Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss

1943Mike

Does anyone know if the newer stuff works as well as the older "Future" floor polish?

That is the million dollar question nobody bothers to ask. I tip my hat to you, Mike.

I don't know the answer, I doubt anyone does, and I'm not risking the shelf longivity of my models (anymore, anyway) on a cheap clear coat craze/alternative that just won't die. IMO, there are more and better acrylic clear coat options now.

OTOH, I wonder if Swanny, who I think wrote the blog that started all this might know for sure.

Or maybe my hairdresser knows........oh, nevermind.

Here's the 'new' and the old.  I've had the old one for 20 years or so... 1/2 empty :)

Here's an airliner I did 15 or so years ago maybe more - finished with the future coat.

As I have said before, "Pledge is for floors, not for models."

Cadet Chuck

As I have said before, "Pledge is for floors, not for models."

 

Ther are plenty of products not made specifically for models that work great on models. Future just happens to be one of them. 

Greg,

I just give away my models to anyone in the neighborhood who might want them. I keep a few that I really like on the outer edges of my built-in bookshelf and on one little table I bought to display my larger ships (now hosting my Cutty Sark) but I don't have much room for permanent display so I just add what I like at the moment and give away ones that I've enjoyed long enough. It's the process I enjoy ... learning how to get better at this hobby that keeps me in it. Not that I don't enjoy looking at some of what I've built, I do for those that turn out alright - not so much the one's I've messed up .

However, I don't want to spend the committment building a kit to see it ruined by discoloration or, worse, gloppy goo or other problems that I can envision the gremlins of airbrushing foisting on me as I spray a coat of this stuff on something that's taken me months to nearly complete.

I guess I'll just have to test it on some plain old sheet styrene of which I have plenty in one of my hobby drawers. I'll paint it with my usual acrylic paints and then coat it with the new stuff. That may not tell me all that could go wrong over time but it'll give me a clue as to how it coats in the moment.

John,

Your "new" bottle looks pretty much like my old one. The one I picked up today at Walmart is clear, the same size and shape bottle, but the ingredients are like a little book - lots of chemicals. The liquid itself seems clear but it's definitely different. It's not going to put me into the poor house if I have to throw it away, it's just that I don't know of any particular product (acrylic based) that would work as well or better than the old "Future".

Nice job on the aircraft BTW.

Chuck,

What do you use?

I only work with acrylic paints so it would have to be A) safer than more astrigent chemical based paints, and B) I would hope water based.

Stik,

Do you use anything other than Future? If so, what?

Again, I only use acrylic paints so I would be looking for something either water based or something with a base that's not detrimental to my lungs.

In the past, I have used Testor's clear coat sprays.  Recently, I have switched over to Gunze "Mr. Color" clear overcoats.  They come in gloss, semi-gloss, and matte (flat).  I have had good success with them.  You can get them in spray cans, or in bottles for airbrushing.

1943Mike

Do you use anything other than Future? If so, what?

Ive used Future as my go to gloss since the mid 90s when I started noticing decals solution interaction with Testors rattlecan stuff. I started to see stains/tide marks under the topcoat from where the solutions had been. Light at first, but visible enough to be noticed. So then I tried Micro Gloss and Micro Flat. The gloss worked great, but the flat coat gave me problems and I did not have the patience at the time to work thru the problems, so I ditched the stuff, then switched to Future and various bottled flat/matt and satin/semi gloss coats as needed. Currently my go to flat coats are: Humbrol, Tamiya, or Future with Tamiya Flat base added.

If the new Pledge stuff does not work as well, I will likely go back to Micro Gloss, as I really liked how that stuff worked. And maybe I'll mess around with Micro Flat to figure out the bugs and see if I can get it to work right. 

So long story short, I'd look at Micro Gloss from Microscale or Tamiya Clear Gloss X-22, which I have not yet tried, as options beyond Future for acrylic gloss clear coats.

1943Mike

However, I don't want to spend the committment building a kit to see it ruined by discoloration or, worse, gloppy goo or other problems that I can envision the gremlins of airbrushing foisting on me as I spray a coat of this stuff on something that's taken me months to nearly complete. I guess I'll just have to test it on some plain old sheet styrene of which I have plenty in one of my hobby drawers. I'll paint it with my usual acrylic paints and then coat it with the new stuff. That may not tell me all that could go wrong over time but it'll give me a clue as to how it coats in the moment.

I should mention that I have never had an issue with "Future" discoloring or doing anything bad from passing time. I have an old bottle, not quite the one John (Keavdog) posted, but mine is from 2013, and at least clearly states "with Future Shine" on it.

Just to be clear, I'm neither griping about the product nor it's use. I'm just saying I have no idea if the newer versions are the same recipe as the original or not, and I've moved on to other products, not wanting to take a chance.

I still have plenty in my old, original recipe bottle too and I still dip the occasional canopy or brush on a clear acrylic here and there.

I think it's cool that you give your models away. I'll bet both the kids and not-kids who get them are very happy.

1943Mike

...It's not going to put me into the poor house if I have to throw it away...

If you don't use it for gloss-coating, don't throw it away-use it on your floors.

the Baron

 

 

1943Mike

...It's not going to put me into the poor house if I have to throw it away...

 

 

 

If you don't use it for gloss-coating, don't throw it away-use it on your floors.

 

lol - very pragmatic

Greg, Chuck, and Stik,

Thanks for the very helpful responses. I really appreciate the suggestions/recommendations that you have given me.

I have plenty of Tamiya X-22 on hand so I may shoot that when my older bottle of Pledge runs out in a year or two .

I'm posting three pictures I took a few minutes ago just so you all understand which bottles of Pledge I'm referring to. I also tried (and failed) to shoot a clear image of the ingredients of each bottle. You can, however, see that the new bottle has a ton more chemicals than the older one.

Well, those ingredients show that one has a whole bunch of different stuff in there than the other. Even if they go by different names, there are many more listed. Not to mention that the front label says nothing about "Future" on there. So it sounds like two different products, the latest being "new and improved" (my words, not theirs), probably like the FSM forums are new and improved... 

If that is the case, it looks like I'll save the Future that I have left for canopies and such, search for a new old stock bottle of Pledge with Future Shine, and start stocking up on Tamiya X-22 and Micro Gloss, two names that I know that I can trust due to personal experience.

I'm fairly certain that there are posts in the forum from people who have reported using the newest version, and saying it works just like the older versions.  A search on "Future" would tell us for certain.

As far as Swanny goes, I don't think he's updated his article for a couple of years.  It shows a last updated stamp from 2015.

I use Pledge Floor Care, one iteration or another of clear lacquer, Tamiya X-22 and Liquitex varnishes at various times. They all work fine but require different techniques or blends of additives except Pledge. That's pour and shoot.

Oldermodelguy,

You said:

"I use Pledge Floor Care ..."

Yes, as you can see from the pictures I posted, my older bottle is exactly that - Pledge Floor Care - and it has served me well for several years. It's the newer version, Pledge Revive It that I'm worried about.

Thanks for your input.

BTW, how do you shoot Tamiya X-22? Do you thin it? If so, with what and in what ratio?

1943Mike

Oldermodelguy,

 

BTW, how do you shoot Tamiya X-22? Do you thin it? If so, with what and in what ratio?

 

 X-22 can be thinned in a few ways, to include Tamiya acrylic thinner, Tamiya lacquer thinner, Mr Leveling thinner, hardware store lacquer thinner, isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. The amount is according to what you want to accomplish. So with all that said, I generally use either hardware store lacquer thinner or DNA. And I generally thin it no less than 50-50 ( in the paint world that means 100% reduction or equal volumes of each). I generally don't thin it more than 125% which is a bit more than 50/50 thinner to paint. It's something you play around with and get a handle on doing for yourself.

To me, while you can go 60/40 X-22 to thinner it goes on too thick. sprays fine but thicker coats possible orange peel if you dial back the paint flow. I'd rather it be thinner and be free to add coats. Just me, others I'm sure have there way. It's not hard to work with though, grab a bottle and blow through some of that to catch your approach to the stuff. One thing you just about can't do is put it down too wet, I'll put on 5 coats with the last one a soaker on a model car as a finish coat and not had it run. You can't do that with Future. Probably the DNA is the slowest initial dry. LT is tack free pretty quick and that's what takes more soaking. Both will shine. IPA isn't quite as glossy but levels nice. I've never used the Tamiya acrylic thinner, some folks love that approach which is the most costly.

You can buy used original future on ebay.... lol 75% full

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284264107245?epid=14017627776&hash=item422f760ced:g:wwkAAOSwvTdgfaKN

Oldermodelguy,

Thanks for the very helpful answer to my question.

Just because I'm used to isopropyl alcohol in my paint thinning experience I'll probably try that first if I end up having to use Tamiya X-22.

You certainly have a lot of patience with your building scale model cars!

John,

That's really funny! I woder if anyone will actually purchase it.

1943Mike

Just because I'm used to isopropyl alcohol in my paint thinning experience I'll probably try that first if I end up having to use Tamiya X-22.

I have used anywhere from 91% to 99% isopropyl alcohol to thin Tamiya acrylics and it works great.  Hopefully you'll see the same results.  Currently using 99% aviation grade, since I can buy it by the gallon.

I noticed that the old list of ingredients is pretty vague, whereas the new bottle is very specific.  It could be that they are the same and the change was required by some new government regulation.  I have a very old bottle of Future and it doesn't list any ingredients at all.

Don

the Baron

As far as Swanny goes, I don't think he's updated his article for a couple of years. It shows a last updated stamp from 2015.

That's interesting, I would have guessed his newest update was older than that.

Thanks for the info!

Don Wheeler

It could be that they are the same and the change was required by some new government regulation.

Could be, indeed, Don.

Don,

I also was thinking that might be the case. Just hoping someone could confirm it.