About dust
I think we all fight with dust, this is a universal problem for layout, especialy for layout which grow older.
I have fight dust like all of us, but now I'm ready to work to expand my layout, I come with some really reflection about fighting dust.
I firmly beleive the first thing to do is to avoid as much as possible dust production in the train room, meaning no work which is dust producer as much as possible in this room
I have try to use part of these rules the last then years and I admit, dust was minimized as far as possible.
This is a list of the things I try to do to minimize dust in my train room; these rules will be used when I will start work for the extension of my N scale layout.
Of course this start with a good layout plan and all the surrounding stuff which are needed for train construction; they are all made before any layout work.
A good scheduling in construction stage can avoid introduction of a lot of dust in the train room in the future.
The room need to be painted, the ground sealed, all the major high voltage work done
If possible valence, which need for sure, to drill holes in the ceiling must be also done.
When these basic works are done, the room must be heavily vaccumed, including ground, walls and any cranies where dust can be.
When the room is ready, I come again with the main rule, no heavy work in the train room except benchwork, and about benchwork, most of the most of the wood is cut outside of the train room.
The benchwork wood pieces, when cut, are blowed with air compressor before to be put in the train room ; when you saw a piece of wood is amazing the volume of dust which is on the cut wood piece.
I will also avoid any filing of wood in the train room., the benchwork is painted, white or black.
When benchwork is done I will blow off again everything and vaccum the residual dust.
I will not use homasote or similar product again to avoid dust production, cork will be preferred.
Screw holes in the fascia or join which need to be filled are done with water putty and filled with sand paper an a little water.; this don't disturb the work and the filling , no production and propagation of dust.
I will avoid to use plasterboard for backdrop, to much dust production, but in place hanged linoleum which will be the backdrop., no join, a continuous backdrop and much faster to construct.
Any drilling of filling, or work which produce residue are done under the use of a vaccum.
I avoid since then years the use of plaster in the train room, hardshell is red rosin paper; a like goop is used to make form or some scenery base, this goop don't produce dust.
Non plaster hardshell is also a a good win win against dust; Red Rosin paper is unfortunately not enough explained and showed, but so easy to use and extremly strong.....but don't produce any dust when working with it.
All the rocks molds are made outside the train room,even they are in plaster, they are glued dry on the red rosin paper.hardshell
The train room is always closed, there is a join all around the door so no dust can come from the outside.
The room is weekly vaccumed especialy the ground.
When I lived in Belgium, I used a big blower, It had already some years and was from a chip chop, which where numerous in Belgium; the air inlet was covered with a piece of filter from a kitchen extractor hood; this blower was running all the time I was working in the train room; the volume or air used by the blower really catched a lot of suspended dust in the air.
I now need to find one again since I live in Québec; the results were amazing ; the filter turned in a brown gray color in less than a month use; dust which don't go on the layout.
The valance is also a support of hanging curtains which protect the layout when not in use; I take this trick from the book of Georges Sellios about his FSM.
I will apply all of these rules in the extension and construction of my expanded Maclau River in N scale.
May be some of these rules can help you. against the dust devil.
