Hey Presto Dust Collector!

Here is the list of supplies:

• Small fan with controls on the front (I bought a Honeywell HT-70 for $6.00)
• Length of hose (I bought a 7' replacement length of Rigid wet/dry vac hose for $17.00. Other flexible hoses of about 2" diameter should also work.)
• Plastic roof flashing (It is black plastic, a flat rectangle of plastic with a tilted cone coming out the back for 2" pipe $3.98)
• Window screen (I bought black plastic for a total of $3.97, but I have leftovers...)
• Duct tape
• Cardboard box  (maybe even the one the fan came in)
• Scissors

Using the cardboard box, contour it to the back of the fan so that it completely covers the back of the fan AND has space behind. Then cut a circle in the back of the box, to fit the hose end in to. Duct tape everything well. So you have created a vacuum, with a hose, an enclosed space, and a fan pointing outward to draw the air through. Then, using the roof flashing, fit the other end of the hose into the end of the cone. Duct tape this also. Finally, cover the entire top surface of the roof flashing with the window screen, and duct tape it on the back. Turn on your fan, and see if you have a slight air pull. This is easiest to see if you blow some powder into the air above the hole. It should draw the dust into the hole. Now sit down and put the roof flashing unit onto your lap, with the cone slanting away from you. Clean a piece of greenware and see where you hold the greenware naturally. If you are dropping dust closer to your body than the cone lies, just cut some of the plastic flashing away to make it fit you better. The sides are also probably rather large, and can be trimmed. Then, refit the screen over the top so that if you break an eartip or leg off, it won't just suck down into the hose.

If you want to use this indoors in the winter, try fitting the fan into a window, and cutting a piece of plywood to fit into the window so that only the fan is exposed. Or, put your hose through a hole in the window, and the fan on the outside. You will have to experiment with how long your hose can be, and whether your fan can sit outside. You can put your fan onto an extension cord with an on/off, so that you don't need to go outside to turn it off. The only thing to be careful about is that the fan doesn't overheat, and start to burn. Don't make it so difficult for the fan to draw in air that it overheats. This idea should give you a starting point to solve your own dust problems!  Joanie