Future clearcoat problem - need help fast

[utley]

I was doing a last minute touch up to my helicopter last night with Future floor polish. After I let it dry for about an hour, I gave it a soap bath to give it a final cleaning. Unfortunately, yes...some of the floor polish curdled up and now I have white flaky acrylic stuff all over the helicopter, and the canopy milked up. The funny thing is that the canopy was dipped in future last weekend and was very much dry. I know I can clean the heli up with windex - just strip it all off. The problem is that I use Tamiya acrylics for most if not all of my painting, and windex is going to strip almost everything - the weathering, the weapons, the cockpit, the rotor mast, tail rotor...maybe Ill have to lose the decals?

the canopy is the least of my problems, I just peeled it off and washed it off with windex and its ready for another dip. Is there an easy fix for something like this? About the only paint on this that wont strip with the windex is the fuselage - its painted with Mr. Hobby acrylics.

Edited May 13, 2015 by utley

[Janissary]

Sorry for your troubles Utley. I too discovered water does not play well with future (even if it is cured). The wrinkly/frosty mess is something I also experienced in the past. Unfortunately, If stripping the whole thing is not an option, your best bet will be to wait until future completely dries/cures, then carefully send down the whole thing, and repaint. Given that it seems you removed the canopy, I think if I were in your situation, I would completely remove the paint (can do this with oven cleaning products) and restart. Even though I recommend sanding, I don't think you can sand it off perfectly around the concave regions and that would bother me, hence my preference on stripping the paint.

I do agree that windex, rubbing alcohol or similar stuff will pretty much affect all enamel and acrylic paints, so I think it is difficult to remove future with a solvent while preserving the paint.

[Triarius]

I was doing a last minute touch up to my helicopter last night with Future floor polish. After I let it dry for about an hour, I gave it a soap bath to give it a final cleaning. <snip>

Future does not reach full cure for ~24 hours, and 48 hours is better. Once fully cured, it will resist short term exposure to water. Using any cleaning agent with the water puts the Future at risk. Simple Green, ammonia, ammonia and alcohol (Windex), and many alcohols will strip it fairly rapidly. Some soaps and detergents are nearly as bad.

If you must clean it after the gloss coat, use a solution of alcohol and water. Small touch-ups can be done with ethyl or denatured alcohol, or even isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free cloth. While these may affect the surface, they are all compatible solvents for the acrylic binder in Future. Therefore, any slight, localized damage to the clear coat is easily repaired with a dab of Future from a brush.

HOw you fix this problem depends on the "soap" you used. If it combined with the Future, stripping is your only option. Let the model dry thoroughly for several days, then examine the damaged areas. You may be able to either apply a small amount of 90% isopropyl, which will "melt" the defect in the Future, or apply a small amount of Future with a brush. The latter may correct the damage by dissolving the damaged coating and redepositing it.

Neither will work if the "soap" combined or is entrapped in the Future, but it's worth a try.

[utley]

Future does not reach full cure for ~24 hours, and 48 hours is better. Once fully cured, it will resist short term exposure to water. Using any cleaning agent with the water puts the Future at risk. Simple Green, ammonia, ammonia and alcohol (Windex), and many alcohols will strip it fairly rapidly. Some soaps and detergents are nearly as bad.

If you must clean it after the gloss coat, use a solution of alcohol and water. Small touch-ups can be done with ethyl or denatured alcohol, or even isopropyl alcohol on a lint-free cloth. While these may affect the surface, they are all compatible solvents for the acrylic binder in Future. Therefore, any slight, localized damage to the clear coat is easily repaired with a dab of Future from a brush.

HOw you fix this problem depends on the "soap" you used. If it combined with the Future, stripping is your only option. Let the model dry thoroughly for several days, then examine the damaged areas. You may be able to either apply a small amount of 90% isopropyl, which will "melt" the defect in the Future, or apply a small amount of Future with a brush. The latter may correct the damage by dissolving the damaged coating and redepositing it.

Neither will work if the "soap" combined or is entrapped in the Future, but it's worth a try.

It wasnt that bad, you could tell it started flaking off in certain parts...mostly where I had Tamiya paints, like on the rotor hub. It started to peel off first. The soap I used was Dawn liquid soap, and I didnt think it was going to do that. How would I know if it bonded with the Future?

[Triarius]

As I said, give it 24 more hours, then try applying Future to the damaged areas, or dabbing them with 90% isopropyl. If this works, the soap didn't have a permanent effect on the Future. If it doesn't work, then I'd strip it.

[utley]

Will give that a shot and report back.

[balls47]

Hey Utley, Don't you just hate it when stuff like this happens? I've done stuff much worse that that, but that's beside the point. Just letting you know that EVERYONE has stuff like this happen. If they tell you that they don't, well, I don't want to call anyone a liar. Triarius pretty much hit everything. I will add a couple of things that I kind of go by:

1. When I put Future down, I DO NOT TOUCH the model, part, etc. for at least 48 hours, and unless I'm in a big hurry, I'll even wait at least 72 hours.

2. If I'm doing something that I have never done before, I have learned that it is much better to practice the "something new" on a model that I have set aside

just this purpose. I have a few models in the stash that I have bought over the years for a buck or two. I bought them for just this purpose. I just hate

putting time, effort, $$$, etc. into a model and then ruin it by trying a technique that I have never used before. It's worth the time and $$$ lost to have

some junker/practice models for just this reason.

Good Luck With Your Boo-Boo!!!

[utley]

Its not like I havent used Future for my final coating before, its that Ive never seen it curdle up after washing it in soapy water. Ive done that many times with my last few models which have collected dust over the years..just not on a new fresh coat.

Anyways, Ive managed to salvage the paint for the most part. Luckily, my water color wash didnt come off. I went gently with a cotton swab with a mix of alcohol and windex to clean the small areas, and a toothbrush with some windex to get the big areas that have a tough coat of paint. There were some heinous areas that I couldnt do much about, like the missile racks. Since those were on the fragile side, I just let them be and gave them a fresh coating of Future to at least dissolve into weathering corrosion instead of a flaky look. I kinda like the way it came out, it looks pretty much like its been at sea for most of its life. Not realistic, but not half bad either...