Whats a good way to keep dust off of my locos and rolling stock, when im not using them?
The only way is to either cover the layout if it’s small enough, or put them in boxes. The best way is to keep your area clean and dust your room reguarly.
Andrew Miller
Storing the models under cover is probably the best way to do this. I keep a soft-bristled brush handy to dust models - make sure you get a real bristle brush rather than synthetic, as synthetic bristles tend to create static electricity which attracts dust and can damage electronics.
Is this for models on display in your living room or in a layout room? Is your layout ceiling covered (finished) or is it open rafters? This is where 90% of your dust comes from in a layout room. Other spots are bad window seals and hidden openings in the wall where drafts let in the dust too. Other than that , dust is a fact of life unless you have a “clean room” like at NASA or IBM or somewhere.[;)]
me too!!!
I’d recommend on doing your best to reproduce a clean-room environment. Newhavenguy made some excellent points. Also, an unfinished concrete floor is both a dust generator and dust magnet. When you finally get your layout room as “clean” as you can, air filtration is also good. A built-in properly designed one is best, but I’ve been pretty happy running an Enviracare portable air cleaner. Mine does something like 300 cubic feet per minute on high, good for starting out a room. Once it’s kind of cleaned up, a lower and quieter speed is adequate.
Also, I’ve learned over the years that it’s best to NEVER smoke near your layout or models. In the bad old days I smoked; dust that got on models sort of “stuck” to them and wasn’t amenable to being brushed off. When I stopped, the dust stopped sticking to the models and could be removed with a brush.
Ed
Dust is quite annoying. Good suggestion above about the “real bristle” brush. One thing that I do when my cars and locos are too dusty, I remove the bodies and with a very soft toothbrush, I wa***hem with a gentle soap with running warm water, then let them air dry.
In future, I’ll be installing a plexiglass door on the shelf where I keep my locos and cars. Should cut down on the dust considerably. I’ll add the weatherstripping around the door. This is quite cheap as these materials are available at most hardware stores and home improvement stores.
What about compressed air?
Good for moving dust from one place to another.
Wayne
Use compressed air in a can (sold for dusting electronics), spray with the can in one hand and a vacuum hose in the other. The vacuum sucks up the dust before it can land on something else. To decrease amount of dust seal the windows, the floor and ceiling. Use an air cleaner which runs when you’re in the room. Do not use curtains under the layout as they attract cat hair, etc. Good luck!