Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Dust!!!!! Golly how I hate dust.

It was the Kings Birthday Long Weekend here in Australia and I've just finished (nearly) my biyearly dusting and wipe down of my steam room, every engine, every accessory and all the shelving, literally every surface.

Started on Thursday morning and its Tuesday here now and I should be (hopefully) 'done & dusted' this afternoon, so that's a solid 6 days of work.

What's your battle against dust like for your collection? Do you have the odd skirmish here or there or do you do like what I just did ..... a battle to the finish when it needs it?

Looking in my logbook, its roughly (give or take a month) every two years for me.

I can't raise the white flag, it's a hill I think I gotta' die on

Most of my steam engine stuff is kept inside a glass curio so I get minimal dust tissues but I also dabble in O. scale model trains in the basement and the situation down there I use a small Industrial vacuum shop vac with a bristle brush and that tends to pull off any heavy dust on things without damage fragile parts!!!

Quote from: Steamloco on June 09, 2026, 09:12:04 am

I dust the item but never the spot it sat. The dust outline lets me know where it came from. 

I had to take photos beforehand so I knew where everything went back 😊

Now that's good thinkin' there pard!

Must admit that I am seriously impressed with anyone who actually takes on the Quixotic task of dusting any kind of exposed and detailed collection.

Brave souls without a doubt!!!

I dust the item but never the spot it sat. The dust outline lets me know where it came from. 

Thanks, that is a line I will use next time my better half complains about the dust.