How to
Clean Your Models
by Tony
Mazzola
Welcome to another "How-To" idea.
This one shows you how to clean your
models and is geared specifically for those who like to keep their
models out in the open, instead of in display cases.
Modelers
spend hours, even days, detailing their kits, yet when they get too
dusty...they may not take the time needed to properly clean them.
Why is that? Models that have been sitting around for months even
years should get a thorough cleaning now and then. The method I'll
be describing here, will only take 45 minutes to an hour for an
average model, unless complications occur, like parts coming loose
during the process. This is to be expected, so keep the glue handy!
Some of
you construct your models using thread, flocking paper, wood, etc.
This method won¹t instruct you to immerse your model in a pail of
water as suggested in some recent hobby magazines. This isn’t a very
good idea, and could be quite damaging to these water sensitive
parts! For example, if you drive your dirty car into a lake, it may
get a washing, but everything else will get water-logged as a
result.
Materials
Needed:
-
1-2 QT. mixing bowl; filled 1/4 of the way with
warm water
-
Bowl of clean water
-
dish washing liquid
-
Q-Tips
-
cotton balls or Webril Wipes (used by printing
companies to clean press plates)
-
Your choice of:
a) electric mixer
b) egg beater
c) whisk
-
old pillow case or sheet
-
1-2 soft natural bristle brushes (wide and narrow)
-
compressed air or air-brush empty of paint hooked
to a compressor
Now,
let’s get started:
1) Take
the mixing bowl, filled 1/4 of the way up with warm water, and add a
few drops of dishwashing liquid (a little goes a long way). Now,
take your mixer, (I like the egg beater), and start mixing the
contents until you get a creamy lather. This lather is what you will
be using to clean your model. Use your judgment on where to
start...each vehicle has its own set of challenges.
2) Place
your model on an old pillow case or sheet, to catch any loose parts.
Let¹s say you are cleaning a 40s-through 90s vehicle with a roof and
hood. The engine compartment stays fairly clean since the hood stays
shut. If this isn¹t the case, try using a thick sable brush to
gently brush away the dust. Help this along with some short bursts
of compressed air. Be careful as loose wires or parts may come
flying off if the jet of air is too strong. Once finished, shut the
hood and wipe or shake your brush clean.
3) Take
your wide brush and clean off any loose dirt. Clean
everywhere...from wheels to grille from bumper to bumper. Now take a
cotton ball or Webril Wipe and scoop up a liberal amount of lather
and wash the windshield, body, etc. Turn the surface of Wipe or
cotton ball continually as you work. Take a brush or Q-tip and scoop
up some more of the lather ‹washing all the hard-to- get-at
surfaces; i.e. hub caps, grilles, scoops, etc. Rinse all surfaces
clean with fresh water, using new but dampened Wipes. You may have
to repeat the rinsing process to make sure all the soap has been
washed off. Now it’s time to dry your model using the wipes and
compressed air (to blow out any water that may still be inside
crevices.)
4) The interior should also be cleaned, paying close
attention to what materials were used in its construction. If the
interior was constructed of water sensitive materials, like cloth or
flocking, etc., try dusting inside with an assortment of soft and
stiff brushes. Use compressed air to clean out any residual dust. If
your interior is constructed conventionally, (using only glue and
paint), go ahead and use the soap lather, as instructed previously.
You may need to use the Q-Tips
and/or cotton swabs to get into tight quarters; like
the top of a dashboard or the floors. Rinse and dry thoroughly as
described previously. And there you have it!
SUGGESTION:
After giving your model this type of cleaning, you may
want to consider storing it in a dust-free plastic display case. These
are readily available for under $10.00 and you can usually fit 2-3
average size models inside one case.
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