Removing wood dust from open-pore wood

[jihhwood]

Sapele wood-dust has made its way onto the surface of some very light-colored poplar I'm working with (making a small box ).  My attempts to carefully wipe and blow the dust off the poplar has cause some of it to lodge in the pores of the poplar.  As soon as I realized this, I stopped, and switched to gently using a shop-vac with a brush attachment.  Still no good.  I wonder -- how can the problem be solved?  I would appreciate your thoughts!

[JGrout]

wipe the poplar with a tack cloth

[Steve N]

Just get it wet, then lightly sand it. You'll raise the grain when you finish it anyhow. Doing it early will get that out of the way. Water, MS, 1/2# Shellac, pick your poison.

[AlanBienlein]

I've found vacuuming the wood works very well. Sometimes a pink eraser helps to as that is how we remove the chalk from Spanish cedar after fitting the neck and tail blocks on arch top guitars.

[Bill Holt]

Just get it wet, then lightly sand it. You'll raise the grain when you finish it anyhow. Doing it early will get that out of the way. Water, MS, 1/2# Shellac, pick your poison.

I would have never thought of "wet then sand".  I learned something today!

[gjohn]

A bit of water (or spit) works well to raise a dent and then sand it flat.

[Steve N]

I would have never thought of "wet then sand".  I learned something today!

When you apply any wet outer coating you raise grain, generally you then follow up with a light sanding, or scrapers to remove that fuzz. Either that or have hairy looking projects. DAMHIKT

[jihhwood]

Thanks for the suggestions.  Just one follow-up question: would using a tack cloth interfere with finishing the wood with paraffin?

[MichaelMouse]

Be sort of careful about water on tropical exotics.  Some are still used as dye woods, and the extractives are water-soluble.  Do dry work first.  Old tooth brush or fresh fingernail brush good candidates.  MS or other non-polar solvents better choice than water or ketones/alcohol.  Tack cloths won't interfere with oil finishes.

[jihhwood]

Thanks, Mike.  And thanks to each of you for taking the time to respond!