Cleaning scribed lines?

Squall67584 · Post by **Squall67584** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:05 pm

I was just scribing some panel lines into a piece of a styrene kit, and can't seem to get rid of all the "slag" that builds up along the edges and sometimes in the line itself. I wet sanded the piece, and most of the slag from the edges goes away, but the lines themselves seem to get filled with junk. What ways do you guys use to get them clean and smooth?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:09 pm

A light run through with the scriber?

AZRhino · Post by **AZRhino** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:00 am

Depending on how deep the scribed line is, I will run a line of Tamiya Thin glue down the scribed line. It melts all the excess back into "trench" and leaves a nice clean scribe line. Unfortunately, if the scribed line is very shallow, it can fill in your scribing efforts. However, this can be a bonus in fixing some scribing goofs.

Rogviler · Post by **Rogviler** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:16 am

I dry sand it and then use this little brush that came with a hair coloring kit to clean out the dust. It works great, one of my favorite "weird" tools. The closest things to that would be a stiff toothbrush I would say, though if you know someone who uses moustache wax, ask them if you can have one of the little green brushes it comes with.

-Rog

TazMan2000 · Post by **TazMan2000** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 5:52 pm

You can use a soft toothbrush with a bit of water, followed by an absorbent cloth.
TazMan2000

Kekker · Post by **Kekker** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:19 pm

A trick I heard about but have never tried is to use some scouring powder like Comet, then washing it off.

Kev

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:35 pm

I have a brass bristle 'suede' brush that works well.

Squall67584 · Post by **Squall67584** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:11 pm

All cool ideas! I'll try the dry sanding and brushing, since I have those readily available.

Post by **TER-OR** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:12 pm

Toothbrush. Also, occasionally a light run with the scriber.

redfinger · Post by **redfinger** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:15 pm

break a toothpick and half, use the splintered end, works great.

Ashton

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:10 pm

I use plastic shafted cotton swabs. Cut them in half to make little, pointed "punji" stakes. They work great and won't mar the plastic or Aves.

Kenny

MillenniumFalsehood · Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:27 pm

I scribe the line, sand it with 400-grit, scribe it again, then sand it *very* lightly, then run the scriber across it one last time, but don't press down; just drag it to clear the trench. Then blow it clean.

sci-fi-bldr · Post by **sci-fi-bldr** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:30 pm

3M pads work well also

http://www.toolsurge.com/ProdImages/3M-7447.jpg

Medium to fine 'grit'....rubbed in the direction of the line

Warped Speedster · Post by **Warped Speedster** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:18 am

I know this is an old thread but I just now noticed it.

Another good way to clean out a newly scribed line is to tightly fold a small piece of 400 grit sandpaper into a slight wedge shape and run it through the trench. It helps level out the groove and bevels the edges at the same time. To help keep the sandpaper as a "wedge shape," a tiny drop of CA, inside the wedge, will usually freeze it in shape, and it won't effect the grit.

Before I do any of that though, I lightly run the edge of an exact-o blade sideways along the sides of the groove, very, very slowly off course. That saves a lot of clean-up time and it really isn't too hard to do. Then I hit it with the 400 grit wedge.

It always amazes me how the final surface sanding makes a somewhat messy looking scribe job end up looking pretty good. Or, at least, not so bad.

ajmadison · Post by **ajmadison** » Thu Mar 11, 2010 11:16 am

A light (tooth) brushing with Bon-Ami will clean out the line, and round the edges slightly to remove the furrows that often get created when plowing out the center portion of the scribe. Then run water over the piece until all of the Bon-Ami has dissolved away. Bon-Ami is composed of three minerals, so there are no nasty chemicals that could be harsh to you, the model, or the environment. Its been in my finishing supply kit for years, and it occasionally helps me clean up after cooking dinner.