Dusting off/cleaning my models

[Bumfunk]

Hello dear community!

Do you have any good advice on how to remove dust from your models? They have been standing on my table for a couple of months and collected (some) dust. It's not an insane layer, but it's starting to build up. I'm gonna get somewhere to stash and protect them soon, i just wanted to "clean them up" before putting them in my montres.

I've read some older tips suggesting everything from "make-up-brushes", "air on a can" to WATER?! Can you actually wash your models?

Anyways, hopefully you guys can come with your best (confirmed) tips and ways of keeping your models nice and clean!

Cheers!

 

[Overread]

There's a few approaches though it honestly appears that you've heard most of them

1) Makeup brush - yep this works, the bristles are very fine and will brush away most dust, a nice long bristle is what you want and ideally new (ergo not used an clogged with makeup dust). Just brush away and it should remove most casual dust.

2) Canned air might work, but you want to use the type used for electronics - ergo pure air - not the kind that can be more cheaply bought which will often have particles and residue within it (because then you're cleaning off dust and spraying flecs of stuff on it). Better to get something like an IT Dusters EG-1000, which is more expensive in a single purchase but as its a machine it will only give out pure air and can be used forever. It will also do a great job clearing out your PC case as well! 
Not with air you dont' want to put the air source too close - you're cleaning the model not trying to bend it with air pressure (and, of course, hold the model when using this otherwise models flying everywhere!). Use some sense - something like a marine is very tough in model design; whilst if you've something like a daughter of khine khinerai held on by a thin plastic tail then use some due sense and support the model more fully. 

3) Washing - yep you can wash miniatures. In fact if you get resin models its the first step! A simple wash of warm (not boiling!) water and a bit of cleaning liquid. An old worn soft tooth brush can then be used to give some agitation as you rinse it off. Be slow and gentle. This is ideal for models you've not painted or that you've painted and sealed with varnish (matt or gloss). For painted but not sealed you might want to avoid - models should be fine but you probably don't want to risk it - so air and a brush as noted above would work bes.t

[Eevika]

I use a camera lens blower. Seems to work fine. 

[Kramer]

6 hours ago, Bumfunk said:

ve read some older tips suggesting everything from "make-up-brushes", "air on a can" to WATER?! Can you actually wash your models?

I just dip cleaned most of a beast of chaos army in water for a mate. It worked... so no guarantees but if you sealed it with varnish I would try it on the model that you always remove first  

[Moldek]

Regarding air in a can, would using an airbrush work? Without paint of course but it does spray air with adjustable pressure

[Bumfunk]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:29 AM, Overread said:

There's a few approaches though it honestly appears that you've heard most of them

1) Makeup brush - yep this works, the bristles are very fine and will brush away most dust, a nice long bristle is what you want and ideally new (ergo not used an clogged with makeup dust). Just brush away and it should remove most casual dust.

2) Canned air might work, but you want to use the type used for electronics - ergo pure air - not the kind that can be more cheaply bought which will often have particles and residue within it (because then you're cleaning off dust and spraying flecs of stuff on it). Better to get something like an IT Dusters EG-1000, which is more expensive in a single purchase but as its a machine it will only give out pure air and can be used forever. It will also do a great job clearing out your PC case as well! 
Not with air you dont' want to put the air source too close - you're cleaning the model not trying to bend it with air pressure (and, of course, hold the model when using this otherwise models flying everywhere!). Use some sense - something like a marine is very tough in model design; whilst if you've something like a daughter of khine khinerai held on by a thin plastic tail then use some due sense and support the model more fully. 

3) Washing - yep you can wash miniatures. In fact if you get resin models its the first step! A simple wash of warm (not boiling!) water and a bit of cleaning liquid. An old worn soft tooth brush can then be used to give some agitation as you rinse it off. Be slow and gentle. This is ideal for models you've not painted or that you've painted and sealed with varnish (matt or gloss). For painted but not sealed you might want to avoid - models should be fine but you probably don't want to risk it - so air and a brush as noted above would work bes.t

Thank you so very much! Was just the "guide" i was looking for!

23 hours ago, Eevika said:

I use a camera lens blower. Seems to work fine. 

Aah ye, that could be work as well i guess!

17 hours ago, Kramer said:

I just dip cleaned most of a beast of chaos army in water for a mate. It worked... so no guarantees but if you sealed it with varnish I would try it on the model that you always remove first  

Hmm okay - i'm still a bit scared! I think i'll go with brush first, then air AND THEN water in worst case

 

Thank you everyone!!

[Kramer]

30 minutes ago, Bumfunk said:

Hmm okay - i'm still a bit scared! I think i'll go with brush first, then air AND THEN water in worst case

 

It helped me that it werent my models   I'll see if I can find a dusty one again and tape it. I don't believe he even varnished them. 

[hammer49]

I use my airbrush or if only a couple of models a soft large drybrush