Cleaning after modelling ... but before painting ;)

[ellis_esquire]

Im finding that a lot of my paint work turns out a little bit bitty. I think its that I'm not cleaning the models after modelling them. Any easy ways to remove all the micro-fluff from models before undercoating them?

 

Thanks all...

[winterdyne]

I sometimes wipe down with a cotton bud or cotton wool ball, or sometimes a small piece of soft cloth swiped in a little alcohol or tamiya thinner, especially if I've used lube anywhere (eg greenstuffing) or if the piece has been handled a lot. Helps to degrease. Do be careful not to snag fibres on stuff though - cheapy cotton buds and balls tend to leave more behind. Removal of swarf / shavings, toothbrushes and stiffish paintbrushes work well. Very rare I actually rinse anything off after modelling - I do all the major washing of stuff beforehand.

 

Edit: Though if you have specks in your finish, the usual culprit is a messy work area - you'd be surprised how much crap can accumulate in your water and on your palette if you file and sand stuff where you paint and don't clean it up. Junk in the water and on the palette ends up on the brush, then in the paint...

[ellis_esquire]

Winterdyen - thanks so much for the indepth reply - yes i think its down to my messy bohemian artist area - oh what an artist lol - must clean up more - great tips.

 

By the way - I love your Ultramarine work - an aspiration for me indeed!

[Haxiel]

When I pick a model that has been standing on my shelf for some time, I usually blow really hard on it, but when I have a serious case of dust bunnies I use this, it works wonders.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000MQ7...1SEM0HMR48MDG2H

 

And remember. Change your water every so often, and most importantly, use that stuff or blow on your palette every time you are going to paint! They tend to get really dirty. Otherwise, store your palette upside down, that should do it too :)