Which "Future" Pledge product one is the right one and more questions...

I clean out Future with Windex as well.  Then I spray a little paint thinner (mineral spirits) through the AB before putting it away.

BTW-Although Future sprays fine at package strength, I have tried adding a few drops of Windex to the Future before spraying and had nice results too.

Gary

Thanks guys. After posting my questions, I kinda wondered if Windex; not water is used to clean after airbrushing Future. I'd hate to think what the end result would have been if I had used water.

Just out of further curiosity:  Can the Future be brushed on?  As far as decals go is it better to use Future or can any gloss coat do?

Black sheep

I use Future all the time and love it. Yes it's the floor finish one. I brush mine on and wait about 10 minutes cause it dries faster than a speeding bullet. Let it cure for 2 days just to be extra safe to avoid clouding up the decal area when using a setting solution.

If you are going to spray it, do so straight from the bottle at 18-20 psi and spray several light coats till it builds up to a nice gloss. Do set your model in a closed box because all the dust in the universe will look for your model!

Windex will remove Future from anything so you can use it to clean your AB or if you didn't like how the canopy came out after dipping it, then soak it in Windex for a minute or so and use a soft brush to clean away all the Future then dip it again.

Alclad has a product called Aqua Gloss which is sort of like Future but it's sprayed  on and you can decal within a couple of hours. The bottle says to wait overnight to cure  but I have read of modelers that have decaled or done washes a couple of hours after spraying it.

Black Sheep,

I did the same thing. I went from store to store. Looked it up on the internet, and said it was now Pledge, the one with the blue boots on the front, not the dog.

Also, make sure that it says it is Acrylic on the label. There are different Pledge Floor Care Finishes for different types of floors, which means a different type of ingredient if you have wood floors, or vinyl, etc. If you get the finish for wood floors, it doesn't have acrylic in it, and the finish looks somewhat semi-gloss instead of shiny gloss. I have found this out the hard way............. Using the wood finish Pledge does not give good results when decaling.

Thanks for that little tip Devil Dawg. Otherwise I would have never known the difference.

modelcrazy

Black Sheep,

I did the same thing. I went from store to store. Looked it up on the internet, and said it was now Pledge, the one with the yellow boot on the front, not the dog.

This is indeed the hot tip to procure the right one, BlackSheep.

Edit: that grey band is supposed to be a highlight, didn't work.

LOL! I figured that much Greg.

You could, if properly thinned with Windex, I would think... but I would be wary of brushmarks.  Remember (or look into) dipping your parts into the gloss if you need that.

I have found that in my experience Future/Pledge acrylic was the best gloss coat out there, since I could airbrush it and not depend on a rattle can like Testor's gloss comes in.

Okay... I found the Pledge floor finish at Walmart but I stopped myself from getting it. I started second guessing myself because it states as a "multi-surface" floor finish. No, it did not have pics of boots on the bottle. Yes, it did say acrylic finish and has a blue cap. Am I seeing the right product?

Black Sheep,

This is the bottle you want.

This is the bottle I found at Walmart last night.

www.pledge.com/.../floor-care-finish.aspx

Not sure if it's the same product or not modelcrazy

Yea, it looks like they changed it again. It looks like the same stuff.

I agree with ModelCrazy, it does look like Johnson changed it again. Question is, changed what? The product or just the bottle labeling (yet again)?

If you jump over to the Johnson website, folks are griping about the re-labeling.

But, the one you got and linked to BlackSheep seems to be the only one of the Johnson Floor care products that mentions 'acrylic', so that's at least a good sign?

For any discussion of Future, I like to reference Matt Swann's page at his site, Swanny's Models, with his info on Future:

www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

Here's my own experience with Future:

I brush it on by hand, or apply it via the airbrush.  It's self-leveling, but I have learned to go easy and apply multiple coats, rather than a lot at once, because it will pool or drip, if you put on too much at once.

I use Windex to clean brushes and the airbrush, followed by water.

Windex will dissolve cured Future, in case you do get a dried drop or streak, or need to undo it.  The ammonia is the ingredient that dissolves the acrylic.

For decaling, I like complete coverage, but not too thick, because it is possible to build up too much acrylic and obliterate fine details

Future is great for fixing scratches on clear parts.  You can use polishing pads to sand out scratches and then dip in Future, to fill the polished area

Hope that all helps!

While we're on the subject of Future, I found a really old bottle at a thrift store, at least old enough that it still says Future on the bottle (has a graphic of an atom behind the name).  It looks unopened, would it still be safe to use?

Ghostrider114

While we're on the subject of Future, I found a really old bottle at a thrift store, at least old enough that it still says Future on the bottle (has a graphic of an atom behind the name).  It looks unopened, would it still be safe to use?

I say, yes.  I've had 2 bottles in 20+ years.  The first one lasted about 15 years, then it started to get just a little cloudy, at which time, I used it up on my kitchen and bathroom flooring.  The second bottle is crystal clear.

If it's unopened, then there should be a seal under the spout cap.

If it's been opened, but it's clear, I'd use it, and if your not sure, use it on your floors, it's not a waste, in any case.