Lint Free Cloth

2003-5-5

Whenever fluff and a model get together, the consequences can be disastrous - especially when the latter has just received a coat of paint. Even the most innocent looking dust mote can be the cause of much grief. With each successive coat of paint or stroke of a dry brush, every tiny strand will multiply in size until it takes on the dimensions of a piece of copper wire - or so it will seem! For this reason it's important to keep your models as far away from fluff as humanly possible. Unfortunately, the hazards are everywhere.






During the application of an oil wash, for example, you may need to remove excess paint from the surface of your model. It is at this point that you should reach for a lint free cloth. When you are required to drag paint - perhaps to achieve a weathering effect - you should also employ a lint free cloth. If you use any other sort of material you run the risk of fleecing - which is what happens when tiny hairs and strands of fluff decide to attach themselves to your model!

The term "lint free" can apply to any one of a number of different materials. Strictly speaking, it denotes a material that does not contain flax - but is often used to describe a cloth which is also cotton free.

In simple model makers language, however, you need only remember one thing: lint free = fluff free.

Lint free cloths come in all shapes and sizes. They are sometimes sold in chemists and on cosmetics counters. Women often use them - unknowingly - to remove nail varnish. They can also be found in gun shops as cleaning cloths. perhaps the most common usage of lint free cloths in the household today is in front of the computer! Screen wipes are simply lint free cloths impregnated with some form of detergent. All you need to do is buy a pack, pull out a couple of tissues and then leave them to dry-out over night. Hey presto!