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Cleaning a VERY Dusty UCS Death Star II
So I've gradually been deep cleaning (dusting) all my bigger LEGO sets and casing them (thank you, Kingdom Brick Supply and iDisplayIt!).
I hate dusting... I mean I REALLY really really hate dusting LEGO, but this model in particular I find all kinds of excuses to put off... so all those plates, bars, and other parts jutting out are just dust magnets. Ugh (shudder).
Anyway, my husband was bouncing around LEGO Reddit, and noticed a post that said someone cleans their Batman Tumbler every year or so by soaking it in soapy water, then soaking it in clean water, then letting it air dry for a few days.
I thought, hey, maybe I could adapt this for the DSII!
1. So first thing, was to figure out if she could fit it any of my bathtubs - luckily, she fits in my larger one in the master bath. I moved her in, placing her on top of a small shower mat (she's heavy, but I was paranoid about her sliding around).
2. Next, I filled a bucket about 5 inches high with soapy water with Dawn (dishwashing liquid), and kind of drizzled it all over the model using a washcloth and wringing it over the model - for the sides and bottom, I kind of flung the soap water it at from the bottom - the goal is to loosen the dust and dirty.
3. A few hours later, I attached a spray nozzle to the bathtub faucet, and gentle sprayed water all over her - top, sides, bottom, at all angles - even got into the interior on purpose. Basically, I hosed off the heck out of her. :-)
4. Every couple of hours, I grabbed her by the bottom and VERY carefully tilted her to allow water collecting on top of plates, inside of technic liftarms, etc., to drain out. I changed the angle of tilt each time.
5. About 20 hours later, I gave her a tilt, and there was a small amount of water left only that had collected on the very bottom interior of the model above the stand - just a few drops dribbled into my hand.
6. Let her sit and dry COMPLETELY (since I'm putting her in a case so I NEVER have to clean her again!), probably a couple of days. If it's a model that you know there isn't water on the interior anywhere or pooling elsewhere, your model is probably dry just overnight. I may take a blow dryer on a low air setting to make sure there's no water left in the interior.
I had actually parted this model out (primarily in Medium Stone Gray, but a few Light Gray for rarer parts to save $$ - which I think gives it character, since she's under construction), and wow, she looks like brand new right now - gorgeous!!! And there was - err I'm a bit ashamed to say this - about six years of dust on her. I dust most of my UCS models once a year, but this one I just couldn't bear too.
BTW, for dusting my models (detail dusting), I like to use my husband's car cloths - they look like a washcloth but are used for polishing with a different texture on each side. They work GREAT for getting dust between studs with minimal effort.
Just wanted to share this, but was wondering if anyone had better ideas for cleaning those big models??
I hate dusting... I mean I REALLY really really hate dusting LEGO, but this model in particular I find all kinds of excuses to put off... so all those plates, bars, and other parts jutting out are just dust magnets. Ugh (shudder).
Anyway, my husband was bouncing around LEGO Reddit, and noticed a post that said someone cleans their Batman Tumbler every year or so by soaking it in soapy water, then soaking it in clean water, then letting it air dry for a few days.
I thought, hey, maybe I could adapt this for the DSII!
1. So first thing, was to figure out if she could fit it any of my bathtubs - luckily, she fits in my larger one in the master bath. I moved her in, placing her on top of a small shower mat (she's heavy, but I was paranoid about her sliding around).
2. Next, I filled a bucket about 5 inches high with soapy water with Dawn (dishwashing liquid), and kind of drizzled it all over the model using a washcloth and wringing it over the model - for the sides and bottom, I kind of flung the soap water it at from the bottom - the goal is to loosen the dust and dirty.
3. A few hours later, I attached a spray nozzle to the bathtub faucet, and gentle sprayed water all over her - top, sides, bottom, at all angles - even got into the interior on purpose. Basically, I hosed off the heck out of her. :-)
4. Every couple of hours, I grabbed her by the bottom and VERY carefully tilted her to allow water collecting on top of plates, inside of technic liftarms, etc., to drain out. I changed the angle of tilt each time.
5. About 20 hours later, I gave her a tilt, and there was a small amount of water left only that had collected on the very bottom interior of the model above the stand - just a few drops dribbled into my hand.
6. Let her sit and dry COMPLETELY (since I'm putting her in a case so I NEVER have to clean her again!), probably a couple of days. If it's a model that you know there isn't water on the interior anywhere or pooling elsewhere, your model is probably dry just overnight. I may take a blow dryer on a low air setting to make sure there's no water left in the interior.
I had actually parted this model out (primarily in Medium Stone Gray, but a few Light Gray for rarer parts to save $$ - which I think gives it character, since she's under construction), and wow, she looks like brand new right now - gorgeous!!! And there was - err I'm a bit ashamed to say this - about six years of dust on her. I dust most of my UCS models once a year, but this one I just couldn't bear too.
BTW, for dusting my models (detail dusting), I like to use my husband's car cloths - they look like a washcloth but are used for polishing with a different texture on each side. They work GREAT for getting dust between studs with minimal effort.
Just wanted to share this, but was wondering if anyone had better ideas for cleaning those big models??
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