Removing dust in panel lines - Suggestions?

[B-17]

Does anyone have suggestions for tools/techniques to remove sanding dust from panel lines and rivets?

 

I'm currently in the process of filling/sanding a set of 1/32 Tamiya P-51 wings. One of the hurdles I'm finding is that some areas are being filled with Mr. Surfacer, but others are just filling up with compressed dust from sanding. I normally use an old tooth brush to clean the panel line dust, but it isn't working very well on the fine surface detail of the Tamiya P-51 wings.

 

Any help or suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks for looking.

-Jeff

Edited May 12, 2021 by B-17

[LSP_K2]

There's a small fiber brush that seems to work rather well, sold by some online retailers. In lieu of that, a small brass wire brush from a Dremel should do the trick.

[Radub]

I find that a toothbrush wet with a few drops of water works the best and it does not scratch the surface. The problem is finding an "old fashioned" plain toothbrush without all the rubber bits that modern toothbrushes come with, but you can still find them around. 

Radu

[B-17]

Thanks. I will experiment with both suggestions.

 

Jeff

[DrewH]

I drag a light pass of a scriber or sharpened tooth pick when the toothbrush doesn't work. 

[Thunnus]

This is an ongoing issue for me.  I rivet my aircraft (using a rolling rivet tool) before major components are glued together.  The sanding excess, especially after putty/primer, will clog the rivets and panel lines.  For cleanup of large areas, I take the part to a sink and use a toothbrush on the surface under running water.  For smaller parts, a paint brush with stiff bristles is a more efficient.  Stipple brushes like these from Humbrol work well for this purpose...

 

 

I will trim the bristles shorter to increase the stiffness on brushes that I have set aside specifically for cleaning.

[B-17]

Thank you very much, Thunnus, for that response. Your idea crossed my mind, but I was hesitant to take a pair of scissors to shorten a set of brush bristles.

 

Thank you everyone for the responses. You all have given me some renewed life to experiment with different techniques.

 

Jeff

[John Stambaugh]

Yes that dust can be stubborn. In addition to the toothbrush, you might give an airgun a try. Right before heading to the paint booth I go to the garage and the automotive compressor. Using an airgun with rubber coated nozzle I  can get in close to those hard to reach areas like behind the control surfaces etc.

 It doesn't take alot of pressure. You don't want to send your model on a maiden flight. It put an end to my unwelcome FOD in the paint finish.

[Timmy!]

Zip Kicker by Zap. Does an excellent job of cleaning and smoothing scribed panel lines.  Zip Kicker ever so slightly melts the plastic.  Often what you can’t get out of the lines is plastic “dust/shavings” that are still attached to plastic.  Zip Kicker literally melts it away.  If you get too much on the surface, leave it until it dries, don’t touch or wipe it off.  Because it gently softens the plastic if you touch it you can mar the plastic.  If left alone the plastic hardens without issue.

 

7:37 mark you can see it in action.

 

 

Timmy!

[B-17]

Timmy,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Lots of great stuff in that video.

 

Jeff

[allthumbs]

I recently discovered that an electric toothbrush brush wetted with NOVUS No. 1 Plastic Clean And Shine is very effective at removing stubborn build up. 

 

It worked a treat on these re-scribed Intruder air intakes...

 

[jenshb]

Brush on Humbrol Maskol and let it dry.  You can then peel it off and the dust goes with it.  An addition benefit is that the ammonia will clean and degrease the plastic - useful if you're going to apply foil to the model.

[scvrobeson]

The Tamiya Anti-Static brush can do a great job at it.  It has the wide brush and a really fine brush on the other end that's stiff enough to get dust out of the panel lines.

 

 

Matt