Strainer

I found a strainer actually designed to contain splatters from frying pans.  It is a very fine mesh.

try looking

at any dollar store.  They usually have a few different types (and they're...only a dollar!).

Also, I picked up an old french fry basket at Goodwill for a couple bucks.  It's good for straining larger sized pebbles and stones.  Everything that goes through that one gets strained down through progressively finer strainers.

For really fine stuff, use an old nylon stocking.

Try on of those kitchen stores

There are stores dedicated to kitchen items.  You should be able to find several types of strainers in those stores.  Our local store is called the Kitchen Collection.  Their store locator is at

http://www.kitchencollection.com/Temp_Store_Locator.cfm

Den

Online search-

Try using:

Tea strainer

Sieve

Flour sifter

Spatter guard or grease guard (as Tom stated)

Thanks guys...  guess it's

Thanks guys...  guess it's off to the dollar store tomorrow.

Also, laundry bags

I second the recommendation for kitchen splatter guards - found one of those at my local dollar store.  For sifting real dirt to the point where I can us it to simulate hard-packed dirt that's been driven on in HO, I use a Tide laundry bag I found at Walmart for $3-4.  It takes a while, but the result of sifting with it is a very fine powder.  An example of an area in which I used that is the dirt burying the tracks around the Bluffs enginehouse, as seen at  http://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/8-30-2012-update/CB_2012_08_30_10?full=1 and  http://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/8-30-2012-update/CB_2012_08_30_01?full=1 .

Thanks guys... I stumbled

Thanks guys...

I stumbled across these.  they may have some upside potential.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007P4JAU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A2ZRA3OBVZWITS

lots of stores

Hit the kitchen tool area of a lot of stores.  I figure I bought, at the most, one at several stores.  I stole one from the kitchen and I think I got one at a Home Depot.  It did take quite a while to get all the ones I wanted.

I don't remember seeing any sets, but it's been a while since I got mine.

Terry

Strainers

If you look at my blog post ( http://mrhmag.com/blog/richard_harden) you can see what I am using and some of the results.

Richard  Superintendent CNW Peninsula Div.