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Hello all, Im back in modeling mode and have come across a problem. I painted and decaled a number of rolling stock for a project Ive been working on for the past 2 years. The bodies were sitting out in the open and have acquired some dust and lint over the past 6 months. I didnt get around to sealing the decals with clear coat before I let the project sit. I was thinking of getting some tack cloth and gently stamping (not rubbing) the surface to remove the particles and then sealing the decals with a clear coat. Im assuming that tack cloth would not leave any residue that would hurt the finish. Any thoughts or other ideas?
I have found from my woodworking days that a tack cloth WILL leave a small amount of residue.
Some times this did cause a problem with a finish and sometimes it did not.
For a model, if the dust and lint are not in the finish, I would try light air pressure and a small paint brush first.
Also, any contaminates that get on the surface after you have used a tack cloth can very difficult to remove.
The dust or lint will stick to the residue left by the tack cloth.
Air will not blow the lint or dust off.
I would lightly rinse the bodies under a faucet. If you used a decal setting agent on the decals they will not wash off. I would also wipe them with a lint free cloth, or soft paper towels.
Get a can of air from the office supply. The stuff used to clean computers. It is filter and very clean. It will blow most if no all dust off. I just use my compressed air from my compressor.
I don't know about the lint, but I had a bunch of rolling stock that was left in a dusty environment for 20 years. Other than lightly blowing (you could use that compressed air) on the cars and engines, I just left it alone. Don't have to worry about weathering!
