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Definitely before masking. And I always like to do it at leas a week before I plan on doing any masking, just to make sure the Future has had enough time to cure out. Tamiya tape won't peel the Future.

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It's about the first thing I do when starting a kit. Dip it in Future, then leave it somewhere safe until needed. That way I know the Future has fully cured before I use any masking materials.

Vince

Edited by vince14
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2 things:

1. On my last build I polished the canopy, masked it, painted it and then dipped it in Future. I liked this because It allowed me to handle the canopy without having to worry about messing up the Future. After I dipped the completed canopy on the Future I just hand brushed some flat over the framing. It was really easy to do. If you mess it up just spray it with Windex and do it over. The catch is that you can't use paint that dissolves in Windex to paint the canopy.

2. On my current two builds I polished the canopies with a polishing kit (3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000 grit sanding cloth) then I polished them out with the Novus polishing system. The canopies look as clear as if they had been dipped in Future thus I was able to skip the Future dip altogether. In fact, the canopies were so smooth that the Future (and Micro Mask) was having a difficult time sticking to the canopy (yeah...for some reason I tried to dip them in Future). It looked like it was separating in spots.

On more than one occasion I've had the tape damage the Future because I wet sanded the model to smooth out the paint and the masking tape got wet...which softened up the Future underneath.

Most of my canopies have been dipped in Future but the Novus system worked so well that I might just stick to the Novus system from now on.

Edited by Fly-n-hi
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As a previous future user, its my amateur opinion that polishing a canopy looks more realistic than using future. I used to use Future, but the canopy would look thick and unrealistic, although clear. After trying polishing, I've never looked back. However, it did take several attempts to get the hang of the new skill.

Aaron

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I've actually become ok with polishing, just thought that it would add that pro touch. Anyway...I've done it now and I'm pretty happy with he result. I let it drain and sucked up the excess with kitchen paper towel, so thickness doesn't seem an issue.

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If I have a pretty good canopy, I will polish it out. However, if the canopy is all scratched up, is thick, etc. it gets the Future dunk. If my canopy is gonna get a Future dunk, I will get it to the point where it's ready to go onto the model, then give it the Future dunk treatment. I do pretty much what Vince14 does. I do the canopy first, so it has plenty of time for the Future to dry and cure. If you just smell a very faint smell of Future, it's probably ready. At least Future smells good, but it's a smell that lingers. But, give it at least a week to cure out. After that, Tamiya tape won't pull up the Future.

Also, I have attached canopies using CA (super glue) and if you are careful and just keep tacking the canopy on with the CA, you shouldn't have trouble with fogging. If it does fog, you are probably gonna have to use Future anyway. Good Luck!!!

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A week to cure? That's playing it quite safe. I'd say 2 days is all you need. But, I guess it usually ends up being a week because its one of the first things I do on a build, future dunk and latex paint through the intakes.

Edited by sharkey
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2 things:

1. On my last build I polished the canopy, masked it, painted it and then dipped it in Future. I liked this because It allowed me to handle the canopy without having to worry about messing up the Future. After I dipped the completed canopy on the Future I just hand brushed some flat over the framing. It was really easy to do. If you mess it up just spray it with Windex and do it over. The catch is that you can't use paint that dissolves in Windex to paint the canopy.

2. On my current two builds I polished the canopies with a polishing kit (3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000 grit sanding cloth) then I polished them out with the Novus polishing system. The canopies look as clear as if they had been dipped in Future thus I was able to skip the Future dip altogether. In fact, the canopies were so smooth that the Future (and Micro Mask) was having a difficult time sticking to the canopy (yeah...for some reason I tried to dip them in Future). It looked like it was separating in spots.

On more than one occasion I've had the tape damage the Future because I wet sanded the model to smooth out the paint and the masking tape got wet...which softened up the Future underneath.

Most of my canopies have been dipped in Future but the Novus system worked so well that I might just stick to the Novus system from now on.

Hi and thanx for the great thread here everyone.

I just got a little 4 oz bottle of Future to try and this has all been very informative to me. I've always polished canopies out (I use Tamiya plastic polish, or Novus) but after hearing about Future for years am giving it a try. So any other tips for using it please do let me know.

Now... When you say *dip* a canopy in Future, do you really dunk the whole thing in it ?

Can you brush Future on ?

And spraying it. I've heard that you thin it a little with Windex. True ?

Thanx a whole lot.

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Now... When you say *dip* a canopy in Future, do you really dunk the whole thing in it ?

Can you brush Future on ?

And spraying it. I've heard that you thin it a little with Windex. True ?

Thanx a whole lot.

Yes, pour the future in a bowl or dish and use a stick with the alligator grip tip to hold the canopy. You should put the alligator grip near the edge so it's barely touching. Then, just dunk it in the dish, I would move it around until there are no air bubbles or specks of dust on the canopy. Take the canopy out and put it on flat rolled up bunch of paper towel. Check for imperfections, if there are imperfections dunk it immediately again. If not, put the canopy in a dust free area until it dries. When its ready, use gloves to handle the canopy. You dont want to leave ugly finger prints on it.

You can brush on future, from what I've heard.

Yes you can dilute it with windex.

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You can brush it, but it tends to make the brush bristles hard mid-use.

Wow, fast response from you guys !! Thanx !

One more quickie if ya all don't mind.

I've heard about puttin down a little puddle of Future and laying the decal on. Really ?

I use Floquil Crystal Clear for my gloss finishes, LOVE the stuff. But I've heard that Future can give as good or shiner finish ?

I now have the Flory washes, (not used them yet) but how does Future react with the old fashioned oil sludge wash ? (what I'm used to)

Wow, this is fun ! I'm just getting back to my TBD-1 Devastator build, will post pic's this weekend.

Allan

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I also always put a bowl over the canopy immediately afterward and leave it for about 24 hours to protect from dust.

-$0.02

That's a great idea. I'll do that next time!

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If you use Floquil Crystal Clear as a gloss coat and "LOVE" the stuff, you might want to stick with it. If you want to try the Future thing, try it on a piece of scrap or a junker model. Phil Flory's modeling washes are top-notch and idiot-proof. (Maybe that's why I like them so much!!) I have put them over Future that is very well dried and cured. (only use spit or water to remove) There are two things you should know about these washes if you have never used them. 1. Make sure that they are very well stirred. 2. The first time you use them, do so on a gloss surface. They can be tricky, but very convincing on a flat or satin surface.

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