REFERENCE Dusting Lego displays and layouts

[David Thomsen]

Yea, but pull it in one wrong place, and down comes the Legos.

Yeah, I'm always sticking bits back on that the sheet knocks off... but when the cat jumps on the table (usually because he knows this gets my attention) at least he isn't tracking dirt everywhere.

[ziljin]

A more expensive solution is getting those shelves with a transparent door. You can lock up your lego, put them on display, and reduce most of the dust exposure.

[dr_spock]

You can also hire a maid or cleaning service to do the dusting for you.

[the_green_avenger]

However, I´d like to 'hijack' your thread and ask another question regarding dust to anyone who can answer me; is there any way to prevent the dust coming on your LEGO? Any advice gladly appreciated.

The best way to prevent ANY dust whatsoever (if your willing to spend some $) is to make a case.

HERE is a good tutorial for doing so...

[Piranha]

I got some ideas but they not be practical

Dust forms because of air. So eliminate the air.

Build LEGO in space or build a vacuum chamber

Ok not really, I just take apart my LEGO, rinse with warm water then rebuild.

However dust comes back so often, most of the time I just let it sit for 6 months- year maybe.

[Grimmy]

Have you thought about buying an air filter?

Dust can be a number of things like dirt, lint, hair, and dead skin cells. But in homes it is often mostly dead skin cells. Skin that has shed. The human body shes monthly, something like every 28 days. If you spend a lot of time in a room like I do in mine, you probably have a ton of dust. I know I do and it's a pain to keep dusting. Have you ever been in an office building with great ventillation and you can always hear the air conditioner working? Have you noticed how the air is a lot cleaner then your house and there is not much dust settling anywhere? Well that's because of their air conditioning and filter system.

I was researching air filter systems a while back and I've been meaning to get one. If you get one, MAKE SURE YOU RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH before you buy! Don't buy any of those awful infomercial ones with scam gimmicks showing how they work. Don't buy the ion ones either that have no fan. Those are bad gimmicks that don't work well. Look for a nice multistage air filter. Read reviews too. I'm going to have to start looking again. I definitely need one especially since I have allergies.

[marshal_banana]

1. Clean your room every week (vacuum cleaner)

2. If there is a lot of dust on my UCS models. I use a hairdryer (cool air!!!) and a wet microfibre cloth.

Edited February 17, 2010 by marshal_banana

[JCC1004]

Done!

What monster have I created? My mom told me to use a hair dryer when I was younger and it didn't do anything. I was also worried about heat damage.

[Dennimator]

I got some ideas but they not be practical

Dust forms because of air. So eliminate the air.

Build LEGO in space or build a vacuum chamber

So.. You got a spacecraft I could borrow?

What monster have I created?

[Big Cam]

What monster have I created? My mom told me to use a hair dryer when I was younger and it didn't do anything. I was also worried about heat damage.

It was nice of your mom to offer a suggestion but a blow dryer doesn't produce enough force to move anything but intense dust particles. The heat wouldn't do anything unless you held it on the same spot for a while, or got the heat coil close to the LEGO's.

[Rock]

I have about half of my lego in a display case but the rest of my sets get cleaned by using a Swiffer Duster. It's the easiest, fastest and one of the cheapest ways to get the job done. I purchased mine from Zellers.

Edited February 18, 2010 by Rock

[Ralph]

Transparent plastic sheets can be both cheap and enormous if you find them at the right place. I drape one over my lego table when I'm not building anything.

I use 2mm plastic drop sheets that a purchased from my local hardware store for about $5. They work great and take up very little space when stored.

Ralph

[Brick & Mortimer]

The best way to prevent ANY dust whatsoever (if your willing to spend some $) is to make a case.

You'll still have to dust the case

Because of our cat dust is a real issue for my Lego collection.

I try to dust as much as possible using a swiffer dust cloth, but this is quite tedious.

I think I'm going to try the canned air idea as well.

[the_green_avenger]

You'll still have to dust the case

Because of our cat dust is a real issue for my Lego collection.

I try to dust as much as possible using a swiffer dust cloth, but this is quite tedious.

I think I'm going to try the canned air idea as well.

It's a lot easier to dust a case than to dust in between every last nook and cranny that you'll find in a lego model.

[Danpb]

I must add that basement dust is truly annoying. I too conducted a 10+ year experiment on complete accident :)

Most of my pieces had dust I could easily get of with a few scrubs of a (soft) toothbrush. I also have a detail brush that works, but not for settled dust.

Back to basement dust, this stuff is essentially wet dust that doesn't go anywhere unless you soak and scrub.

As far as preventing, I'd guess if you have a can of compressed air, just give your sets a few sprays every week. That's a lot of maintenance though (IMO).

Perhaps you could electrically charge them to repel dust (and shock you ;))

[just2good]

Today is dusting day, and I really need tips to make the dusting process easy. I have this Ikea cube organizer that I have been using since 2009, and every time I dust, it take around an hour and is very tedious. I basically have to dust the sets, move them, dust the display cube, then move the sets back. I don't use can dusters as those seem to damage pieces, and the air gives me major headaches.

So, does anyone have tips to make the LEGO set dusting process quick?

Oh, and I noticed a dusting topic here, but it seems outdated.

[SheepEater]

I find that there is a huge difference between dust that is 6-10 months old and dust that is 1-2 years old or more. The former will just disappear after blowing on it and lightly dusting it with a soft brush. The latter is much worse, especially if humidity had time to mix itself with the dust. In that case nothing short of washing with a cloth + soap does the trick, but it's tedious.

[Fugazi]

Oh, and I noticed a dusting topic here, but it seems outdated.

There's this one too.

[KateB]

Transparent plastic sheets can be both cheap and enormous if you find them at the right place. I drape one over my lego table when I'm not building anything.

I have some disposable paper table cloths that do the same job, but are light enough not to knock anything off

[splatman]

So.. You got a spacecraft I could borrow?

Why borrow? Just get out your Space LEGO and build one!

Or just buy or build one of these.

[Vindicare]

I like the makeup brush idea. Except they may take some time, as they're a bit small.

[vexorian]

I just bought a brush of the sort school kids use in their art projects. It is good enough and not as thin as make up brushes.

I try to move around things (ie: swap their placement) at least once a week, seems to improve things out.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

For MOCs, sets, etc, I get any tooth brush (new) and a glass of water. Dip the brush in, give it a shake of excess water, and do a few sweeps works quite well for me and doesn't drench the model (safe for stickers). Just constantly dip the brush to keep it clean. I do like the make-up brush. Seems good for base plates and other large surface areas

[Jason8]

I use a Windsor & Newton wash brush for watercolour. It has a variable spread head for finer or stronger brushing. Use it on my military models too, fantastic.

Like this one..

[Pingles]

Paintbrush and a dustbuster with a course screen on it.

But my other method works the best: Keep them in a case.