How glossy does Future have to be to prevent silvering?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

I brush painted Future over cured Tamiya acrylic red and it seems semi-gloss even after three decent coats.

I’m trying to avoid silvering of decals. Am I doing something wrong?

I used to use MM gloss laquer and again couldn’t get a real gloss with that either. I thought I would go back to Future.

Thanks for input

2

One more question is once this is cured , decaled and cured for several more days. Will MM flat laquer cause the Future to “crack”, or am I worrying too much?

3

I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, it’s the future settling over flat paint, which is not smooth at all. When I apply decals now, I will also wet the area the decal will go with future. It seems to keep the air out. I have used testors dullcote without any ill effects.

4

I agree with mississippivol.

You need to remember that the paint underneath may be very matte and quite rough - the future is trying to fill in those imperfections.

I know some auto modellers who will put on 6+ coats of gloss, then buff out to get a really glossy smooth finish.

For me, i normally to 2-3 coats of gloss then lay down the decals. To some extent, i think the silvering will also depend upon the quality of the decal carrier film too - some are not super clear and may have a small amount of opacity to them.

5

I find that a super gloss is not really needed to prevent silvering. Just maybe on the glossy side of semi-gloss is enough. I use Testors gloss coat instead of future- usually a single coat is enough.

I am not sure why, since it is lacquer, but Testors Glosscoat and Dullcoat seem to be reasonably compatible with many hobby paints.

6

Wilbur

If you lightly polish out the flat paint with a soft cotton t shirt, it will leave a smoother surface and the gloss will be better applied. Remember that Future is thin and levels out and multiple coats are needed to build up the gloss. I usually do about 5 to 6 light hand brushed coats a few minutes apart so it’s smooth like glass. Future will react to decal setting products so let it cure for at least 2 days otherwise the setting liquid will create a white ugly haze around the decal area.

You can spray MM flat Lacquer over cured Future in light coats as it will dry fast before it has a chance to attack the acrylic. Make sure that the Future is cured, usually 2 days is safe.

7

Thanks for the responses.

Don I honestly would prefer to use MM gloss laquer in rattle cans as I have in the past but on my big A400 Grizzly I applied two good coats and the decals still silvered. Now on that plane the decals are pretty big. I had to use Excel super sharp #11 blades to painstakingly slice out the silvering, then apply another light coat of gloss to cover my tracks.

I also find the gloss to be “Hotter” than the flat.

Future dries super fast and can get gummy when brush applying if one is trying to do too big an area.

I’ve also found that spot applying Future just where the decals will sit…that spot will show up once the flat coats are sprayed on. You have to do the whole wing with Future or it won’t look right. Anyone else have that issue?

8

You keep a wet edge when brushing Future. I have never had gummed up issues with it. I handbrush as big as a 1/32 scale aircraft all at a time without any issues.

And yes spot treating with Future will leave a slight different sheen when flat is applied.

9

I’ll keep the wet edge tip in mind. Thanks. I guess I need more practice.