Jump to content

Future Alternatives


Recommended Posts

Hey Everyone

Since Klear ( nz version of future) is no longer available in NZ I have been trying to find a suitable alternative. I have found a few similar products and looking at the msds sheets for them on paper they sound pretty similar so what I was wondering if there is someone around here who knows a fair bit about chemistry etc and could have a look at the msds sheets and tell me if they will be similar enough to work the same way or if there are some fundamental differences that may cause them to not be suitable. I could try them but unfortunately I can't afford to buy 5 or 10 litre bottles of product that may not do what I need it to. I have also linked the future msds for comparison.

Future MSDS

Premier floor polish

3M Floor polish

Hopefully someone can shed some light onto this.

- Gary

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the replies people.

datahiker - I've had a look around and it doesn't look like liquitex is available in NZ.

MHaz - Yeah I have that page bookmarked but all the other versions of future aren't available here.

After doing some more digging around it appears that pledge one go appears to work in much the same manner as future, not quite as effectively but to a satisfactory level. Looks like i'll be paying a visit to the supermarket on the way home.

Link to post
Share on other sites
This might help: The Complete Future

Love Swanny's page, however the information on the Australian version gives you the idea that it is very much like future. Our 'Pledge One Go' is yellowish and slightly cloudy in colour. I don't think it behaves like Future as sold in the US. I'm going to get ahold of some of the US version of the product to makes some more tests.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Love Swanny's page, however the information on the Australian version gives you the idea that it is very much like future. Our 'Pledge One Go' is yellowish and slightly cloudy in colour. I don't think it behaves like Future as sold in the US. I'm going to get ahold of some of the US version of the product to makes some more tests.

Quite right! I have a bottle of Johnson's Shine Magic (I've never seen Pledge One Go in Melbourne), and a bottle of actual Future, and they're nothing like each other. Shine Magic is watery, a cloudy milky white in colour, and stinks of ammonia. Future is clear and smells of green apples.

However! I have to say that in practise I haven't been that impressed with Future in the end. It's better than Shine Magic, sure, but I think proper modelling gloss clears are superior to either. The main attraction (obsession in some cases!) with using floor polish as a substitute is cost. Any product available at the supermarket is going to be more cost-effective than anything available at the local hobby shop. Future isn't bad, but it's no miracle product.

Kev

Link to post
Share on other sites
Can you get Liquitex products? The High Gloss Varnish might be worth looking at, but it says it can't be used over oils.

Liquitex is at art shops in Aussie, but very expensive, they have to order it in.I use "pasqueo long life" from coles and get good results.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Any product available at the supermarket is going to be more cost-effective than anything available at the local hobby shop. Future isn't bad, but it's no miracle product.

At last! :worship: Someone's got the guts to say so; a statement with which I wholly concur, by the way! Leave the floor polish to yer wives to be obsessed with. Whut's with substitutin' specific hobby stuff for household products...? :doh: One day we will learn some wise guy came up with the crazy idea of replacin' oils by bloody shoe shine, 'n' so on 'til the hobby manufacturers finally give up on their work... :rolleyes:

Well done, Kevo :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Unc²

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have always been a reluctant user of Future, mainly because I have seen what it can do to floors when it builds up and gets old. I understand the logic of using a clear acrylic resin as a barrier between paint layers or weathering layers. I also see the logic of using a dedicated modeling product because it was developed for a specific purpose. For me the issue has always been whether I could trust the product over the long run to remain stable and not yellow or crack in the ( pardon the pun) future. In artistic terms Future's archival qualities have yet to be determined. In other words how applying Future to your model will effect it's finish in 40, 50 or 100 years is yet unknown.

I build in a slightly different manner than most people, I use multimedia and artists supplies in modeling applications in order to achieve subtle finishes and effects not possible with conventional modeling products. I'm not just talking about using pastel chalks and oil paints to weather with, there are many more art supplies that can crossover into the modeling realm. There is a certain amount of bastardization of these products to crossover to uses for which they were never intended. For instance, Prizmacolor makes a wonderful set of design markers used for creating multimedia color drawings, they come in a rainbow of colors and are quite versitile. I have used them to create semi-transparent colors on metal parts to simulate color anodized aluminum. Prizmacolor would not advocate my use of this product in such a manner but niether would they discourage it. Basically, if it works for ya then roll with it. Model paint manufacturers do make comparable products to Future but in order to replace it their product would have to not work out to $50 a gallon. This is a bit like paint thinners, a paint manufacturer may make a "specially formulated" product to thin their paint formula, but basically there's nothing new under the sun and their thinner is chemically based on one of a select few chemicals. They bottle it put their label on it and then charge you 10 times the bulk cost of a chemical you can buy at a hardware store for far cheaper and you get more. Let's be real here, model companies are in it to make a profit not to give us a bargain. There are a select few "crossover" products that we can buy that are adaptable to our hobby. When modeling manufacturers start putting out a comparable product that also has a comparable price, I'm sure we'll all be on board.

Link to post
Share on other sites

There are plenty of good alternatives to Future. Three examples are shown below:

gloss_clear.jpg

All of which provide consistent, high gloss, durable finish in only one or two coats when thinned and sprayed through an airbrush. With Future, I can only achieve satisfactory results when applying at least three coats with a wide, soft brush.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...

I just happened to stumble over my own topic again and I think I have made some headway. I have found an art supply shop that sell liquitex products and was wondering which if the following would suit gloss/matt coats. Also has/does anyone use these products on a regular basis and can provide some insight into how good/bad they are and any techniques for using them.

Liquitex Gloss Varnish

Liquitex Matt Varnish

Thanks.

- Gary

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Gary

I am from Wellington NZ and found three bottles of Klear in a random four Sqaure only a few weeks ago. Maybe try some random little store/diarys etc out in the dusty suburbs.. you never now your luck! cheer

Link to post
Share on other sites

Azza, Yeah I've been checking every little dairy etc that I have been past to see if anyone has any but have had no luck so far. I will keep my eyes open however. On the other hand, my sister in law is going to the states in a couple of months and I've instructed her to get me 4-5 bottles of the proper stuff from there.

Link to post
Share on other sites

4-5 bottles of the proper stuff from there.

FIVE BOTTLES!?!? How much Future do you use? Good heavens. One normal size bottle lasted me *years*. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

There are plenty of good alternatives to Future. Three examples are shown below:

All of which provide consistent, high gloss, durable finish in only one or two coats when thinned and sprayed through an airbrush. With Future, I can only achieve satisfactory results when applying at least three coats with a wide, soft brush.

Which one do you prefer to use?

Link to post
Share on other sites

FIVE BOTTLES!?!? How much Future do you use? Good heavens. One normal size bottle lasted me *years*. :)

They won't all be for me, my uncle also uses it on his models and a couple will be for him. Plus i'd rather have a couple of extra bottles in case I run out or anything else happens. In saying that if anyone uses the liquitex products i linked a few posts up and can provide some insight into how good they are I would rather use them since they are designed for use over paint. As much as I like the tamiya paint bombs they are expensive here ($15-20 NZD) and I can't really afford to buy a couple of spray cans every 1-2 models.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Which one do you prefer to use?

I swear by Tamiya TS-13 and have been using it for over ten years. One or two coats is usualy enough. It is a lacquer, so you have to be careful. The only paint I've ever had it damage was a Gunze Acrylic.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you ever tried Polly Scale Gloss Clear? It's an acrylic and usualy has a good result.

Aaron

Nothing but troubles with that. And they halted the production of PollyScale. I was wondering which of the three clear acrylics that RichardL preferred.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've looked around in Japan but I could never find Future either. Just want to get a bottle to compare it to the real modeling stuff.

There are also a few more alternates if you have access to them:

dsc03471medium.jpg

Mr. Super Clear (lacquer)

Top Coat (acrylic)

Mr. Color (lacquer, both of them. GX is more expensive)

Tamyia clear (enamel)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...