# Future floor polish?



## Obochoman

I have read that this future floor polish is some great stuff to use as a clear coat before weathering, so I tried to go pick some up. I look around at a lot of store with no avail but I found something called Pledge tile and vinyl floor finish with future shine and decided to pic it up. I have tried it on a couple of small test models by airbrushing it straight from the bottle. It went on fine but and looks shiny but not glossy and doesn't look completely smooth (kind of grainy). I also dipped a plane windshield in it and it looks great. 
So is it supposed to be brushed on? If I do will i loose small details in the models? or am I doing something wrong? Also, would it be simpler to use a enamel or lacquer clear coat?

thanks


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## irishtrek

I've airbrushed and used just a plain paint brush to apply the Future. Also if you let it sit for say 24hrs it should smooth itself out, atleast that's what I read in an article that FSM published a couple of years ago.
And after painting a model piece with acrylic paints the paint did scrape off until I applied future on the piece before the acrylic paint and the paint did NOT come off. Hope all that helps.


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## SteveR

Check this out: http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html


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## Obochoman

thanks, I think the problem may be that I am applying to light of a coat so it just sort of dusts the model with future. In the future (no pun intended) I will try spraying a slightly heavier coat.


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## robiwon

The stuff you have is the same Future you read about. They were bought out by Pledge. Yes, you want the tile floor stuff, not the wood floor version. If you are applying it over flat paint it will take a coat or two to get a real smooth surface. The reason being is it needs to fill the hills and valleys of the flat paints surface. Just as if you sprayed a gloss coat over flat, it will take a few coats before it is truly "gloss". The main goal of using it is to provide a smooth surface to apply decals over a flat paint scheme to prevent silvering of the decals, as well as protecting your base color for weathering. Be careful of applying too much, it can pool in nooks and crannies and turn milky. If you see it pooling anywhere on the models take a paper towel, twist a corner into a point, and dip the point into the pool. It will wick away the excess.


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## djnick66

Pledge did not buy out Future. That is nonsense. The product is made by Johnson, and always has been. Future was a stand alone product for many, many years, and is basically a clear acrylic "paint" to put over hard floors. While some people call it a wax, it is not. 

The Pledge series of pruducts are a very well known line for Johnson. A good five or six years ago, Future was moved into the Pledge line, and is now sold as Pledge with Future Shine. There are a couple of different formulas now. One is for wood. This is the one to get

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pledge-Floor-Finish-With-Future-Shine-27-fl-oz/15136693

It can be airbrushed, but to me it seems difficult to use. I prefer to brush it on with a large, soft, CLEAN brush.


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## John P

Never had a problem airbrushing it. You just have to put it on in several light coats to keep it from running and drying with sag marks.

I HAVE had problem hand-brushing it, so i try to avoid that except on small areas.


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## irishtrek

Wether Pledge bought out Future or not is beside the point.
And I've had no problems what so ever brushing or airbrushing Future.


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## agentsmith

One thing I tried that works quite well for airbrushing Future is to add a few drops of Windex to my paint mixing cup. Yes I can easily spray Future through my airbrush without the Windex but I found I can get a very smooth pebble free finish by cutting the Future with a tiny amount of Windex.


Agentsmith


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## djnick66

Windex has ammonia which will also remove Future in case of boo boos.


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## Obochoman

Yea, I did two light (or what i think were light) coats of future on a model and it made it kind of sparkly but not a true gloss (if that makes any sense). When I brushed it on it looked better but i think I got that pebble effect that agentsmith talked about (it was clear but did not look even). How much to you thin it with Windex? just tiny amount I presume?


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## agentsmith

Obochoman,

I usually use between 1/2 to 1/4 once of Future for gloss coats and don't put more than four drops of Windex in that amount...of course stir it up well before spraying.
About half the time I sprayed Future for gloss coats I would get a slight pebbled looking texture, sure it was glossy but not as smooth as I wanted. As an experiment I tried cutting the Future with a little Windex and liked the results so much its what I do all the time now.


Agentsmith


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## KUROK

agentsmith said:


> Obochoman,
> 
> I usually use between 1/2 to 1/4 once of Future for gloss coats and don't put more than four drops of Windex in that amount...of course stir it up well before spraying.
> About half the time I sprayed Future for gloss coats I would get a slight pebbled looking texture, sure it was glossy but not as smooth as I wanted. As an experiment I tried cutting the Future with a little Windex and liked the results so much its what I do all the time now.
> 
> 
> Agentsmith


That's good advice. Many thanks, dude!


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## irishtrek

Obochoman said:


> Yea, I did two light (or what i think were light) coats of future on a model and it made it kind of sparkly but not a true gloss (if that makes any sense). When I brushed it on it looked better but i think I got that pebble effect that agentsmith talked about (it was clear but did not look even). How much to you thin it with Windex? just tiny amount I presume?


It'll probably take 4-5 light and thin coats for it to be glossy, maybe more. What you need to do is experiment with airbrushing Future onto some scrap plastic and see just how many coats it takes for a glossy finish to your liking.


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## Pete McKay

I have brushed on "Future" was for about 20 years now, it takes less than an hour to harden and it's always glass smooth. The current bottle I have I bought in 2007 and the label says "Pledge with FUTURE Shine" and has Premium Floor Finish under that. The mfg. is Johnson's just like DJ says. If Pledge was involved in the deal it would have been Johnson acquiring them, not them acquiring the Future product. 

I have cars that I used gloss coat lacquer on and cars I used Future on from about the same period, the lacquer cars all have various yellowing in their coats. None of these have been exposed to direct sunlight. The Future cars, while dusty, are perfect in their finishes. I have never had a problem that needed thinning it since I brush it on, nor has it ever attacked enamel, lacquer or acrylic paint. The only caution I would make is putting it on over decals, make sure they are dry and set before you apply it.


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## Owen E Oulton

Pledge and Future have always both been SC Johnson trademarks. All they did was merge the two product lines. Pledge used to be only furniture polish and now they've expanded to brand to include other cleaning and polishing products. Future just got moved over to the Pledge side of the company. No takeovers or mergers, just internal reorganisation. IIRC, In UK Future has long been part of the Pledge lineup.


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## slingshot392

With Vallejo, I use Future as a primer with a drop or two for checking coverage. Then I thin mostly with Future, just a little water. Flows on better and seems more resistant. Flat coat at the end will take care of the shine, you can always use satin or flat Future to thin if you don't want the shine while painting. I also use it as a topcoat before decals, and after.

Sounds like you are getting a little bit of orange peel or maybe the airbrush was a little too far away and it was starting to dry before it hit? I only use a brush, Future brushes beautifully with a soft brush and I don't remember it never self leveling. If it's a large model, only pour out a small amount at a time and clean your brush often so it doesn't start hardening a little in the cup or on the brush. I've read of guys using those foam brushes as well although I haven't tried those. I've also read of guys putting a bunch of Future in a container and then dipping a car body in just like you would a canopy, then put it upright on a stand and wick away anything that comes to the bottom edges of the car.


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## TrainMan007

*Future Floor Finish*

Thanks for all the tips on Future Floor Finish. I've been trying to find Future floor finish and have looked everywhere. It's nice to know that it has been incorporated into the Pledge line. Now I know what to send the wifey to look for. Will now look at Wally World for Pledge Revive It floor gloss.

Rusty in eastern Tennessee (Witherington Place Railroad):laugh:


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## djnick66

The packaging and product name has changed AGAIN. I forget what it says now but it says something like "original formula". You want the stuff for hard floors if they still offer different types. The wood floor stuff doesn't work.


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## Ozarkman

djnick66 said:


> The packaging and product name has changed AGAIN. I forget what it says now but it says something like "original formula". You want the stuff for hard floors if they still offer different types. The wood floor stuff doesn't work.


Pledge Revive It appears to be the new name.


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## djnick66

Could be. I quit using it a long time ago. THere are some newer, better products out there that do the same thing, at least for my purposes (dipping clear parts).


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## Milton Fox Racing

djnick66 said:


> Could be. I quit using it a long time ago. THere are some newer, better products out there that do the same thing, at least for my purposes (dipping clear parts).


Can you share the name of the products and sources, please? :lurk5:


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## djnick66

Alclad A


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## djnick66

Alclad 2 Aqua Gloss was, apparently developed by the Alclad folks for people who cant find Pledge/Future or who live in countries where it is not available. You can buy Alclad 2 everywhere.

And, Mission Models clear acrylic. You can buy it direct from Mission Models or, A Hobby Shop in Winterhaven Florida is becoming an exclusive distributor for the MM range of paints.


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## Bubba 123

How about; "Hobby-Lobby" (??) 
anyone know "IF" They carry it ???
TY ! :wink2:

"Bubba (The Senile-1) 123 :willy_nilly:


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## charonjr

How does Future affect the appearance of metalized paints? Haven't tried them yet for fear that some will rub off or change appearance if flat or gloss coated. I like to occasionally pick up the finished model. Last thing I want to do is damage the finish.


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## Owen E Oulton

charonjr - Next time you're painting, grab a useless part from the scrap bin and paint it with the metallic finish in question and allow it to dry and cure. Then apply the Future/Pledge/whatever they're calling it this week. That's a far better indication than any answer you'll get on the 'Net. That way, you'll know what primer, thinner, pressure and every other variable was used.


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