I recently put my first coat of Future on a model (airbrushed) since about 1992. I’ve got some dried-on drips-or maybe you’d call them runs- due to spraying it on too agressivly.
I don’t remember if I had this problem in the past nor what I should do about it. Should I sand down and re-apply the future? If the drips/runs arn’t too great, should I just go ahead and appy my decals, overcoat it with another coat and not worry about it?
Some more questions. I noticed as I sprayed it that it left a very pebbly pattern unless I went on real heavy (thus the problems above). What am I doing wrong? I airbrushed strait from the bottle at about 20psi.
Most of the Future application (98% of it) looks absolutely fantastic! A beutiful gloss on my F-102, ready for decals. It’s that 2% that’s not perfect that’s killing me!
Apply some more Future over the rough spots using a Q-tip. It won’t leave any brush marks. Or try sanding it with 1500 sandpaper. That’s all I can think of.
toadwbg,
Here’s my thoughts:
- wait for the future to dry really well, and then sand down the drips/runs. Go slowly and if it looks like the future is soft then stop and wait for it to dry some more. After you’ve got it leveled out, use some really fine sandpaper to polish it up a bit and then re-apply future over the spot. It should blend in fairly well.
- I find that the ‘pebble’ finish is what I aim for when shooting Future. Once I hit that stage, I STOP! (now you know why) The pebbles will gradually level out and form a nice thin layer of Future. If it doesn’t completely level out, apply another coat up until the same stage of pebbles. Stop again, and let it dry. I find that 3-4 coats of Future applied this way gives the results I’m happy with.
- There is a very narrow window where you can apply Future past the ‘pebble’ stage so that it looks wet. My experience is that there is a very fine line between this and the ‘run/drip’ stage, so I elect to hold-up and go with a second application rather than risk the ‘run’. If you can do it consistently, you’ve achieve a ‘master’ status with the Future…
M.
M.
excellent advice gentelment- thanks. I did use a q-tip to mop up drips when it was wet, that got most of them.
I will try several pebbly coats next time.
I will also try sanding down the run spots.
Thanks again! I had used Future far in the past but my memory escapes me on troubelshooting like this.
Just taking notes here guys… I´m not sure what the European counterpart is of Future, but I’m going to ask this anyway… When airbrushing it on, do you dilute the stuff or put it on pure?
I’m also going to assume this stuff is a laquer-esque substance, as opposed to a wax.
Thanks for the help, sorry about the daft questions…
Michaelvk,
You assume correctly; Future Floor Polish is an acrylic, not a wax. It really doesn’t need to be thinned in order to push it through an airbrush but, if desired, you can thin it with plain 'ole water. I wouldn’t recommend alcohol, it does funky things when mixed with Future.
I’ve heard Johnson’s Clear referred to as the European equiv to Future, but I’m not sure if it’s the same exact stuff. All the European modeling rags I’ve read usually have some reference to Johnson’s, so it must work well, in any case. And your questions aren’t daft!
Toad,
You’ll find that Future is VERY forgiving and quite flexible. It’s a dream to work with; it’s self-leveling so if brushed on, it won’t show brush marks. (Unless you keep working it as it starts to set!)
It also sands very well. I don’t necessarily recommend doing this, but I’ve been able to spray the stuff on and sand it within 5-10 minutes and then respray. That was kind of an emergency measure due to the circumstances, but it worked without a hitch. Also, I spray rather dry. Many folks spray wet and this may not work if you spray it on thick.
How’s the Stuka coming?
Fade to Black…
The Stuka is next blackwolfscd! I’ve got it built, ready for painting after my F-102 is complete.