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 Posted - January 02 2010 : 08:19:54 AM
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As I am finding my trains and digging them out of storage, I am needing to clean the ones that are not in their original boxes. What is the best way to clean them, especially all the little crevices ?
Most are Tyco, some are other brands.
thanks for your help.
Russell
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Posted - January 02 2010 : 08:48:45 AM
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a very mild solution of washing up liquid,and a lint free cloth,and a wide flat paintbrush for the crevices,dab the item with cloth to dry do not rub,might lift transfers etc,i dip brush in solution,and squeeze dryish do not soak the model,on then off,do not use this method on drive trains,just the bodies,ken
Edited by - catfordken on January 02 2010 08:49:42 AM
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Posted - January 02 2010 : 5:29:21 PM
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I like to use Q-Tips on cleaning the rough surfaces like roof grooves & ladders etc... Walt
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Posted - January 02 2010 : 7:29:12 PM
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| +1 on the Q-tips. I use damp Q-tips for uneven surfaces, and damp paper towels on smooth surfaces (such as passenger cars). A little dish or hand soap never hurt either. Just make sure you don't rub to hard at lettering/decals.
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Posted - January 03 2010 : 01:13:37 AM
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Good tips thus far, pretty close to what I do as well.
I do not hesitate to disassemble a vintage mass-market RTR car. Remove the chassis and any metal or fragile parts, then soak the shell(s) in a mild dish soap solution. This poses no threat to 90% of mass-market vintage cars. Scrub the stubborn spots, rivets, roofwalks, etc with a toothbrush... use Q-tips to get into eaves and walkways... maybe soft wet toothpick to scrape away any heavy stubborn strata lines.
For scuff marks, paint spots, crayon marks and other blemishes common to loose-lot and childhood survivors... as well as smoker's film and/or The Tacky Dust of Eons (TM), use a mild abrasive like some loose Lava Soap lather or Arm & Hammer Washing Soda... use light pressure with your fingertip and gently scrub the affected area. If you do it right you'll remove the mark and only just the barest traces of paint to color the lather (a little off the top surface but not so much as to be noticeable).
You DO need to be careful with older Tyco cars, from the 50's and 60's. The ink just washes right off some of them. But don't overdo the scrubbing and you can still clean them safely.
For model-quality and/or unsealed decaled cars, I approach on a case-by-case basis. Generally, unsealed decals + water = very bad idea.
Edited by - GoingInCirclez on January 03 2010 01:44:20 AM
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Posted - January 03 2010 : 03:16:28 AM
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You guys are probably going to laugh, but when I got into painting my parents had this laying around.
http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/cleaners/detail.php?id=ngsc
Figuring it probably wasn't as strong as your run of the mill cleaners because it was "green" I would spray down models caked in dust and give them about 5 mins or so. Going between a toothbrush or Q-tip (whatever the situation demanded) I would then scrub the model a bit. Once that was done I would flush it with water, sometimes scrubbing or spraying it again. Then I'd dry it off as much as I could with a paper towel and let it air dry rest of the way. It always yielded nice results I gave a few pieces of Tyco rolling stock their shine back using this method. Though the oldest pieces I tried were from the late 70's to early 80's so I can't speak for the older stuff.
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