# Using Future as a gloss coat



## Scotty K (Mar 21, 2011)

I have read some other threads about the use of Future acrylic floor finish as a gloss coat. I have used other gloss coats with mixed results, and thought I might give this a shot on my current build.

My question is can this be airbrushed, and if so, what should I use to thin it and at what proportions?


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I have used it numerous times brush on and airbrushed. When I airbrush it I simply add a bit of water to it as it is a bit thick straight from the bottle. I guess I don't have an exact proportion I use, just what seems right. And actually it can be airbrushed without any diluting but I usually dilute. Another neat thing about it is that on clear parts it will make small scratches or blemishes almost unnoticeable.

Bob K.


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## Scotty K (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks for your insight, Bob. That helps a great deal.


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## BatToys (Feb 4, 2002)

It makes clear parts cloudy?


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

BatToys said:


> It makes clear parts cloudy?


Is that a question concerning cloudy? If it is not contaminated somehow or incompatible for some odd reason it will not make clear parts cloudy. It actually makes them appear slightly clearer and does have the ability to hide or clean up minor imperfections in the clear part. Whenever I am doing something from clear plastic I finish it with Future. For instance, all that glassware on the Moebius Invisible Man I dipped in Future after painting the color on. It also helped to hide the seam between the part halves although in that instance it just helps a bit. If you examine the part a little closer you can still see the seam. But say I accidentally got a slight scratch on the surface of an aircraft canopy, it can almost make it undetectable. It is quite useful and quite inexpensive. I still have 90% of the bottle I bought 4 years ago.

And another interesting thing about Future I just saw at the bottom of the posts. A guy was asking about using craft paint Ceramcoat or something. A couple of responses said by itself thinned with windshield wiper fluid it would spray fine but comes off the model very easily. A followup said use Future to thin it and it works great. One guy was raving it that way saying he got maybe his best ever car finish doing that. Of course for thinning craft paints if you need a matte finish you will have to give it a coat of Dullkote or such after. When I use it for getting a wet/gloss finish on eyes or teeth on a figure after putting on the dull coat, I brush it on.

Bob K.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

You really don't need to thin it to airbrush it. Just put it on in light coats. If you put it on too thick it runs, and if it runs, the run will dry that way.

It will not cloud canopies. Dip your canopy in Future, and it will make it even clearer. In fact, it will now act as a barrier that PREVENTS clouding if you use plastic cement or superglue on your canopy.

If you mess up, just let the part soak in Windex for a little while, and the Future will dissolve.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

IT does not cloud clear parts. In fact, I dip my clear parts in Future to make them brighter and more clear.

The current (new) product is actually Pledge (with Future Shine) and is thinner than "old"
Future. It does not really need to be thinned. It also may not airbrush as well as the old stuff. I apply it with a large, CLEAN brush.


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## USS Atlantis (Feb 23, 2008)

The new Pledge with Future un-diluted has no problems in an airbrush that can handle it

I use my old Badger 250 for all my large coating jobs - including the Future base and top coats


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Of course for all things Future...

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

Note, the current package is shown on the right with the yellow lable.


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

Here is an example of clearing up parts. Not a before and after, but both parts originally were the same--cloudy. They are clear cast resin. I did sand them with 400 through 2000 grit, then used automotive rubbing compound. The dip in future was still like night and day.


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

A note about airbrushing Future: whenever I do it, it beads up at first. It always levels out, but it scares me just the same. I've added dish detergent with no difference. Some guys use alcohol to break the surface tension, but I never tried it.


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

So you can brush future on for a gloss coat? I have some miniatures I'm painting at the moment and need to make them look slimy. You think it will do the job?


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## btbrush (Sep 20, 2010)

Machgo, if it's beading up, are you washing the parts first? Also be sure to let the Future coated parts dry thoroughly before handling. I usually let them sit for a couple of days in a dust free container.
Ozy, Future is great for slime. I also use it to clear coat water. You can also use Envirotex two-part epoxy, brushed on. If it's a small area, I use 5-minute epoxy.


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

Thanks for that. These miniatures are from a game and I need to protect the paintwork as they will be handled often, so it will serve double purpose.

Good old Future to the rescue again!


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

btbrush said:


> Machgo, if it's beading up, are you washing the parts first? Also be sure to let the Future coated parts dry thoroughly before handling. I usually let them sit for a couple of days in a dust free container.
> Ozy, Future is great for slime. I also use it to clear coat water. You can also use Envirotex two-part epoxy, brushed on. If it's a small area, I use 5-minute epoxy.


Yep, wash first, then usually a wipe with alcohol. There seems to be a lot of surface tension with Future. But it always has leveled off on its own.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

For figure models, a dab of future in the eyes gives them shine and depth.


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## Arronax (Apr 6, 1999)

John P said:


> For figure models, a dab of future in the eyes gives them shine and depth.


John,

I seem to remember you had a good tip about applying a drop of Future where you're placing a decal to make it snuggle down on flat finishes.


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## Scotty K (Mar 21, 2011)

I just want to thank everyone who has posted a response to my initial inquiry. I've only just recent discovered this website and have been a member only a short time, so I'm glad that everyone has been very kind with their answers. I'm also glad that I asked the question and now feel better informed about how to go about using this method of gloss coating on my build. Thanks again!


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Oh, if you look in my pictures I sprayed the entire Batmobile with a coat of future after I had it finished. I also sprayed the Creature with it to get the wet look. I don't use it too often but it does the trick when I need it.

Bob K.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

OzyMandias said:


> So you can brush future on for a gloss coat? I have some miniatures I'm painting at the moment and need to make them look slimy. You think it will do the job?


Yes I mentioned in post 7 that you can brush it on. It works very well that way even for large models. I brush Future on car bodies all the time. You can also dip parts in future and then wick off any excess with a paper towel.


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## OzyMandias (Dec 29, 2004)

A thicker coat will only improve the look of the particular figures I'm painting. They are creatures from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, and one in particular (the Shoggoth) is described as a 'protoplasmic mass the oozes and roils as it moves'. the Cthonians are a wormlike creature with tentacles at the 'head' end and the rings of the body need to look slick. The tentacles need to be literally dripping with slime.


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> Yes I mentioned in post 7 that you can brush it on. It works very well that way even for large models. I brush Future on car bodies all the time. You can also dip parts in future and then wick off any excess with a paper towel.


Do you think that if you buy a cheapie plastic water spray bottle, you can use it to spray on the future


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

jaws62666 said:


> Do you think that if you buy a cheapie plastic water spray bottle, you can use it to spray on the future


Why would you want to do it that way?

The thing with Future is that it is fairly thin. I suppose you could pump spray it, but 1) you will waste a lot 2) you will get Future all over everywhere 3) you will flood the model whether you want that or not 4) you will have to do some work to level it out and wick off the excess for sure.

I just use a big soft paint brush (use a good one that does not shed) and paint the Future on. Mostly I do car bodies this way, and I sit the body on something like a spray paint can or bent coat hanger so I can let the future self level and it will naturally pool and collect along th bottom of the body. I keep checking the lower edges for drips and blobs and will wick those off with a paper towel for a smooth finish. You can repeat the procedure. The nice thing with a brush is you can control where the paint goes. and move any thick areas of Future around for a smooth finish. Just clean the brush with some windex and its good for the next go round.

These bomber canopies were polished, sanded and Future dipped










The PL/Aurora Batmobile was brush painted with Future










Likewise, the MPC Deora was brush painted over a flat copper base coat










Revell's Futura was also brush painted over a Tamiya base coat


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

djnick66 said:


> Why would you want to do it that way?
> 
> The thing with Future is that it is fairly thin. I suppose you could pump spray it, but 1) you will waste a lot 2) you will get Future all over everywhere 3) you will flood the model whether you want that or not 4) you will have to do some work to level it out and wick off the excess for sure.
> 
> ...


cool thanks


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## Peacefield (Jan 22, 2008)

I'm new to the Future approach and trying it for the first time now on my Mobeius J2 floor with decent results. Fairly simply to apply (I'm using a brush) on a flat surface like a floor, but I'm wondering about how you deall with the 3 dimensional qualities of a car. Doesn't the self leveling make it want to run? Do you just apply it very thinly? Can you describe your process for wicking it onto a paper towel?

Thanks.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

As I mentioned, it will pool around the bottom edges of the body. So you just touch (wick) the drippy areas with a paper towel. The paper towel sucks up the extra Future. 

Like a lot of thick liquids (Future is not thick like sludge but it has some body to it) you can apply it "wet" but without runs. It doesnt really run like paint, its more like the Future settles toward the bottom of the model or the lower edges, so you can just remove the excess there. It dries slow enough that the drips or runs dont become so permanant like in paint.


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## DiceCaller (Jan 27, 2011)

By adding a little Tamiya Flat Base X-21 you can get matte finishes as well. I mix about 6:1 Future / Flat Base and get a very nice finish.

While I have no trouble shooting Future straight out of the bottle; if I go with a mix flatter then 6:1 it does need a little thinning.

This is working with an Iwata HP-B with a 0.5 needle.

Regards,
Shane


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## clark_savage (Jan 24, 2003)

djnick66 said:


> As I mentioned, it will pool around the bottom edges of the body. So you just touch (wick) the drippy areas with a paper towel. The paper towel sucks up the extra Future.


I once used Future on a bowl-shaped object (actually the radar screen on the diorama of the Aurora Robin kit) and I left it to dry upside-down (ie. the rim of the bowl on top) letting gravity direct the Future to the appropriate area. Not sure how well this works with large bodies.

I would be hesitant with using any paper towels as the fibre and stick to the Future.


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## clark_savage (Jan 24, 2003)

DiceCaller said:


> By adding a little Tamiya Flat Base X-21 you can get matte finishes as well. I mix about 6:1 Future / Flat Base and get a very nice finish.


Hi Shane: excellent advice! I originally had followed the advice of "The Complete Future" and use a 3:1 mix (for very flat) but in fact there was still a slight shine to the finish. Next time I will follow your advice and dilute it to 6:1 if I need something totally matt.

Thanks!!

Future - a modeller's best tool in his/her arsenal
The Complete Future - the most useful website if one wants to find out more about this great product
I would like to echo the comment made by a fellow modeller that this stuff is too valuable to just shine floors with!!


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## spawndude (Nov 28, 2007)

clark_savage said:


> I would like to echo the comment made by a fellow modeller that this stuff is too valuable to just shine floors with!!


Just last week I came home form work and was ready to "Future" several models I had recently finished.
I was like "where the @#** is my bottle of Future!!!"

I have been forced to begin hiding my Pledge because the wife confiscates it to use on the floor!!!

MSDS for Future
http://www.scjohnson.com/Libraries/...h_Future_Shine_Premium_Floor_Finish.sflb.ashx

Some promising information for those of us forced to buy the new stuff
http://www.scjohnson.com/en/product...Pledge-Premium-Floor-Finish-with-Future-Shine


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

I love to experiment, which is how I figured out the ability to use craft paints, artist tube paint, Future for thinner, etc, etc. I ran a series of tests on various brands of craft and tube paints, and how various substances worked as thinners, if at all. One result of that experiment was finding that Future generally reacts badly to alcohol. It has a tendency to turn semi-gelatinous, almost identical to egg whites that aren't fully cooked, and there's no way to return it to a smooth consistency. While others here have mentioned using various alcohols for thinners, I've found they seem to be more trouble than they're worth, except for cleaning. I've experienced far too much tip clogging to make them worthwhile. One thing I _have_ found that I've yet to have a clogging problem with, is simple ammonia. I use the fresh lemony scented variety so I don't cough/hack myself to death, but the fragrance chemicals don't change its workability. As I've mentioned before, I like and use the Winsor & Newton 'flow improver'. It mixes with any acrylic paint I've tried, it adheres well, and the airbrush tip doesn't clog. It's $9 I think for an 8 oz jar, but you dilute it 20:1 with water for use. A little quick math in my head says that's about six cents an ounce, which leaves it competitively priced and reliable. As far as thinning Future, because of its inate leveling properties I don't see it being necessary, and this is the first time I've ever read of anyone actually doing it or recommending it. Standard practice has always been use it straight out of the bottle. But as with anything else, if it works for you, by all means go for it; it just seems to be an unnecessary process within what can already be a tedious task.


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