Future and isopropyl alcohol don't mix

That's always been my experience. I had a canopy that I dipped in Future, and because of its shape, excess pooled up in one area. A Q-Tip soaked in alcohol saved the day !
I use enamel for washes, and I remove the excess with MM airbrush thinner. It's mostly "fumes" on the brush, and it's never removed any of the Future underneath. I don't use acrylic washes (don't care for 'em), so I can't suggest an alternative for you.

Mike,

No, you're not alone. Alcohol will cloud Future at a minimum and will eventually remove it.

Many aircraft and auto modelers use this to their advantage. By precoating canopies and windshields they get a nice glossy finish, but also have a nice barrier between the clear plastic and any paint that may "wander" in the wrong place. By rubbing the area with a paint brush moistened with alcohol, the Future will eventually dissolve and lift the unwanted paint away - enamels or acrylics. Then an additional coating of Future will restore the uniform coating.

I use acrylic washes and generally use plain old H2O to remove the excess. I start removing the wash within an hour or so of application. Haven't had any problems yet.

Hope this helps,

Thanks Pix and Robert.

I used some of my Createx T-shirt airbrush paints to highlight the panel lines on my F-15E and that is what I was trying to remove. I only left it on for about 5-10 minutes and while most all of it came off there is still a light smudge on either side of the panel line in many places and I was wondering what to remove it with without harming the Future coat. Plain water doesn't remove it completely.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV Thanks Pix and Robert. I used some of my Createx T-shirt airbrush paints to highlight the panel lines on my F-15E and that is what I was trying to remove. I only left it on for about 5-10 minutes and while most all of it came off there is still a light smudge on either side of the panel line in many places and I was wondering what to remove it with without harming the Future coat. Plain water doesn't remove it completely.

Oh,

I've never used Createx, so I'm unsure about it's properties. You might end up having to either airbrush or drybrush your base color over the smudge areas. This is not uncommon and is frequently mentioned in many online builds.

Maybe someone more familiar with Createx will have some other ideas. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Good Luck,

I take it the transparent Createx idea didn't work out. It was worth a try.

I usually use acrylic washes, but try and get the excess off in about 5 minutes or so. Normally just plain water will work as Robert pointed out.

Alcohol, Windex, any of the thinners or solvents for acrylic paints are going to be harmful to the Future since it's acrylic as well. Not sure what it would do, and you'd probably be better off trying it on some scrap first, but how about Createx Airbrush Cleaner. You probably have some of that around

I had the same problem on my F-105 over the weekend. Some acrylic wash wandered into a place where I didn't get enough Future and the surface was still flat. I finally gave up trying to get it out and shot another coat of gray over the top.

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity I take it the transparent Createx idea didn't work out. It was worth a try.

Scott,

Actually it worked fairly well except for the problem I mentioned.
I did the entire plane so now I am going to have to figure out how to remove or touch-up the smudged spots. I will try and get some photos on later.

Mike

Scott,

This is a photo of the Createx panel highlighting on the F-15E.


You can see the smudges I am talking about in the photo.
If it were a Navy aircraft I could probably leave it as is to simulate wear that shows so well on them but I have not seen F-15E's that looked like that.

Mike

Yeah, I see what you mean. It looks good in the panel lines though. Wish I could think of a way to tell you to get the smudges off. The surface looks smooth so it should come right off.

I am going to take Pix's advice and try enamels next time as it sounds easy to just wipe the excess off with some mineral spirits.
I tried mineral spirits on the Eagle but it didn't take the Createx smudges off.
I guess it's time to break out the Sotar and touch up.

Mike

Scott,

I tried Windex and it seems to be working.
I cut out some pieces of paper towel, folded them into a square and put a few drops of Windex onto them. If they are just damp with the Windex it takes the smudges off and does not affect the Future.

Mike

QUOTE: I tried Windex and it seems to be working. I cut out some pieces of paper towel, folded them into a square and put a few drops of Windex onto them. If they are just damp with the Windex it takes the smudges off and does not affect the Future.

Hey, that's great. I'm surprised the Windex didn't eat the Future, but who can argue with success!

I just don't understand why it wouldn't come off with just water. I use Golden acrylics for my panel lines, and unless it gets down in the grain of flat paint it wipes right off with a moisten Q-Tip. I would have expected the Createx to behave about the same.

Scott,

I am not sure why water didn't wipe it off. I started out using Createx tinting black mixed with transparent gray and it worked alright but not real good so I mixed Aqua-Flow Silk Black with the Createx transparent gray and that is what you see on the model. Maybe the Aqua-Flow is harder to remove since it is a much richer black than anything Createx produces.

Mike

For the gray on the bottom of my F-105 I used Golden Carbon Black and some Golden White to get the shade of gray I liked. On the wheels I used just Carbon Black watered down with a drop or two of soap. The only time I had problems getting any of it off was when it got in the grain of some flat gray that I didn't get enough Future on.

Maybe the Createx and Aqua-Flow combined to form some kind of epoxy paint

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity Maybe the Createx and Aqua-Flow combined to form some kind of epoxy paint

Could be.
Where's Gip when you need him? C'mon Gip give us a rundown.

Mike

Good point ... where IS Gip? Haven't seen him around in a few weeks.

Scott,

Gip has been real busy with graduation for his daughter, etc.
I have spoken to him in a few emails but I don't see him on the forum much.
You know how odd those armor guys are.

Mike

QUOTE: Gip has been real busy with graduation for his daughter, etc. I have spoken to him in a few emails but I don't see him on the forum much.

Long as he's OK. Just haven't seen anything from him in a while and was starting to wonder.

QUOTE: You know how odd those armor guys are.

Oh, well, yeah, well, I forgot he was one of them. That explains a lot!

Yo, Mike -
You gotta use a different media for the clear coat and the wash - I mean, you wouldn't use an enamel paint and then an enamel wash right over it, would you?
The Future is an acrylic - water soluble but it can also be thinned with isopropyl alcohol.
So use the Future, but do the washes with enamels or oils.