Satin Finish?

If you use Future, you'll probably have noticed that the more coats you put on the shinier the finish is... A single, or a couple of thin coat of Future should give you the effect you want.

The cotton ball tip was mine. You're right, you want to use the cotton ball to buff down the paint and not the clear coat. The cotton is a mild abrasive so on clear you would really be scratching the clear finish. I've never tried it on future and not sure if it would give a very good result. Somebody posted a message about how to get a flat finish out of future. I would think if you adjusted the formula you might get the desired result. I'm not sure where that post is, but if you do a search of the site (next to FAQ at the top) you should be able to isolate it. I think I'll go look for it myself and add it to my notes. I forgot to do that
Dave

I found the information so thought I would save everyone the headache of searching for it. This was a post by stupidfish having to do with getting a flat(er) finish out of Future?

"RE: thinning future floor wax?

You can thin Future with rubbing alcohol. If you want your models to look dull afterwards, mix future with Tamiya's Flat Base X-21 but no more than 50 precent of the flat base or it will haze pretty bad. Check out navismagazine.com they have several demos (most of which include several uses of Future) on all sorts of models built by some of the best. I hate to plug another website but we ARE here to help each other and you'd be doing yourself a favor by giving them a look-see."

Thank you for the ideas! I've tried the single coat of Future, but have gotten splotchy results. Maybe I need to thin it with rubbing alcohol instead of water. Time for some trial...and error!

You should not need to thin it at all... Use it straight from the bottle!

If you're using enamels, then try using Floquil flat finnish # F110015. This is from their "Railroad Colors" line. I thin it with Diosol (from same) at about 50/50. I know it says flat, but it is not. It drys satin. It's kinda flat with one REALLY light coat, but the way I apply it, it's definitely satin. Or put it this way; more coats = more sheen. It does go on nicely though. After application you can handle it fairly soon, but before you do any work I would let it sit for a few days. The guy I buy it from told me to shoot it straight from the bottle, but I feel it is too thick.

Future should be used only as a base for applying decals and then topcoated to get the desired satin or matt finish. Future doesn't need to be thinned, I airbrush it unthinned at about 20psi with a Paasche H-3. I spray two light coats about an hour apart and then let it set about 48 hours before decaling. Once decals are applied and cured (another 48 hours ), Future can be safely topcoated. I usually use Testors Dullcote which I also spray unthinned. A light overall spray of Dullcote will give a satin finish. The more Dullcote you apply the flatter the end result and you will quickly get a very matt finish, so if you want a satin finish go light and let it dry. Check your result and when the desired level of finish is achieved, call it a day.

Dullcote straight from the bottle? Wow, it seems too thick to push through an airbrush, but I'll try it!
I read elsewhere another satin finish tip: mix Future and Tamiya flat base in a 3:1 ratio.
Many thanks for the ideas, fellow modelers!