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Has the formula for Future/Pledge changed recently?


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I have been a huge fan of Future/Pledge for years, particularly as a prep coat for decals. I've used it hundreds of times and after at least 2 days of curing, I have been able to layer on Microsol decal solution with no issues whatsoever. A few weeks ago I got a new bottle of Future and used it to prep some propellers for decals. After letting the Future dry for several days, I started decaling, using Microsol to settle the decals down. Microsol is eating the Future! There are big depressions wherever Microsol has been used. What is going on!? Has S C Johnson changed the formula of Future/Pledge? Fortunately I have been able to make repairs, but not without a ton of extra work. Thank goodness I just discovered the merits of Tamiya X-22 as a replacement only today, because now I'm scared to use Future again.

Answers to possible questions:

1) The Microsol is the same bottle I used on my last build, with older Future and no problems.

2) The humidity in my part of the world is very dry.

3) Everything has always remained at room temperature.

Thanks for any input. This is really weird.

Chuck

Edited by chuck540z3
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Does the future smell the same as it always has?

There's several similar-looking versions of Pledge out there now, and it's easy to get confused which formula you're buying ( ask me how I know... :whistle: )

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Does the future smell the same as it always has?

There's several similar-looking versions of Pledge out there now, and it's easy to get confused which formula you're buying ( ask me how I know... :whistle:/>/> )

Good question, which is hard to answer sometimes, because they seem to change the label with something new every 6 months. Here's the bottle I'm using.

Pledge.jpg

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I don't see the Future logo on it... I think you may have the wrong one!

They usually have the logo or some indication saying "with Future!"

An Indispensable Bible on Future:

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

Of note is this quote from the 1st paragraph:

"At right you can see the evolution of the labeling and how the Future logo was made progressively smaller until in 2013 it vanished completely and the Pledge logo became dominant. The formula remains the same"

From the animated gif on the top right of the page, Chuck actually has the latest reincarnation of Future.

:cheers:

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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

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Apologies to Chuck for hijacking this thread but Future is like Holy Grail here in Singapore...

.. Something similar to the one you have is available here in our local stores ..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. .

S K Loh

Hi Loh, the one you mentioned is this one right?

SG-PLEDGE_zpszpsxuvpc.jpg

I'm also on the lookout for Future/Pledge and I almost bought the above last night at NTUC until I read the fine print and realised that this one is a "cleaner" and not a "Finish" ( as the correct Pledge/Future should be).

If the one you bought is the same as above, have you tried dipping canopies into it? What is the outcome? Any feedback is appreciated.

Also, have you tried any of these for coating/protecting canopies?

SG-PLEDGEa_zpsn1o2pe5k.jpg

Just want feedback before forking out money for these :)

I'm on the hunt for this mythical Future in Singapore that everyone is talking about as I want to coat/protect/ my canopies.

Thanks :thumbsup:

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You do NOT want any of the Pledge with the yellow cap!

I actually contacted SC Johnson about the new Pledge and they insisted that it is the same formula as it's always been with "Future Shine".. just make sure you get the correct type.

Pledge Floor Care, Multi Surface Finish!!!

(don't get anything that has the word WOOD or CLEANER in it).

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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.

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Thanks for all the info guys. According to the Swanny article, my bottle should be identical to what has been produced before. Although I did let the parts dry for several days, the Future coat was extremely thick (4-5 coats), so maybe I should have let it cure for weeks, rather than days.

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I use 'Pledge One-Go' which I got here on Oz at least 10yrs ago. Still got 3/4 of a bottle left. I usually airbrush it on, cut with a few drops of Windex, let it dry a day or so, then have used Micro-Sol/Set and never had it eat the Future? Maybe my coats are very thin?

These days, I don't use the Micros, but use a pool of Future to suck the decal down (after a coat or two of Future has been airbrushed on and let dry for a day or so).

I've never let the Future cure for more than a few days....to impatient for that ;)

Edited by Thommo
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Update- and a fairly important one for those who might have been wondering if I was on to something. I sprayed a good single coat of this same Future on a painted piece of plastic and let it dry for 2 days. I then placed a big puddle of Microsol on the Future and the puddle dried with no marks whatsoever. So the answer as to why the propellers melted down is clear: Too much Future. Even after letting the propellers dry for about 10 days, if you have several coats of Future, it will not cure enough to take Microsol. Big relief here, because I still love to use the stuff now and then.

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited by chuck540z3
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Glad to hear that, Chief Scientist Chuck! When we moved I let my 15 YO bottle of "real" Future go- and recently bought a bottle of Pledge Floor Care Shine* Protect* Finish. It seems to be working just fine with Humbrol thinners and Odorless Turpenoid.

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Glad to hear that, Chief Scientist Chuck! When we moved I let my 15 YO bottle of "real" Future go- and recently bought a bottle of Pledge Floor Care Shine* Protect* Finish. It seems to be working just fine with Humbrol thinners and Odorless Turpenoid.

Another positive testimonial. Thanks Chuck. I thought I better back peddle a bit now that I know that my bad experience with Future was user error. You would have thought that 10 days of drying time would be plenty, but if you put it on too thick, it might take months or even years to fully cure.

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The issue with applying decal solvents (not just Microsol) over Future is why I stopped using it to prep for decaling. I now use Alclad's Aqua Gloss without any issues. Curing time is a lot faster as well.

I still use Future here in there for other modeling things but not for decaling.

Rob

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I recently did a 1/144 C-130 with a single coat of brushed on Future. Like the OP the Future fogged or discolored under the spots where I used micro sol. After a day I applied a second coat of Future over the decals and the discolored areas and the variation went away. Two days later a coat of flat clear and the plane looked great.

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