How Do You All Dust Your Tank Cars?

[PMW]

Man, how the dust show up on my black tank cars! It's pretty easy to dust most of it but is difficult to clean the inside the safety rails around the top hatch. How do you do it without damaging any detail parts? Thanks!

 

[bnsf971]

I use my wife’s mascara brush.

 

[PMW]

I use my wife’s mascara brush.

Thanks, I'll try it. Does it have to be your wife's or can I get one from Walgreen's?

 

[kjd]

I’m outnumbered in my house 4 to 1 and will say a powder brush will work much better than a mascara brush. That has short stiff bristles and a powder brush has longer, very soft bristles. Personally, I use a soft paint brush.

 

[NWP Dave]

Man, how the dust show up on my black tank cars! It's pretty easy to dust most of it but is difficult to clean the inside the safety rails around the top hatch. How do you do it without damaging any detail parts? Thanks!

I use 1/2 & 3/4 mop brushes. Natural hair, super soft bristles. Gets in to details without breaking parts on cars and structures.

https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Soft-Grip-Blending-Paintbrush-Natural/dp/B004BPLP7M

 

[westtexjohn]

I use my wife’s mascara brush.

What do you use for weathering?

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

I use one like this for tight areas like tank car tops, as well as in and around things like smokestacks and domes.


I use one like this for general dusting larger areas like car rooftops, etc.




I don't remember where I bought them, but it probably was indeed Walmart, or something like Dollar Tree.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

Old school shaving brush…

 

[RhB Michael]

I’m outnumbered in my house 4 to 1 and will say a powder brush will work much better than a mascara brush. That has short stiff bristles and a powder brush has longer, very soft bristles. Personally, I use a soft paint brush.

Same type I use. Works wonders around small delicate detail parts.

 

[davidone]

Compressed air, works great. Does not hurt the detail if your careful!!

 

[TLOC]

Every few months I will dust off all the cars on the layout including the tank car fleet. I use my airbrush set to 10psi and I’ve never dislodged any detail parts. I’ve tried the fan brushes and my mop brushes from my weathering supplies and they are not as satisfying clean as I get with the airbrush.

I do the same for my diesel locomotives

 

[kjd]

The next part is how do you collect/contain removed dust so it doesn’t just settle on something else that will need cleaning?

 

[westtexjohn]

Dollar General is a good source for make-up brushes, sponges and cotton swabs, all good weathering items, and at cheap prices. One advantage at DG is you can lay eyeballs on the exact thing you are buying.

John

 

[Selector]

Soft camel hair painter's brush for art. Compressed air is liable to be an 'Oops!' affair if it blasts off/away details.

 

[logandsawman]

Man, how the dust show up on my black tank cars! It's pretty easy to dust most of it but is difficult to clean the inside the safety rails around the top hatch. How do you do it without damaging any detail parts? Thanks!

My wife gave me a large, soft, long haired makeup brush, works on everything. She also gave me a smaller one with slightly coarser bristles, I find myself using that one with my ballast application

Dave LASM

 

[logandsawman]

The next part is how do you collect/contain removed dust so it doesn’t just settle on something else that will need cleaning?

The hand held vacuum with the detail snout covered with a piece of fabric. Fabric traps any ballast, ground cover, etc not fastened down.

 

[kgstakes]

I’ve use this for years and I have two one for models and one for my model power tools.