Pledge Future Use

[DoctorLarry]

Anybody use Future as a clear coat? I can't seem to find it. This is the closest I have found but don't know if it is the right stuff everyone uses. Any help?

[TransAmMike]

Pretty sure it is, Future no longer branded as "Future". Someone with more knowledge will let you know for sure. I still have a over half full bottle that many years old. Still works fine.

[Pierre Rivard]

Best to try it on a sample part. They keep changing the name of it. My bottle purchased 4 years ago is called Pledge Floor Care. If instructions on your bottle says not to use water and just squirt and mop it's probably the right stuff

[DoctorLarry]

It says to clean the floor and let it dry then spread this out with a clean sponge mop or cloth and let it dry. I'll try to find a test dummy.

[shoopdog]

The Revive It is what you need.

[DoctorLarry]

Great-I will find a car to test it on.

[Casey]

 

[MarkJ]

This is the product you want. Its exactly like the old future. 

[DoctorLarry]

How old is that bottle, Mark? It may have been re-branded again. LB

[MarkJ]

1 hour ago, DoctorLarry said:

How old is that bottle, Mark? It may have been re-branded again. LB

To tell you the truth, I don't remember, so you are probably right. Just make sure the stuff you have is clear. try it on an old body to see if its self leveling and dries crystal clear.

[DoctorLarry]

The Future thread posted here says that bottle label was circa 2015. The one I posted I just bought so I'll do as you say. Larry

[MarkJ]

On 3/24/2021 at 3:23 PM, DoctorLarry said:

The Future thread posted here says that bottle label was circa 2015. The one I posted I just bought so I'll do as you say. Larry

Really good stuff. I have even found its the perfect fixatent for decal sheets that  I make. The testors 1261 I was using can melt the ink if you get too strong with it. The furure does not hurt them at all, and small contengencies stay sharper. If it fogs on you dont panic. It will clear up when it fully dries.

[peteski]

Whenever I see a new discussion about Future floor finish (no, it is not wax as many call it). I refer them to Swannie.

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
It is a great reference, but the page has not been updated since 2015, so he missed at least one more name change.

Why is the  company changing the name ever few years (when the original name "Future" remained the same for couple of decades)? Who knows?  I suspect it has something to do  with the current generation of executives and advertising professionals. Those 20- and 30-somethigns.   I suspect it is for the same reason we now have 20 different flavors and thickness of OREO cookies, and several versions of M&Ms.  Lots of "limited editions" too (Lady GAGA Oreos anyone?).   Their attention spans are so short that nothing can stay the same for too long - we need more varieties, and constant changes.  Computers and the Internet are partially to blame, I'm sure.   Anyways, thanks for letting me rant - I do find the constant change (just for the sake of change) annoying, and I'm not even *THAT* old.

I also want to mention that there is a lengthy thread about this floor finish formerly known as "Future", in the "Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials" section (it is the top sticky there).  It has been there for over 12 years.

 

[DoctorLarry]

Thanks, Peter. I read both the post and Swannie's site. Like you, I was trying to see what the latest millennial version of the acrylic finish was so I did not inadvertently dump floor stripper on a freshly painted body. It was more about the proper version of the finish (which took 3 different store outings to find) than how to use it. But thanks for the tip!

[peteski]

Whenever I use a new untried combination of coatings, I like to do a "spoon test" on a plastic spoon to see if there might be some undesired interaction.  But of course if someone could have definitively answered whether the "revive floor gloss" is basically rebadged Future, that would have made the verification much easier.

[shoopdog]

On March 19, 2021 at 7:53 AM, shoopdog said:

The Revive It is what you need.

Sorry I didn't include " definitely " in my answer or post a previous link.

Edited April 1, 2021 by shoopdog

[DoctorLarry]

Thanks, guys. I have done custom painting since I was a teenager and so have experience with interactions (mostly lacquer-enamel or urethane-enamel). Since this is basically an ammonia-based acrylic from what I have read, it would seem the interactions would be from the ammonia and not the acrylic because the acrylic should be pretty benign over cured enamels or lacquers. I rarely use water based finishes on stuff so I could see some issues if used over acrylics but maybe not.

[peteski]

I also almost exclusively use the old-school "stinky" paints.  As for Future, I have only used for dipping plastic "glass"  in it, to improve clarity.  I have never used it as a top clear coat for a car body.

[Bill J]

The bottle you show in your original post Doc is the right product. I have a bottle and have used it a few times. It has a little learning curve. I found that it may look like you've ruined your finish, just walk away and it will likly settle, smooth out and be perfect. For sure, test a few times.

I used it over Tamiya gold to smooth the gold paint before I decaled this Coke Mercury. First shot it looked like I was going to have to strip and start over, I walked away and let it settle and it was perfect after a short time.

.

[DoctorLarry]

Did you go over the decals with it afterwards, Bill?

[Bill J]

I don't think so Doc. I seldom clear coat, I figure it's one more way to ruin a paint job. I live in the desert and usually decals hold up well without clear. Some years ago I did a Wood Brother's T'Bird that was all poppy red and it had Slixx decals on it. The paint was kind of dull so I shot it with Testor's clear, it now looks like a million cracks all over. The paint had been cured for like 10 years and the Testor's clear ruined it. The original paint was Testor's Model Master Chevrolet Engine Red. All enamels. I just have bad results when clearing.

Which is why I decided to try the Pledge stuff. Like you. I had trouble finding the correct product. They changed the bottle and the name several times. The bottle Mark J shows was once the name/label and now it is the Revive It Pledge. So far I have used it a few times with acceptable results. Not as glossy as some of 2 part automotive clear coats but those have a very short shelf life and the Pledge seems good indefinately and goes on well. I airbrushed it, no thinning and so far, so good. Be careful not to over coat when using it. It is thin and so clear it is hard to see when to back off. Good luck!

Edited April 6, 2021 by Bill J

[MarkJ]

11 hours ago, Bill J said:

The bottle you show in your original post Doc is the right product. I have a bottle and have used it a few times. It has a little learning curve. I found that it may look like you've ruined your finish, just walk away and it will likly settle, smooth out and be perfect. For sure, test a few times.

I used it over Tamiya gold to smooth the gold paint before I decaled this Coke Mercury. First shot it looked like I was going to have to strip and start over, I walked away and let it settle and it was perfect after a short time.

.

That looks awesome ,Bill. Like you said it looks perfect. Sometimes it so good that lights and things above get reflected on the surface of the model and appear to be flaws in the paint. But nothing could be further from the truth. See those things right below the c.I. on your fender?  They are reflections of the chrome buttons on your microwave.

Edited April 6, 2021 by MarkJ

[Dave Ambrose]

That's the stuff. For what it's worth, there seems to be a cadre of model builders who track this on amazon.com. None of my local stores carry it, so I had to order it from there.