I just sprayed a coat of Future down on my Accurate Miniatures A-36. I must’ve had the PSI too low, because the stuff came out way too thick/fast. I’m letting it settle down and even out, but I know there are areas where the stuff just pooled and coagulated like… clear, dried blood. [+o(]
Does anyone have a suggestion for how to deal with this problem? Sand it down? Polish it down with some windex and a clean rag?
Depends on what type of paint is underneath. If it is enamel, you may be able to use simply use soap, water and a toothbrush to scrub it off under running water. Rubbing alcohol may also help to soften it.
I used Future for years with good results. I stopped using it and my life got a lot better[:D] Future is slightly over rated in my opinion.
If it’s dry over enamel, Isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol will clean it right off. Windex will too, but not as aggressively.
However, if it’s over acrylic, there’s no solvent which will remove it without affecting the underlying paint.
I should’ve stated the paint underneath: Vallejo Model Air acrylic. I haven’t tried rubbing alcohol before with Future.
And SubarooMike, I’ve used it twice, with varying degrees of success. Thought the third time will be the decider, but I screwed up the test by not having the PSI where it should’ve been.
I can see how taking notes for model making is a good thing.[8-|]
@Adam148 and SubarooMike: the secret to using Future is to spray a very light mist at high pressure to make the surface of the model sticky… then spray a heavy coat several layers at a time. This allows the Future to stick to the model and slightly set between layers… One heavy coat will run and drip unless you “fly” the model in continuous loop-de-loops until it sets. Using high pressure overspray you can even vary the glossyness on the final coat.
I know how to use it, and can very well. I just don’t like the stuff. Nothing can compete with it on a financial level, but most clears I have used beat it out in performance. Just my two pennys
Sorry SubarooMike, didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t know how to use it… it’s just that I see a lot of people get frustrated with it and give up. Please share what you like better - I’m always open to try new stuff 
Thank you.
Lockon, what psi do you suggest? 25? 30?
I don’t like the stuff, except maybe dipping clear canopies. It’s made for floors, not models.
I believe I have also heard that if you put a fresh coat of future over the existing one, the latter will re-liquify. If you can get the heavier areas to soften, you could then wipe it until it’s at least thinner in that area. I bet then on a re-spray you could blend it in and cover it up.
Yes, about 30 psi. Use a resperator though… the room will become a cloud of acrylic.
You know, I just tried again on a test model at 25 and 30psi, using a .6mm needle. The stuff came out of the airbrush like a firehose. I’m thinking that size needle is way too big. Maybe that’s the problem I had last night.
Dirkpitt77, that’s not my experience. The coat underneath probably won’t soften much… but even if it does, wiping will result in a real mess. I’d either wet sand the dry coat or try to remove it with solvent. I’ve often left sags and drips alone rather than trying to fix them. If a dull coat goes over it you’ll probably never see it anyway.
Incidentally, I used a clean rag moistened with Windex-type cleaning solution and was able to buff down and smooth out the gloppy spots of Future. No loss of paint underneath.
Yes, I should have mentioned to use the finest tip you have. If you have a dual action, modulate the flow so that the first coat actually looks dull. Then open up a bit to get a nice gloss but be careful not to hit the same areas over and over.
I don’t particularly like Future as a gloss. I use Alclad Auqa Gloss. You can clean it off with windex, but if the paint is acrylic it could strip it too…alcohol will strip enamel and lacqures right off plastic…so be careful there.
ASanders-- Aqua Gloss was my ultimate fix. I sprayed the upper surfaces with AG with very nice results. I found it much more controllable than Future, though I still got some orange peel that I’d like to try to knock down for experimentation’s sake. I emailed Alclad to ask about buffing out the orange peel in the finish. They (Tony) suggested wet sanding. I asked specifically about Windex or Isopropyl but he didn’t think either would work on hardened Aqua Gloss. Interesting that you’ve had a different experience.
No no. I’ve not used windex or alcohol on the AG…just Future. I’ve used it to remove Future from dipped canopies that have dried with impurities etc. I’ve never had to try to remove AG. It does sometimes get a little orange peel to it. But it’s never a real problem. Seems that my final clear coats handle it.
It works best on your floor.