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Black cars cleared with Pledge Future Shine


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Please post pics of any models, ( black & dark colors only), that you’ve clearcoated using “Future” floor polish, aka “Pledge Future Shine”.

Please mention what method of application you used; brush, spray on, etc.

As it seems many people swear by this product, it would be helpful, for those of us who know nothing about it, to see finished results so that we can judge for ourselves. I asked for black and dark colors since those are the most difficult to to get looking flawless. THANKS!

 

Edited by Venom
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I have coated a number of models with future. It is a low risk operation. Which it why I like it. These are the two darkest that I have done. My layering process is rattle can enamel over bare styrene. No polishing or wet sanding. (Yes, I often have orange peel). I then apply Bare Metal Foil, then decals, then the bumpers. After the visuals are done, I brush apply future before the windows are installed. Apply it fast and heavy with a 3/8" wide brush. Avoid rebrushing areas that are starting to solidify or it will leave brush strokes. do not worry about any bubbles, they will go away on their own. You can apply it so heavy it runs off of the edges. Simply wick away the excess with paper towels. If you screw up a small area, let it cure overnight. You can wipe it off with tee shirt material soaked in household ammonia with out bothering the paint. Numerous times even. Try that with any other clear top coat. Also do not hold the body with your fingers. Mount it to something you can hold.

70 GP RR.jpg

72 Challenger RF.jpg

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My problem isn't with the application of Pledge/Future, we know it can be done most any old way. My question is will it still be on the car in ten years ? I use the stuff in my test sprays all the time complete with polish, it works and it's not an issue. I airbrush right from the bottle, it's pretty much fool proof, especially if you intend to polish anyway. But my test bottles I spray ultimately end up repainted three times or so and then in the trash lol !

Edited by Dave G.
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15 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

Trevor, are you saying the Torino is cleared with Future?   If so, why do you say it's a lousy clear coat?  The shine is beautiful.

Yes, the Torino is cleared with Future. 

First of all, I realise that Future is very popular as a clear coat, so please weigh my comments accordingly.
- Future is not paint, so it does not behave at all like paint, and therefore requires a significant learning curve to deal with it. Spraying it is particularly problematic as it sometimes wants to bead up rather than lay down, requiring a heavy application.
- Whether applied thin or heavy, sprayed or brushed, it runs off and continues to drool until it sets up. This necessitates blotting access from the low edges with a tissue or similar, and makes a general mess. This is seen as a benefit by some as it alludes to Future's self leveling qualities, which are impressive, but the end result is less impressive than a properly colour sanded and polished finish. The drooling also leaves runs which can be seen when the light hits it right, and blotting the lower edge completely free of a developing bead before the stuff sets up is tricky. Some guys like to dip their windshields in Future to clarify them, but the same problems arise, causing optical distortion. Polished glass is much nicer.
- It goes on very thin, a result of the stuff running off the body after it is applied. This makes final sanding and polishing and removal of junk very difficult as there is little material thickness to work with. This makes it difficult to get rid of the runs as well.
- Applying additional coats exacerbates the problem, as the new coats appear to somewhat re-liquefy the previously applied coats. This magnifies any issues with runs and drooling, and makes it difficult to build up thickness for polishing.
- It also reacts differently when colour sanding and polishing, increasing the learning curve.
- You comment on the shine, and it does have a decent shine, but therein is another problem. The shine is not realistic. It's too shiny. This is not a problem for many builders, as ultimate shine seems to be the goal of many. So many great model masterpieces are ruined by a finish that is too shiny.
- Perhaps worst of all, the final finish has an unrealistic luster. It is simply not a good looking finish. It makes any painted surface look likes it's made of plastic. This is common of most acrylic paints and finishes. I find most acrylic paints, no matter how well applied and finished, just look like polished plastic, rather than painted metal.

These are my own personal observations and experience, YMMV. I realise that I am particularly (ridiculously?) fussy regarding scale realism. I've read a lot of work-arounds to deal with the various shortcomings, but why bother.  Not only is it an inferior clear coat (in my opinion, of course), it is a nuisance to apply. I am all for experimentation with products outside of the hobby realm, and was quite intrigued by Future years ago, but after numerous trials I found it wasn't worth the bother. There is always a bottle of Future on my bench. It's a very useful and versatile product and I use it for many things, just not clear coating a painted body.

That's probably more than you were looking for, and I apologise if it reads like a rant. It's not meant to. Future works well for many, and many are happy with it. However, the bottom line is, there are literally dozens of products on the market specifically formulated for clear coating models and similar items that work very very well, and aside from cost, I find Future has no advantage over any of them.

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Well as I stated before, I use the Pledge but not on a model, only my test shoots. But I've never had an issue spraying it. Maybe if I shot it on a larger area I would have trouble. But my real problem is it's floor finish. Then ultimately since most of my models are of old classics era cars, well they were just never clear coated but shot in lacquer or enamel. Now the closest thing to that in acrylic that behaves like a lacquer is Tamiya acrylic because really it a low stink hybrid acrylic /lacquer. You can even thin it with lacquer thinner. The black unpolished 31 Ford fenders I posted in Mikes Createx thread were shot in that.

My second approach is to base coat then shoot Tamiya clear or lacquer clear. If done right when polished it's hard to tell the paint is clear coated. People bury their cars in clear, that's why they look clear coated. Duh.

Edited by Dave G.
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5 hours ago, Bainford said:

Yes, the Torino is cleared with Future. 

First of all, I realise that Future is very popular as a clear coat, so please weigh my comments accordingly.
- Future is not paint, so it does not behave at all like paint, and therefore requires a significant learning curve to deal with it. Spraying it is particularly problematic as it sometimes wants to bead up rather than lay down, requiring a heavy application.
- Whether applied thin or heavy, sprayed or brushed, it runs off and continues to drool until it sets up. This necessitates blotting access from the low edges with a tissue or similar, and makes a general mess. This is seen as a benefit by some as it alludes to Future's self leveling qualities, which are impressive, but the end result is less impressive than a properly colour sanded and polished finish. The drooling also leaves runs which can be seen when the light hits it right, and blotting the lower edge completely free of a developing bead before the stuff sets up is tricky. Some guys like to dip their windshields in Future to clarify them, but the same problems arise, causing optical distortion. Polished glass is much nicer.
- It goes on very thin, a result of the stuff running off the body after it is applied. This makes final sanding and polishing and removal of junk very difficult as there is little material thickness to work with. This makes it difficult to get rid of the runs as well.
- Applying additional coats exacerbates the problem, as the new coats appear to somewhat re-liquefy the previously applied coats. This magnifies any issues with runs and drooling, and makes it difficult to build up thickness for polishing.
- It also reacts differently when colour sanding and polishing, increasing the learning curve.
- You comment on the shine, and it does have a decent shine, but therein is another problem. The shine is not realistic. It's too shiny. This is not a problem for many builders, as ultimate shine seems to be the goal of many. So many great model masterpieces are ruined by a finish that is too shiny.
- Perhaps worst of all, the final finish has an unrealistic luster. It is simply not a good looking finish. It makes any painted surface look likes it's made of plastic. This is common of most acrylic paints and finishes. I find most acrylic paints, no matter how well applied and finished, just look like polished plastic, rather than painted metal.

These are my own personal observations and experience, YMMV. I realise that I am particularly (ridiculously?) fussy regarding scale realism. I've read a lot of work-arounds to deal with the various shortcomings, but why bother.  Not only is it an inferior clear coat (in my opinion, of course), it is a nuisance to apply. I am all for experimentation with products outside of the hobby realm, and was quite intrigued by Future years ago, but after numerous trials I found it wasn't worth the bother. There is always a bottle of Future on my bench. It's a very useful and versatile product and I use it for many things, just not clear coating a painted body.

That's probably more than you were looking for, and I apologise if it reads like a rant. It's not meant to. Future works well for many, and many are happy with it. However, the bottom line is, there are literally dozens of products on the market specifically formulated for clear coating models and similar items that work very very well, and aside from cost, I find Future has no advantage over any of them.

Beautifully explained Trevor... thank you so much for this detailed input!

I thought this topic was going to be a matter of seeing is believing, but as you so eloquently explained, it’s actually much more than that. Now I am convinced beyond any hesitation that this product is not for me.

BTW; I love the Lotus quote...it’s an accurate statement that’s even evident while virtually driving one in Gran Turismo!

Edited by Venom
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So based on Trevors post it seems that if all is true (not doubting any of it) Future is clearly (ha, no pun intended...or maybe it is?) not the way to go.  There sure are  a lot of clears available, its just a matter of what to decide on and using it.  I of course and I'm sure a lot of people take and use the recommendations of the Guys' on this forum.

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9 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

So based on Trevors post it seems that if all is true (not doubting any of it) Future is clearly (ha, no pun intended...or maybe it is?) not the way to go.  There sure are  a lot of clears available, its just a matter of what to decide on and using it.  I of course and I'm sure a lot of people take and use the recommendations of the Guys' on this forum.

Yet others like it. The way you find out for yourself is by experience. For instance I think by photos at least that Mike raisin27 did a realistic job of it in his two models above. 9/10 of making a product look convincing is gained by really getting to know it's ways, not that it possess some kind of magic on it's own.. I'll say it one more time, lots of test shooting !

I'm not mentioning other products, did that at least twice in your Createx thread already.

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Those models above look great! From my short experience with Future as a clear coat, it was the fact that it doesn't "grip" the surface very well, leading to runs, which I didn't like. Looks like it can really be polished to a high shine however. As mentioned above, works good applied with a brush. I did this with a couple of slot cars.

Edited by Michael jones
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19 minutes ago, Sixties Sam said:

What if you want to repaint a model that has been coated with Future? Can you paint over it with decent results, or must it be stripped off with ammonia or some other chemical before painting?

Sam

I would definitely strip it. Apparently window cleaner with ammonia works, such as Windex. If that doesn't work, straight ammonia will do the trick.

Edited by Bainford
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It’s definitely a very specialized finish and what I mean by that is I’ve only used it as a clear for bodies 3 times. Once on the car above that is molded in color and I like the color, the other 2 times were on cars I painted a long time ago and wasn’t happy with the shine and couldn’t remember what type of paint I used and I knew the future wouldn’t react.

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The Jurassic Park car is Tamiya TS-18 Metallic Red with 2 coats of Pledge brushed on with a soft paint brush. The Zombie Island car is craft paint with 2 coats of pledge also brushed on with a soft paint brush. The Flintstones car is craft paint with 2 coats of pledge airbrushed on, and the Gumball Rally Camaro is Vallejo Model Color Light Yellow with 2 coats of pledge brushed on with a soft paint brush. The soft paint brush I used is not quite 1/2" wide, more like 3/8". Sorry only one is a dark color, but these are what I've used pledge on, I normally use it mostly on interior seats, dashboards, and door panels.

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