Future....prior to or after decaling?

[charlzrocks]

wondering if it makes a difference at all?

[charlzrocks]

That's the perfect answer....'cept....will Future harm the decals if they are coated over with it?

If not....after decaling will be the way to go!

Thanks!

[Geezerman]

When I do a shiney paiint job, I use catalyzed automotive clear.

I have heard so much, so long, about Future, which I assume is a floor wax. Been wondering, because I've never heard anyone describe how they apply Future. Do you just rub it on, dip it, spray it ?????

[Guest]

I spray it, but you have to use less air pressure than paint, I use about 8 psi or so, and spray lightly, you even want a orange peel texture! It will flow out, looks bad at first, but flows out great.

[charlzrocks]

I will test on the decal numbers first...good idea!

Future is great as a clear coat...I just brush it on (as it is self leveling) but only one layer and let dry for 24 hours, then re-coat if you like. Successive layers will tend to want to combine with the first and can look goopy if the first is not cured yet. Excellent for scratched window plastic!

[E St. Kruiser50]

I thought I'd respond to this because I've tried future on samples to compare to some of the other clear finishing products I use - PlastiCote Clear & HOK Catalyzed Urethane UC35 Clear.

I've read several post's here saying that even though Future as a nice finish when first applied, over time it yellows and cracks.

Many here rave about it, and really promot it as a Viable alternative, inexpensively giving a fine finish.

FOR ME, after comparing the three just for the GOTCHA FACTOR, SHINE BRILLANCE AND DEPTH, Future comes WAY LAST.

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A CRITICISM OF ANYONE HERE, THEIR CHOICES, OR THEIR PERSONAL OPINION ABOUT WHAT THEY LIKE OR CONSIDER APPEALING - >IT'S MY OPINION<.

The "TEN FOOT TEST" will allow most anything at a distance or here on the computor, to look good, but get up "closer and personal", and everything changes.

If you want something that's inexpensive and just good enough for what you like, to me that's fine.

But to promote it as a viable choice for an upper-end build, to me is a bit deceptive, from my years of experience.

One of the things I've learned over time is that PERSONAL PERCEPTION PLAYS A BIG ROLE in the choices we make.

Our own idea's of what we think is good can best be answered at a contest you enter, or at a club meeting, where there is honest feed-back.

Over the years I've heard a lot of complaining about contests results from participants who thought the judges "WERE BLIND" (Well - there was that one time when I KNEW THEY WERE ), because they just knew there's was "THE BEST THERE".

If you do contest, you've heard it - some even go ballistic .

Paint color, contrast and quality is what draws people to a particular model, as well as the model itself.

I realize most people here build for their personal enjoyment to relax, and far fewer here enter contests, but it's also nice to have a build, that ten years or more down the road, the car still looks the same. Seems to make all that effort all the more worthwhile .

[caine440]

Hello All

I just started playing with spraying future. One of the bodies looked awful at first and I followed some advice I read here and just left it alone and went to bed. In the morning it looked darn good, everything had leveled out and the foggy looking haze was gone.

The other thing I found and other clears may also do this. I messed up and used CA glue to install the windows on a kit. The next day the rear window was fogged something awful. I sprayed future over the fogged window and and it dried clear.

I am still looking as I do not think the future shines as well as some other clears but I am a old dummy who is just now about to try polishing the clear coat.

Dave which plastikote clear do you use ? I have found several types and do not know nearly enough to make a educated choice.

Thanks!

[MikeMc]

When I do a shiney paiint job, I use catalyzed automotive clear.

I have heard so much, so long, about Future, which I assume is a floor wax. Been wondering, because I've never heard anyone describe how they apply Future. Do you just rub it on, dip it, spray it ?????

Yep you can rub, spray or dip....or brush on!!

Dave if you want the urethane look with future , Try the simple green....WOW!!

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

[E St. Kruiser50]

Dave which plastikote clear do you use ? I have found several types and do not know nearly enough to make a educated choice.

Thanks!

I use Plati-Kote CLASSIC LACQUER #349.

BEEN USIN' IT FOR DECADES ABND IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER BRAND.

REMEMBER - ALWAYS DO SAMPLES FIRST .

[BigGary]

I use Plati-Kote CLASSIC LACQUER #349.

BEEN USIN' IT FOR DECADES ABND IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY WITH NEARLY EVERY OTHER BRAND.

REMEMBER - ALWAYS DO SAMPLES FIRST .

Thanks for the link to the article on Future. It was very informative.

Gary

[RatRod]

My personal opinion....."why use floor, and household cleaning products on your models?" I can agree that windshields can look better using Future, but I get excellent results polishing clear parts just like a paint job.

[Guest]

Yep you can rub, spray or dip....or brush on!!

Dave if you want the urethane look with future , Try the simple green....WOW!!

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

He's right. plus I polish it out like any other paint. Believe me, a little goes a long way with it too. ratrod, why not use it? Not all of us can afford 2 part auto paint. heck, I cant even afford walmart paint right now. I have 2 bottles of future I bought some time back. The stuff works great, and is certainly a viable alternative to other clears.

[Guest]

It will give a miles deep look if you polish it, like any other paint.

[philboyd]

I've never tried Future but it sounds interesting. I don't have an airbrush and I'm not crazy about using a brush. Has anyone tried a spray bottle? I"m thinking of the trigger type, not like a pump type. It seems to me that the trigger type might deliver a fairly even mist. Any thoughts on this?

[Ddms]

When I first tried Future years ago, I made a mess of it and decided it was not for me. Not long ago, someone on a forum convinced me to try it again, and WOW! Now I use it for all clear plastic parts that aren't absolutely pristine. And for some that are! It gives them wonderful clarity and sparkle.

I thought polishing was the only way to go. But windshields and other small clear plastic parts won't withstand a lot of strain. Polishing involves a lot of unintentional bending and twisting, especially when you're going through many stages to get a high gloss. Even if you're trying to be gentle, all that handling adds up. It can stress out a small, thin piece of clear plastic. The more polishing you do, the greater the risk that the part will break. Or that you'll put stress cracks in it. Once that happens, your windshield is probably history - although I've heard that stress-cracked clear plastic can sometimes be rescued by... Future.

And... polishing can take hours. Future gives equivalent (IMO) results in a just a couple of minutes.

The trick with Future seems to be to spray or dip it, wick it, and forget it. And use it generously! Future loses a lot of volume when it dries. If an area seems to be too thick, just let it be. It will probably be invisible when it dries. But if you brush it around on the surface, it will lose its luster. (I think that's where I screwed up initially.)

Future also gives you almost endless "second chances." If a part doesn't come out right, just dip it in household ammonia; it will wash right off with no harm to the part.