Future Pledge and canopies - a question on use.

Don Stauffer

I think dipping canopies is fine for a new, fresh-from-the-factory look. It does bother me, however, to see a well weathered model with a pristine glossy canopy.

Here is a step by step tutorial I did on how to use Future or Pledge with Future Shine, on a clear plastic part. In the first pic you will see the materials needed to dip a part in Future. You will need the clear part, tweezers, a container to hold you Future, a paper towel, some sort of rack, and a box to put the part in to dry. Pictures are clickable.

First step is to hold the clear part with your tweezers. Here I am holding the window frame of the side window from my Fujimi Spinner kit. The Future will cover the section of frame after I set the part down as Future will level itself out. Even if it didn't, the frame will be painted anyway.

Lift the part out slowly. After dipping the part in Future, hold the part at an angle so a corner is pointing down. You want as much excess Future to run off the part. Let this drip back into your container. If you have any bubbles on the part that didn't pop or run off, re-dip the part.

There will likely still be some excess that will not drip off. This is where your papertowel comes in. Hold the bottom corner of the part and just touch it to the papertowel. The papertowel will wick away the last drop or so of Future.

I made a small plastic rack out of plastic strip and half round to set my parts on after dipping. You dont want to set the part on something with a lot of surface contact between the parts or they will get stuck together. Yes, Future can be used as a glue. But that is another thread that I will post later.:thumbsup:

Here the rack and part have been placed in a box. You want to leave this covered until the Future dries so no dust or other particles land on the part. I typically leave the parts in a box for 24 hours to make sure the Future has cured completely.

Here is another angle. Dipped window is on the bottom.

They do look the same, due to my lack of proper equipment and location for macro photography.  The one on the left, in the parts that are supposed to be clear (as opposed to painted over) the "see through" capability is higher and sharper.

rookie 104

Thanks for the demo - They both look the same to me.

Thanks for the demo - They both look the same to me.

One has been dipped, the other hasn't.

Jon_a_its

One reason to dip is to prevent CA from frosting the canopies.

Another is, if you slip with the brush while painting, you can often 'chip' the over-paint with a sharpened wooden cocktail-stick,  

I agree with theCA. My current build has a lot of PE parts to add and this will be important. Also, I use Parafilm to mask my canopies and it makes the film a lot easier to remove after painting. Lastly, minor imperfections can be hidden.

Sanding off a mold seperation line.... Future is a must!

Jim

One reason to dip is to prevent CA from frosting the canopies.

Another is, if you slip with the brush while painting, you can often 'chip' the over-paint with a sharpened wooden cocktail-stick,  

I think dipping canopies is fine for a new, fresh-from-the-factory look. It does bother me, however, to see a well weathered model with a pristine glossy canopy.

I've got two clear sprues from a 1/48 B25.  I'll dip one, let it dry and then photograph the two together to see if folks can tell them apart.

If you primarily use acrylic paints, keep in mind that Pledge/Future may cause streaking/running if a pre-painted item is dipped.

Thanks a lot guys. Also I heard it makes the canopy shinnier if it's dipped.

Not sure why you need to dip the canopy in future?, unless it has some kind of defects. I think its just a modeling fad...

I'm with Bish, it's fine before or after.

Glenn

I don't think it would really matter. Assuming you are giving the rest of the aircraft a gloss coat for decaling, the frame can just be given a flat coat at the same time as the rest.