How can I remove sand from the magnetic ends of my sons toy trains?

Question

My son took his magnetic wood toy set outside and put them in the sand box. Now the magnets are covered in sand, and they won't hold together in a chain anymore. I have pinched as much of the sand off that I can, but is there anything else I can do to get the sand off. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Every train that we add to our collection is cleaned and repaired to operating condition before it is placed on a layout or shelf.

To remove sand or debris off magnets a simple method would be to use tape... just place the tape over the magnet and peel it off the sand will come off on the tape...

If there is alot of sand or if the magnets are too small and in a precarious place... I use rubber cement...

just put the rubber cement completely over the magnet and let dry... when it has dried you can peel it off and any or all debris will come off with it.

NEVER USE A WIRE BRUSH -- THIS CAN DAMAGE THE MAGNET

Remember to test and practice cleaning solutions before applying....

  First we remove the shells, if they are extremely dirty or stained, we wash them in warm soapy water. Important : never wash lightly colored (aluminum, white, cream, etc. . . ) items made between 1935 and 1956 in water, you will remove the paint. For lightly colored items use a damp rag and rub the dirt away. Do Not put soap on the train it will cause spotting. Put the soap in the water. Remember always test. It may seem like I' m be laboring this point, but I have seen many damaged trains because this step was ignored. Additionally do not use any cleaners like 409, Windex, etc. - they change the color of many items- especially lettering. After wetting the train lightly scrub with a soft toothbrush being very gently around the lettering. Remember you want to remove the dirt not the paint. Rinse it under cold running water. Then shake and pat all the water you can off. Allow to air dry. While the train is drying the motorcan be repaired if need be.

After the train is dry examine it for stains. If there are small stains, they can be removed by compounding. Use a soft rag (an old flannel shirt works great-just make sure it is clean. We use disposable rags) and a light cut compounding agent. 3M Light Duty Compound and Glaze ( part # 051144-05935) which is available in auto paint stores is great. It works by chemical action not by abrasives. Do Not use Turtle Wax or other cheap brands- they are too abrasive and will destroy the finish very quickly. Do Not compound lithographed items. The ink is very thin and will be quickly removed. Gently rub the stained areas with a rag- put the compound on the rag. For small areas a Q-tip works good. After the stains are removed the residue needs to be buffed away with a new rag. Now the train can be waxed.

The best wax for toy trains is liquid furniture wax. The brand that we use is Howard's Feed and Wax. You can find this at antique stores. This wax is a blend of orange oil, Carruba wax and Beeswax in a petroleum base. Do not use turtle wax or any other kind of paste wax. Paste wax leaves white residue in the hard to buff areas. As an aside if you have trains with this residue, you can remove it with a dab of Howard's wax on a Q-tip. I use a disposable foam tipped paint brush to apply the wax and then I wipe off the excess with a clean rag. The whole train is then buffed with a large horsehair shoe brush. After the shell is waxed and buffed any missing trim is replaced and then the train is reassembled. Now the train will only require periodic oiling and dusting to keep it running and looking great. We dust our trains with soft china bristle paint brushes. For bigger items on the layouts, we use a canister vacuum with a soft brush attachment.

This is just one method..... for those that collect trains this can be a time honored accomplishment....

but this can also be used for the Thomas the tank and friends sets which have become popular over the years..

I have here a link that discusses many different methods - from cleaning track to oiling the engines to greasing the wheels..

http://www.toytrains.info/ttmltopics.asp...

Did you know that H/O scale trains have been used to highlight gardens outdoors? it's true..

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Answer 2

if you have a small wire brush handy, see if that might work