Future vs. Decals... what am I doing wrong?

i usually coat it with future and let it dry,right before applying the decal i brush some on that spot and set the decal in place while it's still wet,that helps it adhere and stops silvering at the same time,,,if it lays down good in 20 minutes or so i brush another coat on the decal at that time,,,,after all that has dried for a day,i spray the final coat,hope that helps out

I usually shoot future straight from the bottle, and my decals don't wrinkle so I don't think that's the problem.  I typically wait only a day after applying decals before overcoating so I don't that's the prob;em either.  After your decals have completely set, do you wipe them and the surrounding areas with a damp cloth to remove any setting solution residue?  If not, perhaps some remaining setting soultiom residue is being re-activated by the Future.

Andy

You could be right about the setting solution, I got in a hurry and didn't do anything but dust it I haen't had a chance to look at it this morning, hopefully the big decals have settled... hopefully! Thanks for the help guys.

Andy's basically got it, I think. Future is an acrylic coating similar to acrylic paints. All paint coatings shrink, at least slightly. Future shrinks less than most, but still shrinks. The decal or decal adhesive serves as a bond-breaker between the two coats of Future, and it is especially bad if you leave dried setting solution on the decal surface. When the Future cures, the portion over the decal is not restrained by bonding to the Future beneath it, and the slight shrinkage causes wrinkling or cracking of the decal.

It is always wisest to clean a surface immediately before coating.

Ok, I finally got to take a good look at it and most of the decals settled down a bit, there are a couple airbubbles, but I can handle those. So what do you guys recommend to clean it with? I was afraid to use water because I didn't want the decals to come loose, and I was afraid anything else might damage them?

For cleaning before painting, there are two things you can do:

1. Don't let it get dirty in the first place. Put it in a container when it's idle. I use a large, plastic, covered cake tray.
2. Wipe it down with a damp cloth—basically you are dusting. If you are worried about skin oil or something like that, use a little vinegar on the rag. Don't scrub, just wipe.
   

Triarius wrote:

For cleaning before painting, there are two things you can do: Don't let it get dirty in the first place. Put it in a container when it's idle. I use a large, plastic, covered cake tray. Wipe it down with a damp cloth—basically you are dusting. If you are worried about skin oil or something like that, use a little vinegar on the rag. Don't scrub, just wipe.

Thank you Ross, I was worried about the decals, its a $150 kit and its all most done, so ruining the decals now would be very, very bad to my motivation I just got in to much of a hurry last night and wanted to get the Future coat on so I could do the panel lines. Again, thank you gentlemen!

eizzle wrote:

Triarius wrote: For cleaning before painting, there are two things you can do: Don't let it get dirty in the first place. Put it in a container when it's idle. I use a large, plastic, covered cake tray. Wipe it down with a damp cloth—basically you are dusting. If you are worried about skin oil or something like that, use a little vinegar on the rag. Don't scrub, just wipe. Thank you Ross, I was worried about the decals, its a $150 kit and its all most done, so ruining the decals now would be very, very bad to my motivation I just got in to much of a hurry last night and wanted to get the Future coat on so I could do the panel lines. Again, thank you gentlemen!

Same thing happened to me. Did not give each coat enough time to "cure", the paint and future shrank/dried and the decals lost the battle. Not so good at the end of a build..................

Its such a pain isn't it? I hate it when I mess up towards the end, but sometimes if its at the begining of the build it really kills it for me.

I didn't mention (thought it was obvious, but maybe not) if you used vinegar in the wash, wipe a second time with water only.

Noted Ross, thank you. It probably is obvious, but when I get in a hurry, I'm pretty oblivious

eizzle wrote:

Noted Ross, thank you. It probably is obvious, but when I get in a hurry, I'm pretty oblivious

Obvious or oblivious…whatever…