Future: To spray or to brush...

Airbrush!

Can't really give +/- in comparison to brushing as I've never tried brushing. I can't say that I've ever had any issue with airbrushing Future & have always been happy with the results - my best results have been with Tamiya flat base added for satin or matt finishes.

Thanks for the opinion, do you thin the future at all?  Doesn't look like it would need it to me... and should clean up with alcohol, being acrylic, right? 

I brush future straight from the bottle. Seeing as its already the consistency of water, there is no need to thin it.  The Future brushes just fine, Ive never had a problem with it. If you have runs, just dip a Qtip in future and scrub at it. Future dissolves itself so its really easy.

I've never airbrushed it, mostly due to laziness: I dont have a permanent hobby room so dragging out the A/B and compressor all the time is annoying. For clean-up, any ammonia-based cleaner works. I use Windex.

JailCop

Thanks for the opinion, do you thin the future at all?  Doesn't look like it would need it to me... and should clean up with alcohol, being acrylic, right? 

I personally don't thin it, but I do add a few drops of Liquitex Flow Aid to each paint cup (3>4ml) of Future that I use - some swear by thinning with Tamiya X-20A acrylic thinners, but never tried it.

For cleaning I flush through with either Methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) or lacquer thinner & always remove the needle & give it a wipe down. I find that if the needle isn't removed that there will be an accumulation of Future on the needle (which normal flushing wont remove), just in front of the needle seal that will harden quite quickly. Whatever you do, don't leave the Future in your airbrush for an extended time after spraying - it will harden & be a s*** to clean! 

Usually airbrush but yesterday I brushed it on a 1/144 190 where the decals were to be placed. Worked fine. No ridges to speak of. Now just need to clear the whole model today.

I've both sprayed it and brushed it.  No thinning required.

The way I clean out my airbrush is to strip it down and clean it as I would after using any acrylic paint, then I run through two paint cups of straight Windex and one of rubbing alcohol.

I've never had a problem with it gunking up my airbrush.

Neither, Testors rattle can gloss, never had luck w/Future save clear parts.

I almost always brush-paint it, as much to avoid setting up/cleaning the airbrush as anything. I have airbrushed it once, got kind of pebbly on me, may have been too dry or too much distance.

VanceCrozier

I almost always brush-paint it, as much to avoid setting up/cleaning the airbrush as anything. I have airbrushed it once, got kind of pebbly on me, may have been too dry or too much distance.

I've found it usually to be both.  The Future (and sometimes Tamiya acrylics) will dry on their way to the model's surface especially if I'm painting during the summer here on the surface of the sun!

I've had nothing but problems with Future outside of clear-parts-dunking. I've had rough surface issues (so much for self-leveling!), I've had color mismatch issues when hand brushing it over targeted areas (even after later clear coats over the whole model). I've had Micro-Sol and Micro-Set eat it.

I know lots of people have great success with it, but I swear in this hobby nothing works great for everybody. These days I favor either Tamiya rattlecan or Vallejo gloss varnish for shiny, and LOVE Alclad's clears for everything from semi-matte to flat. My favorite is "light sheen", which is exactly what it says. 

Reasoned

Neither, Testors rattle can gloss, never had luck w/Future save clear parts.

Ditto Testor's, and I don't bother with clear parts... Crystal-clear  parts... They don't look right on anything other than an Airshow bird... Real canopies on operational aircraft have myriad tiny scratches and scuffs... I just "polish" them enough to remove fingerprints...

Cleanup? Turn the rattle-can upside-down, give it a squirt to clear the siphon-tube, and re-cap...

As for the question, the best way to apply Future is to squirt it straight from the bottle onto the barracks-room floor, and use a sponge-mop to apply it, pushing forward only... Never back & forth...

Hans von Hammer

 

Reasoned:

 

Neither, Testors rattle can gloss, never had luck w/Future save clear parts.

 

 

Ditto Testor's, and I don't bother with clear parts... Crystal-clear  parts... They don't look right on anything other than an Airshow bird... Real canopies on operational aircraft have myriad tiny scratches and scuffs... I just "polish" them enough to remove fingerprints...

Cleanup? Turn the rattle-can upside-down, give it a squirt to clear the siphon-tube, and re-cap...

As for the question, the best way to apply Future is to squirt it straight from the bottle onto the barracks-room floor, and use a sponge-mop to apply it, pushing forward only... Never back & forth...