Hi,
I recently bought two brass Branchlines kits from a friend, they are assembled but not painted yet. As they were assembled in 1993 they must be very dirty ( fingerprints, etc. ) What is the best ( safest way ) to clean before I start airbrushing them ?
Thanks,
Ron
On 18/05/2005 18:22, ronw wrote,
You will get many opinions on this, so this is my preferred method:
Firstly, use various scrapers to remove as much solder as possible from visible surfaces, usually in internal corners etc. This will make things much crisper. You might also like to use a fibre-glass brush to clean up stubborn stains such as 12 year old fingerprints, but make sure all traces of fibre are got rid off. I then wash the model in limescale remover, with a soft toothbrush, and this gives a nice clean finish. Make sure you remove all traces of this by rinsing under a tap. Once dry, the model is ready to prime! Sometimes I will also give the model a scrub with a cream cleanser like Cif, or whatever.
One thing I hope everyone will agree on is not to use washing-up liquid. This leaves a nicy shiny coating of lanolin on your plates, and does the same for your models. Your paint will fall off... Some people claim this doesn't happen, but it has done for me!
Good luck with whatever method you decide to use.
You are a great help Paul, I will not use washing-up liquid, I don't want to take the risk of seeing paint fall off after a while... I just wonder what limescale remover is, the word doesn't sound familiar to me ( I am Dutch...it's just the language barrier.. ;-)
Ron
Think I found it already, is it the stuff that removes the 'calcium' from watertaps and showers ?
Ron
I believe it's a dilute hydrochloric acid. Ordinary vinegar (acetic acid) might work, but it would take longer.
On 18/05/2005 19:47, ronw wrote,
That's it! The stuff I buy is a spray (Lime Lite Power Spray in the UK) and "cuts through kitchen grease and bathroom grime" and removes "limescale (calcium) encrustations". It is also good for getting all sorts of crap off your freshly built brass model :-)
Great ! Thanks again..
Ron
Paul Boyd wrote: [...]
Lanolin in dishwashing detergent? How on earth can such a detergent get rid of any other grease or fat, then?
How were the kits assembled. Just solder? Or solder with some glue joints? If it is all solder, then - in a VERY ventilated area - soak in acetone. But spray within 30 minutes of removal as the brass oxidises very quickly. Use a quality automotive etch primer. Don't linger in the fumes if you would like your immune system in one piece.
If there's some glue, then vinegar (or acetic acid), as pointed by another poster, may be a better option.
One of many ways, I suppose, but it works for me.
Steve
It's to keep your hands soft - "For hands that do dishes..."
MBQ
You said it ;-)
limescale
Agree with all that but...
The "expert" in a recent Model Railway Journal article on painting uses "Shiny sinks" and then washing up liquid! He does say to rinse well.
What about flux neutraliser? I bought some Carr's stuff and it smells and feels suspiciously like a very concentrated mix of washing powder. Anyone know what's in it?
MBQ
[...]
Um, AFAIK we don't have that stuff in our DWD. Works just fine on to get rid of mold release agent on just about anything. The release agent used for resin castings is harder to get off, a citrus-based cleaner is better for that. My guess is that a citrus-based cleaner would be better for cleaning brass, too, perhaps followed by DWD, but it's been a while since I painted brass. I have used methnanol as a final rinse to get the last traces of grease off, can't say I really noticed an improvement, but it did make me feel I'd done a thorough job. :-)
FWIW, I've found that a vinegar + salt is a very effective oxide remover for brass and related alloys. It probably makes a buffered HCl solution. Use a glass dish. The oxide removal is definitely a chemical reaction, as the solution will lose its effectiveness quite quickly, and has to be replaced or replenished. Enough to cover whatever article you're cleaning is usually sufficient.
A general rule: do any paint prep in a well-ventilated area.
On 19/05/2005 08:59, snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote,
Yes - I saw that, and the article has been discussed on P4_talk. He does agree that washing-up liquid leaves a lanolin coat, which is why it needs to be rinsed thoroughly. I just prefer to rise thoroughly after the limescale remover stage - the stuff I use isn't "slightly sticky" that Shiny Sinks apparently is. I haven't tried Shiny Sinks, but I'm guessing it's much the same stuff as I use, but sticky!
I think a lot of Carr's stuff is suspiciously like something else (Hot-tape = kapton tape = much cheaper!).
On 19/05/2005 14:07, Wolf Kirchmeir wrote,
By DWD, do you mean stuff that goes into dishwashers? I guess that wouldn't have lanolin because it doesn't need to make your hands soft(!). I haven't got a dishwasher, so I have never tried it, but it might be worth a go.
Dishwasher detergent is quite caustic - it's great on stainless steel, but dulls aluminium - I don't know how it reacts with brass. You could try a small piece as a test. I assume you are referring to the liquid gel type, rather than the powder.
No, I mean the stuff I or my wife squirt into the sink. I suspect mfrs just make different stuff for different markets. BTW, my wife uses vinyl gloves when she does the dishes.
Use Fairy liquid, as that doesn't contain Lanolin.............
Best stuff I've found is a bath cleaner called "Viakal", made by Johnson's. Available at my local Asda. Perfect for removing the tarnish on brass with an old toothbrush. Regarding the lanolin - agreed, but "ordinary" green Fairy liquid doesn't have it, irrespective of the "soft hands" bit. For ultimate results, use a fibre glass brush, then scrub with a mix of Viakal, Fairy liquid and water, rinse under the tap and a final cleanse with a brush down of cellulose thinners and try and avoid handling any visible surfaces with bare fingers - I use kitchen roll. Use a good quality acrylic primer, available from any decent car spares shop.
HTH, Mick
Can you tell me where I can buy your wife......!
Bob Shephard (of Pheonix Precision Paints) in his book "The Finishing Touch" recommends de-greasing metal models with a fast-drying solvent like cellulose thinners - applied sparingly with a lint-free cloth.
After de-greasing a single-pack etch primer should be used. As these primers only start etching when dry they must be applied very sparingly so that the primer dries quickly right through; it's not necessary to have a fully opaque coat. Apparently it's quite safe to airbrush single-pack etch primer because it doesn't start working until dry so won't damage the airbrush but it does need to be thinned appropriately for airbrushing.
Hope this helps.
Gavin.
Sorry, not for sale. She came with a lifetime guarantee.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.