S K Loh

Thank you, Herb. I am flattered. Best regards, S K Loh

Hi Don, I used to have the same problem as you until I added the same water trap as the one Andrew (Kaibutsu) posted above. I kept the main regulator/water trap as it is i.e. at the outlet of the compressor (am using a Badger compressor). I no longer has the problem of water coming off the airbrush, disrupting the paintwork especially if you use enamel. i find this type of water trap an advantage in that you can just screw it to your airbrush without having to splice the hose. But more importantly, you can actually see the amount of water trapped and make a deliberate flushing before it gets into the airbrush on days when the air gets more humid especially where I am from, Singapore during days of heavy thunderstorm. This type of water trap comes with a standard 1/8 inch end fitting. I understand that Paasche airbursh has a unique hose end fitting that is smaller than the standard 1/8 inch type. Your might need an adaptor to go. Best regards, S K Loh

Hi Jackman, That's correct. That's the on that I bought from Giant and subsequently from NTUC too. I managed to buy the UK equivalent for Future they called "Klear" some years ago but am running low. That's when I chanced upon this product and gave it a try. As I have mentioned the Floor Care is much thinner and hence does not offer the same effect as well as shine as Future would. I have tried it on canopies but they pale in terms of shine and protection. Unless if you let it evaporate to reduce its volume significantly which I actually tired. But it's just not worth the effort. It's just a shame that SC Johnson (S'pore) is not bringing Future in.

Hi Chuck540z3, The picture you showed of the Pledge Floor Care is not the same as the Pledge Future. Something similar to the one you have is available here in our local stores ( sorry that I could not attached a picture at this point in time). It is also called Pledge Floor Care with no mention of Future and has a citrus fragrance. I bought a bottle to try last year as Future is no longer available in Singapore. It is of a lower consistency in that it is very diluted as compared to Future. Hence, it does not offer the same protection as Future and is susceptible to decal softening solution like Microsol, Mr. Mark Softer or Humbrol DecalFix as I have tried all 3. I am building 1/144 scale and the undesirable effect shows pretty well and I can well imagine the horror of it in larger scale like 1/48 as you would be using copious amount of the softening solution. It is compatible with Future and I have mixed them to airbrushed my builds. I have tried using it as a base solution for acrylic paints and the results looked pretty okay with airbrush. You will need to thicken it by allowing it to evaporate to at least half its original volume to have any effect but it's just not worth the effort. Regards, S K Loh

Hi Guys, From my experience the only cleaner if you are using lacquer-based paints is lacquer thinner. No other solvent can do. The down side is the extremely strong fumes and the danger of damaging the seals in the AB unless they are non-PTFE type like the Badger 150 that I have. If you are using Humbrol or Tamiya enamels or perhaps other brands of enamels, any turpentine that you get from the hardware shop can do the same but of course the original thinner will be preferred by some price notwithstanding. You can save the more exclusive (and expensive) thinners from Humbrol or Tamiya for thinning to airbrush your model. That was what I have been doing till I switched over to aqueous acrylics mainly due to the fumes of the turpentine when cleaning. Likewise for the lacquer thinner, you can use those equivalent from the hardqare shops. It has been some 3 years that I am using Mr Hobby/Tamiya acrylics. White spirit works with acrylics but not lacquer or enamels as far as I know from the kind that I get from the local hardware shops here in Singapore. Whatever type of paint used and the corresponding thinner/cleaner used to clean the AB, I have learnt that the key factor is keeping the paint chamber clear of any paint residue, however thin. This may entail the stripping down of the AB as per the manufacturer guide which in same cases can be pretty tedious and cumbersome. Recently I have found a way to circumvent this. I used water and Windex to clean my AB after the paint job by shooting them through and back-flush several times. This is followed by using a squeegee type air-duster with the brush removed to blow out any residue diluted paint left in the chamber. I first remove the needle from my Badger 150 and the regulator from the head. Then with one finger I close the end of the open chuck where the needle is inserted into the AB and blew the duster into the opening. Give it about two to three squirts. Next I close the opening where the paint cup fits into the AB and similarly gave the duster two to three squirts. The duster nozzle should be able to give a fairly good fit to ensure the maximum force into the chamber. So far with each session I noticed a considerable amount of diluted paint being forced out from the chamber. Just peer through from the end of the chuck opening and one could see the light through the nozzle opening. I have noticed that this was not the case prior to the blow-through with the air duster. This is in spite of the usual flushing by shooting through water of Windex earlier. I have not strip down my AB so far except removing the needle and regulator. But more importantly I have not experienced stuck needle or sluggish needle control. Thought I share this with fellow users. I believe the same technique can be applied to other brands of AB. It works for me. Best regards, S K Loh

Hi C2j I see no harm in trying to 'revive' these paints since they have never been opened before and hence should be as good as factory sealed. What is needed is your patience in giving them a good and thorough (I literally mean just that) stir. Having satisfied that you have done that thoroughly, observe the colour consistency and its run down the stirrer - no lumps or hardened bits. If it is good, you could try it out on your scrap work-piece or something and see if it still gives a good finish. You might perhaps want to thin it down a little before that - probably more if your intend to airbrush. I have had very old Humbrol enamels that I managed to revive and use them without any hitch when I re-started my hobby after a similar hiatus. You have got nothing to lose. Good luck. S K Loh

Does the MM Flat give a milky look after the stirring/shaking? Otherwise that could explain the semi-gloss of satin finish if your mixture appears more clear than milky. Do you brush-on or airbrush the flat? I have used Tamiya Flat Base as well as Mr Hobby Flat to mix with diluted Future as a flat coating before; and if the mix of flat base is less than I do get a satin kind of finish. I have also noticed that I do get a slight sheen if I paint brush it on as opposed to airbrushing it. You may want to try adding a little Tamiya or Mr Hobby(Gunze) Flat Base to your MM Flat and give it a try provided your MM Flat is aqueous type of paint and not solvent based. Hope you have better luck.

Well that being the case perhaps you can try another method. You can use clear polyurethane varnish. I get this from the local hardware shop. Thinned it down with turpentine and brush it on the black base to build up the levelling. They are much thicker than Future and so should be able to take of uneven levels. This calls for patience. Then sand it down and once a smooth surface is attainee, apply Future (in several coats at least with sufficient curing interval) to get the desired shine. Another alternative you may want to consider is to replace the styrene sheet red star with airbrushed red star or print your own decal red star. This way will enable you to achieve a smooth surface faster. For your consideration. Regards. S K Loh

Hi Devilleader501 The coatings on the base that you are doing looks pretty fine. It is quite normal for the sheen to look like that after several coats. You will need a fine grid waterproof abrasive paper about 800 or 1000 grid. Sand it down with a little water and soon you will get an evenly smooth though dull surface. Buff it up before coating it with Future. Allow sufficient curing time before the next coat. Perhaps 1-2 days at least. Personally a satin but smooth finish for the base will look better than a full shine IMHO. Good luck. S K Loh

Hi Scott, I think one probable cause to your problem could be with the manner the Krylon coating is applied. The first unsuccessful encounter could be due to insufficient seal coating. The MicroSet could have penetrated the coating and reacted with the ink although it could have been cured. The second encounter could be a case of over-coating the decal artwork with Krylon in one pass resulting in immediate running of the ink and smudging of the artwork. The high pressure from the can is another contributing factor. This is the same result one would get if our normal inkjet printed material comes into contact with liquid even if the print was some time ago. This happened to me the first time I used the decal sheet. I oversprayed the sheet with Future using airbrush and the ink would just run and smudge until the coating sets or get absorbed my the decal sheet. One or two quick pass is the best best to "hold" the ink in place before a heavier coat to safeguard against the penetration effect from decal settting/softening solution during decal application. As I do 1/144 scale the artwork is usually small enough to allow me the brush on the final coat to seal it in without any issue. If you are doing 1/72 and larger scale, then I suppose airbrushing would be the better choice to lend a smooth finish (although Future is self-levelling). I hope this will help. Cheers

I have used Bel decal sheet. They are pretty good. The drying time for the ink (inkjet I believe) should be pretty short. So leaving it for an hour should suffice. What you need to do is to airbrush a thin coat of gloss ( I usually used a thinned down Future)and let it dry thoroughly for a day or so. Ensure that the decal artwork is adequately covered but not wet as this will prevent the smudging. You may do a second coat if necessary after allowing adequate dry time. Lastly I will then brushed on a final coat of Future to seal in the decal artwork. Brushing will ensure a complete sealing as opposed to airbrushing alone. This will minimise bleaching of the artwork when soaking the decal for application and with the use of decal setting and/or softener. Cheers. S K Loh

Hi Hawk One, If you are going for a gloss finish in my opinion, Future is a better choice and the way to go is by brush painting. I am doing 1/144 most of the time and I find this is the best approach. If you are doing a larger scale perhaps you may consider a correspondingly bigger size brush. I use a size 6 brush to apply Future straight on. I have tried once on a 1/72 kit with the same brush and it turned out pretty OK. It will require about 2-3 days to settle and cure to a smooth shine. The application must be wet enough to allow the self-settling properties to take effect to get the kind of sheen. Re-application may be necessary if you want a super gloss finish. Air brushing does not yield the shine I desire from experience. Moreover, one has to contend with other factors affecting the shine effect. For instance, the tip size of your air brush, air pressure and flow rate, and the quick build-up of at the tip with acrylics. I hope this piece of info is useful to you. Best regards. S K Loh

Congrats! The two years have produced a piece of art! Bravo!!

If you are doing 1/48 scale then airbrushing even small parts like the cockpit panels landing gears and doors will present a good finish. Notwithstanding, paint brush can sometimes give a pretty good finish if the thinning is correct and the quality of the brush bristles are factors to consider, as in my case of 1/144 and perhaps 1/72 too.