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Controlling dust before painting


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Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice on something that is probably pretty simple but is vexing to me. I seem to have lint and small particles on my model which I am not able to get rid of and they show up in the paint finish after airbrushing. I have tried plastic prep and washing the model under water and letting the model air dry but that doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have some suggestions? I have tried lint free paper towels also but no luck. Maybe something else to try is a compressed air can or shooting some high pressure air through the airbrush before painting? Do you cover the model after airbrushing while the paint is drying?

Thanks for your help,

Tom

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Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice on something that is probably pretty simple but is vexing to me. I seem to have lint and small particles on my model which I am not able to get rid of and they show up in the paint finish after airbrushing. I have tried plastic prep and washing the model under water and letting the model air dry but that doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have some suggestions? I have tried lint free paper towels also but no luck. Maybe something else to try is a compressed air can or shooting some high pressure air through the airbrush before painting? Do you cover the model after airbrushing while the paint is drying?

Thanks for your help,

Tom

Two suggestions I might make . 1, I use an old zerostat gun to remove static charge from the model 2. immediately after spraying I place the model in a cabinet .

Cheers, Christian .

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Try to avoid draughty or "high traffic" areas for spraying & just prior to starting to paint give the room / area a quick misting of water from a trigger spray bottle (into the air as you would with an air freshener). As the spray drops down though the air, it will capture quite a bit of the dust that's naturally floating about. When you've finished painting, place a "lid" like a Tupperware container or the likes over you work to avoid further contamination when drying.

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I always sponge down the work surface that I'm working on(not wipe it but actually make it wet)as this will trap any dust. After spraying I put the model into a makeshift tent made from a plastic carrier bag. Still get dust particles on it though, which I just leave until dry then remove with micromesh.

Edited by scotthldr
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Thanks for the words of wisdom. I've got a few models about ready to paint and I'll give them a try. I really appreciate the advise given here on ARC. It has helped me to be a better modeler.

Tom

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One thing I do is place a fan in the window drawing air out of the room and I close the door leaving it open about a couple of inches this creates a draft pulling air and the dust with it out of the room.

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What I do prior to any serious painting is:

-vacuum the entire room

-clean all level areas (desk, etc) with dust cloth

- when painting try to keep your model as vertical as possible.

- after spraying, I'd store freshly painted kit under a plastic box

I guess the collection of dust also depends of the paint you are using. Enamels take longer to dry, so they will collect more dust.

Lacquer paint dry almost instantly, so less dust will stick to the paint.

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Another thing to be conscious about is what you are wearing when painting - woolly / fibrous clothing, particularly tops / jumpers can retain quite a bit of dust'n'stuff that will see your model & jump on it, so try to avoid these. You don't have to go to the length of a Tyvek suit, but it's worth knowing.

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When I look through threads here on ARC that show off our workbenches, I'm always amazed at how cluttered and dirty some rooms modelers allow their workspaces to get. Keeping your work area -- the entire room -- clean on a daily or weekly basis is extremely important to minimizing dust.

Steven Brown

Scale Model Soup

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I clean my models before painting to get rid of any residual mold release agent. Within a few minutes of painting, I'll wipe the model down with 91% rubbing alcohol. Make sure that your work area is clean. Right after painting, put the model in a clean plastic container with a plastic lid. Two items that really put our dust are newspaper and some types of cardboard and/or paper. Good luck!!!

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Great advice, thank you all! With the winter months being cold here in Ohio I wonder too how much dust gets blown around through the furnace air ducts. I will make sure the area is clean before airbrushing. I have been using newspaper as a cover for the bench I have been spraying on so that may have contributed also. I recently purchased a spray booth so hopefully that will help too. Once I am done spraying I will cover the model until it is dry. Thanks for all your help. That's one of the reasons I like ARC.

Happy modeling,

Tom

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