Future over decals?

[Dave Toups]

I am in the process of decaling a die-cast for a friend of mine, and I think I should apply some type of clear coat over the decals to make them a little more durable. These are Alps printed decals, so I think Future would be safe to use. The car is not disassembled, so I need to apply the Future by hand. Any tips on doing this? Does it flow out decently? I have sprayed Future with my airbrush before with good results.

[Andy Wyatt]

Future is very self-levelling. You can brush it on with a wide soft brush and it will level out nicely.

[MrObsessive]

Dave, at a well stocked hardware store they sell a "sponge brush". What's nice about this is if you need to brush paint something by hand, the sponge brush shouldn't leave any brush strokes.

As Andy said, Future is pretty self leveling as it is, but the sponge brushes come in a variety of widths.....much wider than your standard paint brushes. This would make things easier covering everything in only one or two passes.

[cruz]

Hey Dave, why not try the Tamiya X-22 clear and airbrush it since you are handy with the airbrush? You saw how nice Bill Geary's brown car came out with that clear. I tried it on a hood of a mini cooper and Bill saw it so I think it would be the best way to go. Personally I think Future is a little to thick and even though you might be able to thin it I still say it should be kept for what it was meant to do, floors....... :?

[jbwelda]

i am a big fan of future...i think its one of the modelling miracle of the modern age.

over decals i would just use a q-tip, dip it in future and flow it over the decal(s). i dont think its too thick but if it goes on funny you can completely remove it with ordinary ammonia (which i use to clean my brushes as well). it will protect your decals even against the rigors of slot car racing (with some limits of course).