Spraying a Future coat

[tarsier]

great thread!

I found another interesting "future" site:

Edited April 26, 2006 by tarsier

[boscosticks]

agh! this might be a little off topic but.. where do you guys find/buy your future? i went out to all the stores around here and ive gone home empty handed

[SAdams]

Last night I tried using Future for the first time. I brushed it on at first, but the model had noticable brush strokes on it, even after an hour. I was using (what I think) is a very nice brush too. It is a Testor's Model Masters brush. About 1/2" wide. Does it level out after 24 hours or something? I just wasn't seeing the results others talk about when brushing it on. I thought it looked better when I airbrushed it.

If it's dried on there overnight is it still possible to spray Windex on the model and smooth the brush strokes out? Also, it looks very pebbly, or has an orangepeel texture. Not smooth at all. I'm hoping I can still fix this.

I should also note that this future coat is only for decaling. I plan on flat coating it after the decals are on. Will the flat coat help make the brush strokes and orangepeel disappear, or do I need to fix this before I flat coat it?

Thanks.

[Paul Kirsopp]

I'm trying to learn how to spray a Future clear coat. I have lots of experience with shooting enamels and lacquer based paint though my Pasche airbrushes (H & VL). I'm (usually) able to lay on a nice smooth final finish with them. I have very little experience with acrylic paints. I have also dipped a lot of canopies in Future and know that drill. That being said, here's my question.

What should an airbrushed coat of Future look like? When I mist a few light coats on it looks really "pebbly" (a lot like a mist coat of enamel or lacquer). I always seems to end up with a few runs when I try to put on a wet shiny coat (over the misted ones) that looks like it does when I shoot a wet coat of enamel or lacquer. I'm shooting it through a Pasche H w/ #5 (large) tip. I've tried shooting at various pressures between 10 and 30 PSI. I've shot it straight from the bottle and thinned with varying ratios of 91% alcohol. It all seems to work about the same. Should I stop at the "pebbly" stage and not do the shiny wet coats? Is the magic amount somewhere between pebbly and wet? Is that where the magic "self-leveling" takes place?

Any advice, tips or pointers appreciated. Thanks.

:D

[foxmulder_ms]

A little off topic but;

Is there anyone who used/using Testors CLEAR TOP COAT (TES2736). What kind of effect does it create? Gloss, semi-gloss, matt or non? What can I use to create a semi-gloss finish (preferably in testors products)?

thanks..

[Josh1971]

Last night I tried using Future for the first time. I brushed it on at first, but the model had noticable brush strokes on it, even after an hour. I was using (what I think) is a very nice brush too. It is a Testor's Model Masters brush. About 1/2" wide. Does it level out after 24 hours or something? I just wasn't seeing the results others talk about when brushing it on. I thought it looked better when I airbrushed it.

If it's dried on there overnight is it still possible to spray Windex on the model and smooth the brush strokes out? Also, it looks very pebbly, or has an orangepeel texture. Not smooth at all. I'm hoping I can still fix this.

I should also note that this future coat is only for decaling. I plan on flat coating it after the decals are on. Will the flat coat help make the brush strokes and orangepeel disappear, or do I need to fix this before I flat coat it?

Thanks.

That's odd. I always brush Future on when I'm using it, and I never get brush strokes. It seems to level itself off before drying. I've never had a problem on any of the kits I've used it on, either.

Weird....

jb

[Pruz]

I've just used Klear (future) to prepare and seal a model finished with aluminium foil. I just held my breath and brushed it on straight from the bottle.

It worked perfectly, leaving a crystal clear smooth finish. I then used future to apply the decals (very extensive decals, believe me) and they just melted on to perfection.

I was able to use a sludge wash, oil wash and pastels on the completed surface and I am very impressed with the results.

I am now a complete Klear (future) convert (sorry Microscale but your reign in my workshop is over!). God bless the first nutter who decided to use floor polish on a model - inspired!

Al

[Viasistina]

All good information as I am a Future newbie too, but I love the stuff. I used to dip canopy now I find you can actually BRUSH Future on without streaks etc. Amazing. Actually I've brushed an entire model (test) using a wide brush and it actually looked good. However, I much prefer an airbrush. One piece of advise, being the impatient person I am..Future ALWAYS looks better a half an hour later. Walk away, Give it time, let it settle and the result are usually pretty good. If you have orange peel" you probably havent got Future on the bird.

[ginobetterfly]

I have found that nothing beats applying Future by brush. Smooth, level, no puddling, no problems.

Airbrushing just does not work for me with Future. At least not to the level of quality I like to see.

I need to future and decal my 1/48 B-1B, so Im guessing the brush method wouldnt look too good on such a large model. the model is painted with a flat gunship grey, and i need to future it to lay on the decals. I will try the 3 parts future 1 part windex method and low pressure, i just dont want to screw it up. Anymore tips? How many coats of future should i put on there? how long should i wait between coats? thanks!

[ginobetterfly]

also, does future ever expire? I bought my bottle about 2 years ago. Should i buy a new one?

[RookieLSP]

agh! this might be a little off topic but.. where do you guys find/buy your future? i went out to all the stores around here and ive gone home empty handed :D

I'm in CA also and found it at Safeway. WalMart will also have it for sure.

[RookieLSP]

I need to future and decal my 1/48 B-1B, so Im guessing the brush method wouldnt look too good on such a large model. the model is painted with a flat gunship grey, and i need to future it to lay on the decals. I will try the 3 parts future 1 part windex method and low pressure, i just dont want to screw it up. Anymore tips? How many coats of future should i put on there? how long should i wait between coats? thanks!

You don't want 3/1 ratio!! A few drops will do and that's if you use any at all. The tricky part is that it really takes a lot less than you think to do the job. I don't thin it with anything at all, one light coat and you're ready for decals 24 to 48 hours later. It can dry faster depending on humidity but leave it for 48 to be safe. If you brush it on you might find that one dip of the brush would cover an entire 1/72 aircraft! This stuff is as thin as water (or almost) and it self-levels very nicely all by itself. If I get a run a little Windex on a Q-Tip and I'm back in business. Lastly, make sure the paint has had ample time to cure before you get anywhere near it with Future!

[JimC]

So, I'm a little dense, but could someone please

explain what a "flash coat" is?

TIA...

Jim

Edited August 20, 2007 by JimC

[Big Kev]

I've never done this myself, but my understanding of a 'flash coat' for Future is that you take some Windex and airbrush a very light mist coat over the Future coat (not sure about the timing). The idea is that it remelts the Future coat slightly, allowing it to smooth out even more and reducing or eliminating that pebbly texture you can sometimes get from spraying it. People who do it swear by it, but I've never been game.

Kev

[JimC]

I've never done this myself, but my understanding of a 'flash coat' for Future is that you take some Windex and airbrush a very light mist coat over the Future coat (not sure about the timing). The idea is that it remelts the Future coat slightly, allowing it to smooth out even more and reducing or eliminating that pebbly texture you can sometimes get from spraying it. People who do it swear by it, but I've never been game.

Kev

Thanks, Kev...

Now I understand! Many thanks...

Jim

[coopert]

Is there anything about windex that will cause a color shift? If I recall, windex has a blue tint. What will that do over white?

[bizzah]

how do you produce a flat coat after decaling? i have some model master flat clear acryl. should i just spray some of that straight on or do you think it should be mixed with some future? Swanny suggests using a 3:1 ratio of future to tamiya flat base. should i use something like that or what?

[David Walker]

how do you produce a flat coat after decaling? i have some model master flat clear acryl.

The flat clear acryl will work, but I've found the best flat coat to be Polly Scale Flat. I've yet to find anything that really compares to it.

[bullitt3980]

Hi everyone-this is my first posting-I've been lurking around and learning a lot but I have a question about using Future-do you have to cover the whole model or can you just brush the spots you know the decals are going?

[Ant]

i have just tried the windex trick and it seemed to work, however i got some fish eye's appearing,? i also found that if i mist the windex on and then another light coat of future it seemed to settle way better

also can i use straight ammonia to thin and mist spray. it is very hard to get anything in AUS with it. however i can get " cloudy ammonia" is this ok?

i have also found that unless i put a really wet coat on , future, i do not get the total smooth finish. is it ok to just do a couple of mist coats to get a sheen and leave it? i did a test peice and found that if the future is peebled the flat coat seems to hide it

[4scourge7]

also, does future ever expire? I bought my bottle about 2 years ago. Should i buy a new one?

Does anyone have an answer to this? I`m wondering also as future left out cures hard. I want to know if it starts changing composition as soon as the bottle is opened.

Cheers, Ian

[Maxidad]

Hi everyone-this is my first posting-I've been lurking around and learning a lot but I have a question about using Future-do you have to cover the whole model or can you just brush the spots you know the decals are going?

This is a good question - and it didn't get answered, did it? Actually, I think it depends how much of a perfectionst you are. If you are flat coating afterwards, I expect the difference would be insignificent.

However, I always cover the whole model before and after decaling to get a uniform finish, prior to panel line washing. If you try washing panels lines on a matt finish, you just get a nasty smudge. So my advice is: put on a coat of Future before and after. Apply your washes and weathering, and then apply a matt or satin coat (as required).

[Russian Flyer]

Hello, everyone!

This is my first post on this forum. I've been reading ARC for may be two or three years and I have to say this is a great resource, many thanks, guys!

I just want to throw my two pennies into this very important topic. My impression is that many people had troubles airbrushing Future and the most frequent problem is so called "orange peel". There are a lot of recipes how to avoid pebbly appearance of the model surface most of them regarding air pressure, using of Windex, thinning ratios and so on. But nobody mentioned (at least at this topic) a quality of surface to which Future has to be applied. Experimenting with Future I found that if it was airbrushed on glossy surface, there was no "orange peel" effect. I proceeded further and airbrushed Future in the same conditions onto the piece of plastic painted with MM flat enamel. My conclusion was: the more rough the surface - the more pronounced "orange peel" effect. Even if matt model looks smooth, it does not mean that the surface smooth physically (I mean under magnification it looks very rough). When you airbrush Future this roughness becomes apparent as an "orange peel" because of light reflections. Ever tried put flat coat on this? That's right, the surface looks much smoother.

So, my recipe (the first paragraph is very important):

1. When applying camouflage colours try to thin paint as much as you can and airbrush it in several light coats until desired effect is reached. This is my key to success. You will never have an "orange peel" if the model is smooth.

2. I airbrush Future at 10 PSI using Iwata "Eclipse" airbrush at a distance to the model approximately 1-1.5 inches (pretty close). I simply build up Future with my airbrush until the surface is gloss enough (well, you have to feel it). At first glance the model will look a little pebbly. Dont worry, let it settle down and in about 20-30 mins you will get mirror-like shine.

That's it. In about 24 hours you can apply decals. And I neither thin Future nor add Windex in it.

Just give it a try, experiment and the result will come.

Sorry if I have posted something obvious for you guys but I just wanted to help everyone who has troubles with annoying "orange peel" to get rid of it.

Thanks again and happy modelling!

Vlad

[F106A]

Hi Vlad! Welcome to ARC!

Wow! You've researched this for sure!

I gotta tell you my only experience using future as a finish has been on KC-135 nose gear dust covers - REAL ONES! My assistant crew chief in Ohio was a pretty good artist and he would paint Buckeyes on our dust covers, give them to me and I would finish them with Future. (Of course I never got a decent photo!) I learned that from modeling but have never actually used it on a plastic model!!! I just knew it was a good protectant and, what do you know, it works on 1:1 aircraft too! They were very easy to clean but then again, the nose gear on 135's never got that dirty anyway.

Again, welcome to ARC!

Mark

[Russian Flyer]

Hi, Mark!

That was amazing! I've never heard of using Future on real aircraft. After that, it will work on models for sure!

Keep up the good work!

Thanks,

Vlad