On page 50 of the March 2013 FSM, Aaron Skinner has a good explanation of the various incarnations of S. C. Johnson’s floor polish, which used to be called “Future”, then Johnson bought out the “Future” company years ago and changed the name to “Pledge with Future”. Looking for a bottle in the store today, I found it under ANOTHER new label, different from the one in the photo, and was called “Pledge General Purpose” floor shine, or something like that. Nowhere on the label was the word “Future”. (I think they are trying to gradually phase out the name.)
Anyhow, it said it was acrylic, for use on tile or vinyl floors only, (not wood) and can be washed off with ammonia, just like the previous packages. I opened the cap and found it smelled the same. I stuck my finger in it, and it felt the same, too, getting a bit sticky as it dried, just like the previous stuff. I concluded it is the same old Future with yet another new name, and the word “Future” was nowhere to be found.
Found the new stuff at Ace Hardware, then I went to Wal-Mart and found the bottle shown in Aaron’s photo for $4.00 less. So I bought it and certainly now have a life time supply!
I use it on the canopies to make them crystal clear. I also use it on the tape when I mask anything to prevent the paint from seeping through. And I use it as a decal sealer and gloss coat. If the finish is too shiny for a particular model, I just hit it with some dullcote.
There was a discussion on another post about Future lifting. It was suggested that the formual was changed. So I called Johnson’s and they told me that they changed the formula.
I am sure it will still work, just not as well. You may want to consider sealing your models with another product.
I just used the “new” future for a coating prior to decals going down on an F-100D. It isn’t quite drying or looking right when it sprays via airbrush.
Its been over 2 years since this was updated so the photos of current product bottles are out of date but it does an excellent job of answering your questions about what we use it for.
Mitsdude, a lot of modelers use it on clear parts, like an aircraft canopy, to coat it after sanding. Or they use it as a gloss clear coat before putting decals on when the paint is a flat/matte finish. With respect to Mr. Skinner, I think something has been changed. I used the Pledge with future for tile and vinyl floors, but it came out awful. As if the self-leveling from the old “future” label is not asit once was. Anyone else have this issue?
Something is definitely different about it. It as if its not as thick or something. I dipped a couple of canopies in the “new” stuff and the Future separated in spots…like water on a garage floor with oil stains. It seems to have a higher surface tension.
Because of this I’ve started polishing my canopies with the Novus polishing system and I think they look just as good as canopies dipped in Future.
