I want to try my hand at using Future on my kits - mainly for clear parts and a gloss coat for decaling before using a clearcoat. Which Future product is it? I went grocery shopping at Walmart tonight and saw 2 products - Pledge Floor CareCleaner (lemon scented) and Pledge Floor Care Finish. My thought would be the Floor Care Finish, correct? It’s in a clear bottle, blue cap.
Question 2 - How many coats of Future is recommended to use before decaling? How long should I let it dry/cure between coats and before decaling?
Question 3 - Do you add to the airbrush cup straight up? My guess there is no diluting required. I know, I know, a stupid question…
Question 4 - How do you clean/flush Future from the airbrush when finished? With water or thinner?
You are correct in that you need the “finish” version of the product. Use your best judgement on how many coats are necessary to get the level of gloss you need. The bottle states that 20 minutes are required for drying fairly thick coats to a floor, but it dries even faster when airbrushed in light coats. Again, use your best judgement because humidity does affect setting time. The best cleaner I have found for my airbrush when I use Future is Windex window cleaner, but just about any cleaner containing ammonia will strip and clean the Future out of the airbrush.
Thanks guys. After posting my questions, I kinda wondered if Windex; not water is used to clean after airbrushing Future. I’d hate to think what the end result would have been if I had used water.
I use Future all the time and love it. Yes it’s the floor finish one. I brush mine on and wait about 10 minutes cause it dries faster than a speeding bullet. Let it cure for 2 days just to be extra safe to avoid clouding up the decal area when using a setting solution.
If you are going to spray it, do so straight from the bottle at 18-20 psi and spray several light coats till it builds up to a nice gloss. Do set your model in a closed box because all the dust in the universe will look for your model!
Windex will remove Future from anything so you can use it to clean your AB or if you didn’t like how the canopy came out after dipping it, then soak it in Windex for a minute or so and use a soft brush to clean away all the Future then dip it again.
Alclad has a product called Aqua Gloss which is sort of like Future but it’s sprayed on and you can decal within a couple of hours. The bottle says to wait overnight to cure but I have read of modelers that have decaled or done washes a couple of hours after spraying it.
I did the same thing. I went from store to store. Looked it up on the internet, and said it was now Pledge, the one with the blue boots on the front, not the dog.
Also, make sure that it says it is Acrylic on the label. There are different Pledge Floor Care Finishes for different types of floors, which means a different type of ingredient if you have wood floors, or vinyl, etc. If you get the finish for wood floors, it doesn’t have acrylic in it, and the finish looks somewhat semi-gloss instead of shiny gloss. I have found this out the hard way… Using the wood finish Pledge does not give good results when decaling.
You could, if properly thinned with Windex, I would think… but I would be wary of brushmarks. Remember (or look into) dipping your parts into the gloss if you need that.
I have found that in my experience Future/Pledge acrylic was the best gloss coat out there, since I could airbrush it and not depend on a rattle can like Testor’s gloss comes in.
Okay… I found the Pledge floor finish at Walmart but I stopped myself from getting it. I started second guessing myself because it states as a “multi-surface” floor finish. No, it did not have pics of boots on the bottle. Yes, it did say acrylic finish and has a blue cap. Am I seeing the right product?
I agree with ModelCrazy, it does look like Johnson changed it again. Question is, changed what? The product or just the bottle labeling (yet again)?
If you jump over to the Johnson website, folks are griping about the re-labeling.
But, the one you got and linked to BlackSheep seems to be the only one of the Johnson Floor care products that mentions ‘acrylic’, so that’s at least a good sign?
I brush it on by hand, or apply it via the airbrush. It’s self-leveling, but I have learned to go easy and apply multiple coats, rather than a lot at once, because it will pool or drip, if you put on too much at once.
I use Windex to clean brushes and the airbrush, followed by water.
Windex will dissolve cured Future, in case you do get a dried drop or streak, or need to undo it. The ammonia is the ingredient that dissolves the acrylic.
For decaling, I like complete coverage, but not too thick, because it is possible to build up too much acrylic and obliterate fine details
Future is great for fixing scratches on clear parts. You can use polishing pads to sand out scratches and then dip in Future, to fill the polished area
While we’re on the subject of Future, I found a really old bottle at a thrift store, at least old enough that it still says Future on the bottle (has a graphic of an atom behind the name). It looks unopened, would it still be safe to use?
I say, yes. I’ve had 2 bottles in 20+ years. The first one lasted about 15 years, then it started to get just a little cloudy, at which time, I used it up on my kitchen and bathroom flooring. The second bottle is crystal clear.
If it’s unopened, then there should be a seal under the spout cap.
If it’s been opened, but it’s clear, I’d use it, and if your not sure, use it on your floors, it’s not a waste, in any case.
