Future Floor Wax
 
Future floor polish
 
Posted By: John Acosta <mdjna@aol.com>
Date: Sunday, 27 September 1998, at 2:14 a.m.
 
I have recently returned to model building after a very long hiatus. I used to built Armour. Now I'm building aircraft. I have seen many passing references in the modeling literature regarding the use of Future Acrylic floor polish. I have a bottle of it (which I should also use on my floors) and was wondering what some of the tricks and potential hazards are in using this product. (Does it bead up or fog in any way; how long does the finish last? Can I mix it into acrylic paint? Can I use it to simulate the varnish used in IJN aircraft?)
Your tips and comments are very much welcome.
Thanks,
 
John
 
Re: Future floor polish
 
Posted By: Mark Shannon <Shingend@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Monday, 28 September 1998, at 12:02 p.m.
 
In Response To: Future floor polish (John Acosta)
 
"Future" is pretty bullet-proof in use -- I use it in most of my modeling, and it helps give a good tough finish for decaling and weathering.
 Problems:
 When spraying with an airbrush, keep the brush moving and watch carefully -- otherwise you will find that you have a runny buildup before you know it. This is a general warning with any of the acrylic clear coats, by the way.
Clear parts, Future is a good protecting agent, including giving a good hedge against the 'chlorosis' white spray effect that cyanoacrylate glues can cause on windows and such, but for very large windows, great care must be taken or you will notice the optically uneven coating.
If the Future coat hasn't dried at least twenty-four hours, or if you use large amounts of decal sets, you will see the Future turn white -- DON'T PANIC, the coat will clear again as it dries, but it is very soft and will take fingerprints or other marks until it is thoroughly dried out again.
Future does not seem to be compatible with Tamiya acrylics, though it does seem fine with PollyScale. I found this out when I wanted to make a slightly tinted clear coat using the Tamiya clear colors (it was for a 'toner' on a varnished wood WWI type.)
Finally, as far as the problems go, you need to make sure that you have washed the model thoroughly before spraying -- otherwise every fingerprint on the surface will be indelibly etched out in the clear coat.
If you don't clean brushes or the airbrush right away, you can get old Future out by using a little household ammonia in water.
Other than these tips, all I can say is experiment. You can apply Future directly, diluted with tap water, diluted with windshield washer fluid, by spraying, brushing, or swabbing. Use relatively thin coats, but they will dry in about 30 minutes, and reach maximum hardness and gloss in 24-48 hours.
 
Mark.
 
Re: Future floor polish
 
Posted By: Andrei Koribanics <andreikor@aol.com>
Date: Monday, 28 September 1998, at 12:12 p.m.
 
In Response To: Future floor polish (John Acosta)
 
Hi John and welcome back!
 
Future is great for many applications: 1) as an overall gloss finish (over enamels or acrylics...works equally well) 2) to provide an excellent surface for decal application in order to prevent silvering (spray over flat paint where needed or overall) 3) as a barrier between your base coat and subsequent weathering painting, when you don't want to disturb the base coat...and as a bonus...even helps injected canopies appear clearer by filling in the minute tooling 'scratches'. In this case, some modelers dip the canopy quickly in a jarful... others prefer a rapid, but thorough brush application. It is usually applied with an airbrush, unthinned, at about 10-25 psi...it levels beautifully...you CAN thin it with water or alcohol, but I don't find this necessary. Clean your gun with water, then a flushing of Lacquer Thinner.
I haven't tried mixing it with paints, but would only do so with acrylic (water-based) paints...experiment with it! It will bead up if your air pressure is too low, but doesn't fog...I haven't noticed any discoloration in models done years ago, but I assume it will discolor in time...then again, what doesn't? How long does the finish last? Probably indefinitely!
As far as using it to replicate varnish on IJN aircraft...here we go again! Let's just say that yes, since it is glossy, it can be used to replicate clear varnish!
Like anything else...work in a well-ventilated area. There are no tricks, really, and no particular hazards that I can think of...use common sense! Also...see Mike Good's post on Panel Lines
Happy modeling!
 
Andrei
 
Re: Future floor polish
 
Posted By: Terry Garrard <tgarrard@juno.com>
Date: Monday, 28 September 1998, at 4:22 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: Future floor polish (Andrei Koribanics)
 
The only caveat that I have found with Future is that it doesn’t age well. Over time it may crackle and it will almost definitely yellow.
 
The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: C.S. Richardson <mimmp@castlegate.net>
Date: Saturday, 13 November 1999, at 5:13 p.m.
 
The discussion concerning the ease/difficulty of applying Future to models has spanned many months (years?) and many discussion groups. My #1 son and I made an interesting observation this past week: using an external mix airbrush gave great results; the internal mix was a pain. Has anyone else made that observation? If you are one of many who have difficulty, as I often have, are you using an internal mix airbrush? I'm a researcher by trade; just gathering data points - care to contribute your experience?
Maybe this data gathering could include acrylic paints in general, as well.
 
C.S.
 
Re: The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <hall41@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sunday, 14 November 1999, at 8:14 a.m.
 
In Response To: The Future debate revisited (C.S. Richardson)
 
I have never tried this stuff but it sounds like the greatest thing since sliced bread. Is there any record of it yellowing over time? The way some of Pactra's paints did.... As I recall, my Aurora Dracula went from ghoulish to jaundiced as I was growing up!
 
Re: The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: Rob Graham <rgraham111@aol.com>
Date: Sunday, 14 November 1999, at 11:13 a.m.
 
In Response To: Re: The Future debate revisited (Tom Hall)
 
Tom:
I haven't tried it, either, but have heard it won't yellow.
BUT...
My wife said it does yellow, as she has used it on floors. She could be mistaken, as she uses a lot of things around the house, so I don't know. I will say (to her credit) that she is meticulous with her housekeeping, especially the floors, though two kids around now makes it much harder.
So, my understanding is that since Future is acrylic, it can't yellow, but must take my wife's comment into consideration. I have found that display cases protect models from yellowing, no matter the finish. I plan to use Future or Testors Acryl to finish a few to see what happens, and I'm sure it will be better than the lacquers which are soft and absorb impurities (causing yellowing) for a long time.
Hope this helps,
 
--Rob
 
Re: The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: Jerry Wesolowski <j.wes@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sunday, 14 November 1999, at 12:31 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: The Future debate revisited (TONY)
 
And now for the sad news. About five years ago I built up a WINGS 48 JILL. I coated the canopy with Future to show of the scratch built interior. When the Hasegawa kit was released, I took the vacu-formed kit off the shelf to compare them side-by-side. Lo and behold' over time the future finish does indeed yellow. So much so that it almost looked as if I had sprayed the canopy with Tamiya clear yellow. I hate to burst any bubbles but it really was noticeable. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
Cheers 
Jerry
 
Re: The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: Pete Chalmers <pchalmer@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sunday, 14 November 1999, at 3:48 p.m.
 
In Response To: The Future debate revisited (C.S. Richardson)
 
I agree - I use my Paasche H-1 (ext. mix ) for Future or (my preference) Polly Scale Clear Gloss, and save my internal mix brushes for enamels. Too tough to clean! I would highly recommend this simple old-fashioned brush, even if this is the only thing you use it for. They are now available for $30 or less.
One trick I use is to polish the needle (well, Paasche calls it a needle!) with a bit of 2000 or finer Micromesh prior to each session. I've sprayed 100 % or 50/50 alcohol - no real diff.
Another trick to get Future to smooth out beautifully is to spray the completed finish LIGHTLY with denatured alcohol - this remelts just the surface of the Future, which then re-hardens, eliminating orange peel. This also cleans out the brush! Practice - you don't want to melt it all off.
I use Floquil Enamels - Future or some other acrylic is mandatory as an oil wash protectant over these.
I used the "remelt" method on the box-model for the new Accurate Miniatures Grumman F3F-2 - coming soon! (I’ll keep an eye out for yellowing, but it's OK after 10 months). This method allowed the use of Japan. I.D. Yellow (see, this is really NOT off-topic) for the wing top, which is a perfect match for USN Pre-war Orange-yellow - and provides a way to "Gloss" flat paints. Also sprayed over the RWB USMC tail stripes and the Old Silver/Platinum Mist "aluminum lacquered areas.
For canopies, use carnauba wax after polishing - you'll never go back to Future.
Above all, let the Future "cure" for at least 24 hours before decaling.
 
Re: The Future debate revisited
 
Posted By: TONY <SISSY11@PRODIGY.NET>
Date: Sunday, 14 November 1999, at 4:15 p.m.
 
In Response To: Re: The Future debate revisited (Jerry Wesolowski)
 
Yes! I think it was about "92" that Future came out with a so-called new formula that was never to yellow. And many modelers found out the hard way that this stuff was no good. Since then they have corrected this. I have some models that are more than 10 years old and still look fine.
 
Flat Future
 
Posted By: Grant Goodale <grant.goodale@sympatico.ca>
Date: Tuesday, 3 April 2001, at 9:48 a.m.
 
Hello world -
I have been using "flat Future" to final coat some of my models. I mixed a small amount of Tamiya Flat Base in with straight Future. I spray it and it usually looks great. However, every so often, I end up with some small white flecks in the finish.
What am I doing wrong?
 
TIA 
 Grant
       
Posted By: Clark Hollis <Raidenhollis@cs.com>
Date: Friday, 6 April 2001, at 10:18 p.m.
 
Hi Grant,
I don't know, for sure, what the problem is. It sounds like the flat base is not getting dissolved completely. Try adding some Tamiya thinner to the mix and then, stir and shake the mix thoroughly before running it through a strainer into your paint jar. If all else fails, try adding lacquer thinner to a small batch, just to see what happens.
Let us know the results.
Clark  
Return to Faqs