Any small vacuum you recommend to remove dust after modeling?

I just use a dust pan and hand brush, followed up with a damp microfiber dusting cloth.

DarkWoods

Hi everyone!

Since I am beginning to do more sanding and creating lots more dust on my workbench, I would like to know if you have a small portable vacuum that you recommend?

Thanks for your help!

I use one meant for computer keyboards, bought last year from Amazon for about £10, I think ($14 - ish).  I'm no good at posting links, but mine resembles a small black pistol -  a drum with a circular (sorry, tubular!) barrel & a pistol grip, recharges from a USB port, & comes with a spare filter & a couple of interchangeable brush-type nozzles.  I've seen the same one advertised by numerous sellers on-line.  It deals with plastic shavings & dust very well.

Hmmm;

 Here's a suggestion. Make a Vacuum Box to Sand on. If you MUST sand at the bench this works great. Take a window screen type of mesh and then take the Larger mesh like they used to decorate the bottom half of storm doors with. I think they called it Preforated sheet. Now put the screen on top. Take a sturdy box the same size and duct tape all this together.Don't forget to make sure that except for the top that the box is sealed well. Now get a small household vacuum. Like one of those little ones with the big wheels on it. Get a replacement hose for it.  Measure and cut a hole in the box for it. Duct tape the hose to the box. Now there you have it! a vacuum box that will collect that sanding dust. Or DON'T sand at the Bench, sand somewhere else like in the garage or wet in the sink in the laundry room.

I use my airbrush.  I take the paint bottle off, run it for a few seconds to make sure no thinner left in it, then blow against model while sweeping with one of my soft paint brushes.

It would be even easier with a top feed, though you would still want to blow into air for a few seconds to get any thinner out.

Blowing the dust around isn't the same as vacuuming it into a filter/bag to eliminate it, though.

I have a small portable vacuum in my shop.  It has a 2" hose, however, which is too big to vacuum a model.  However, recently I found a half inch to two inch adapter/corregated hose (1foot).  Havent tried it yet on a model but it looks promising.

I tried one of those miniature vacuums that MicroMark was selling, and found it to be quite useless.  Save your money.

Purchase a small "2gallon" shap vac and use the wedge tip and put a pantyhose type sock between the hose and tip To catch small parts in the off chance you accidentally vac up any small parts. 

My wife loves this one for counter tops around the coffee station etc

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082D4XXJJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Pj's thunderbolt

Purchase a small "2gallon" shap vac and use the wedge tip and put a pantyhose type sock between the hose and tip To catch small parts in the off chance you accidentally vac up any small parts. 

 

I have one as well. I keep it on the floor and the hose is long enough to reach my benchtop. Plenty of power. There is an attachment that has a small brush, works great.

After reading this post, I went to Amazon and found a small hand vacuum and ordered it, the price was about $30. It arrive promptly and try it out, it appears to have sufficient power and pretty good.

As to how I keep my area free of dust, well, I do not, I simply wait until I am done working on the ship for the day then I take out this small electric vacuum, I believe it is called an electric broom, and with it I clean up the areas to pick up everything that has fallen on the floor. By using this vacuum I manage to keep the area decent. As to the hand vacuum that I purchased, I intend to use it to clean up my ship models, since all my ship are sail ships, they are hard to clean, I intend to use the small vacuum to attempt to control the dust on them.

Joe

I use the "Magic Pot", and old secondhand enameled steel pot, with water and a small amount of dish soap.  The soap really helps contain the dust to the water.  For major destruction work, I take it outside.

I did get a miniature vacuum cleaner as a gag gift, but it didn't really "suck".  Or rather, it did.  Not suck that is. 

I use a damp rag on my bench top, but don't vacuum until I'm sure the kit is complete and on the shelf.   A vacuum will definitely find and lost parts temporarily and lose them permanently.