of. I bought an air purifier that im hoping helps control the dust in the future. Any and all suggestions would be great to hear. Thanks
I found a very soft brush at a makeup store. I’d go there.
I like that you’re using an air purifier. I’ve got one, too. It surely doesn’t get everything. But when I change the filter, it’s pretty obvious it got a lot.
I wonder about using compressed air. It will, of course, blow the dust EVERYWHERE. But perhaps careful use can minimize the problem. It’s surely quicker than the brush. So, overall, it might be a good idea.
I’d be wary of vacuuming the layout.
Ed
I was just cleaning my layout this week err month… It takes a while. I pick up all vehicles, loose figures, and other details and wipe them off. Then I use a mini brush attachment for a vacuum cleaner, that way it sucks up the dust instead of just sweeping up a storm. The one I have is for cleaning computers. You can find them at the import tool store for <$10. Sometimes I use the brush and sometimes I use the angled end.
I also use the mini cleaning attachment mentioned above for the vacuum cleaner, I got mine at Harbor Freight. I picked up a good idea off another model railroad forum, a guy was using a 20” box fan with a furnace filter on both sides to pick up dust. My layout in in the garage and I sealed the door as best as I could but it’s a garage. The garage is fully finished with textured sheetrock but it is still a garage.
I suspended the box fan 8” below the ceiling with the air flow down and it works pretty good or at least both filters get dirty. The output filter will go three to one to the intake filter.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
The vacuum attachment shown above is works well. Also, for finely detailed structures, etc., the compressed cans of air you can get in electronic supply aisle are great for that.
That soft makeup brush is a great idea for general dust accumulation where a delicate touch is required.
I have two wood display stands on top of two bookcases, and I regularly use a make up brush to keep dust off my trains. I got it over 15 years ago-still works for me!
Cedarwoodron
I do vacuum. When I’m going to do the layout, I first clean out the little shop vac. Then after cleaning the layout, I open it up to go through it, make sure nothing valuable got sucked up.
My layout room stays fairly clean, but the layout itself gets vacuumed every couple of years. I use a brush attachment on my shopvac and vacuum everything except the trees. All layout details, which are loose, get removed beforehand. I vacuum the locos and rolling stock, structures, and most scenery, and especially the track.
The layout room floor is unpainted concrete, and is vacuumed (never swept) regularly. In the 20 plus years the layout has been in operation, I’ve cleaned track only after ballasting or applying ground cover near the tracks.
Using a brush-only method merely redistributes the dust, and every movement of air through the layout area will eventually redistribute it right back where it came from.
Wayne
My (one of) hobbyhorses:
NEVER smoke in the layout room. It lays on a coat of stickiness that will bond dust to your layout. And rolling stock.
Ed
I agree that the mini attachment is a great little investment. Mine came from Amazon and when it arrived I found that it was marketed by AC-Delco (Item AC-200B) probably the least expensive thing I’ve ever bought from Delco.
Another great tool in the vacuuming department are the “new generation” Dustbusters. The 14 V. Lithium Ion type. While a bit too large for layout chores, unless you are doing major work with sawdust and scenery stuff, these are really handy for finding tiny dropped parts since the dust collects in a small, clear cannister that’s easy to empty on to a sheet of paper or into a little pan so you can sort through the dead bugs and dust bunnies to find your lost part.
I bought this one that was a special deal (half price) at Amazon: but there are others,
I just used mine twice last week to find impossibly small details that, somehow, jumped off my work table.
Regards, Ed
Thanks everyone, These are all great ideas. I think im going to combine the small vaccum attachment with the makeup brush and go from there. I am lucky and have a finished room in my basement that i have carpeted, but i also live in the country around gravel roads so dust is always issue in our whole house.
Hi guys
My layout is in our garage where you will have more dust than anyone wants. About 10 years ago I carpeted our patio and garage with 24” washable square carpet tiles. They have worked out much better than what I expected. If I slop something on the floor (I’m super clumsy) it’s up with the tile and wash it off with either the garden hose or in the kitchen sink. The carpet tiles are easier on the feet than concrete, they help deaden sound and help keep the garage warmer during cooler weather. The carpet tiles are a big help by totally eliminating concrete dust. They are heavy enough that the shop-vac doesn’t pick them up.
If you are able to crawl, I can’t anymore, they are much easier on your knees and you don’t ding your clothing, your better half will appreciate that too. They don’t hamper my Harbor Freight Creeper or my roll-around doctors chair.
All in all the carpet tiles have been the best addition to my model railroading venture in years.