Best clear coat from a rattle can? Best meaning smooth finish

[Philip H]

Yes, that's the same thing. There are also dilution ratios floating around the Internet if you want to airbrush it.

[GN Fan]

For those you do not know, Future is a floor wax.
Tom

[kalbert]

Future wax is wax, don't use it. Future finish is acrylic clear and is not wax.

I've found it to be pretty thin already and goes through an air brush well enough right from the bottle.

The last time I bought it was called "Pledge Floor Finish" with no mention of future anywhere. I don't know why SCJ is pushing the Pledge name so hard. It makes for alot of confusion about what's what.

[nsbob]

Future wax is wax, don't use it. Future finish is acrylic clear and is not wax.

I've found it to be pretty thin already and goes through an air brush well enough right from the bottle.

The last time I bought it was called "Pledge Floor Finish" with no mention of future anywhere. I don't know why SCJ is pushing the Pledge name so hard. It makes for alot of confusion about what's what.

Just want add to Kalbert's post.  As he mentioned, it is labeled "Pledge Floor Care" and "Multi Surface Finish" on the front label with no mention of the word "Future".  For easy identification it has a picture of a pair of boots on the front label.  I recently bought a bottle of Pledge for using to apply decals without having to prep with a gloss coat.  I found an older bottle at a hardware store that was labeled "Pledge with Future" .  The newer bottle I bought at Walmart listed the same ingredients and states "Acrylic Protection" at the top of the backside of the label.

[arbomambo]

those of you applying gloss and flat coats from a rattle can are MUCH braver than I....airbrush all the way for me...and this is saying a lot, considering the phobia I had with airbrushing (I owned 2 for almost 10 years before actually using them...)
as far as the 'Future'...truly, nothing better on the market for the initial pre-decal glosscote....
AND...use it after applying decals, cleaning decal residue, and before the final flat coat...it has the benefit of 'blending' decals into the finish...
it Is an acrylic floor polish (formerly known as a 'wax'), it was originally marketed, waaay back when, as a 'non-yellowing' floor polish....that it IS, and that's why thousands of modeller's swear by it for a clear closs coat...unlike the laquer-based Testors Dullcote and glosscote, there's been no evidence of the Future (now marketed under 'Johnson and Johnson') yellowing, or just 'going bad' and clouding over time....
and, being an acylic, it has the features of 'settling' down to a smooth layer, even if applied a little too 'heavy-handed-ly'...don't use this as an excuse to 'over apply' it...
also...if you want your clear parts crystal clear....give them a dip in the Future, and let them dry...you'll be amazed as the increased clasrity...hint:don't do this if you want to hide what's behind the 'glass'...
~Bruce

[Scottl]

I'd love to see some photos of models dipped in Future.  If it worked well, that would be fantastic.

[bbussey]

I kitbashed a replica of my mother's Mitsubishi Eclipse a few years ago for her birthday.  Upon recommendation from one of my car-buff buddies, I painted the car yellow and then candy maroon to get the proper burnt orange metallic color.  Then, based on his recommendation, I dipped the car body and hood in Future and put the parts on a third-hand at an angle for the extra to run off.  I was stunned, as the model looked like showroom-quality paint after the Future dried.  I thought I had photos archived, but I can't find them.  I'll be at my folks tomorrow.  I'll snap some photos of the model and post them later this weekend.
 

[arbomambo]

I'd love to see some photos of models dipped in Future.  If it worked well, that would be fantastic.

you don't dip the model in future....spray future on the model...a gloss coat...in preparation for the decal process.
also, the Future finish is a VERY high gloss...IMO, wholly unacceptable for anything prototypical in N scale...much too glossy to represent even a high gloss finish in N scale. When the decals have been applied and the model cleaned, then spray the model with a semi gloss or flat coat, depending on your choice of finish.
you  DO, or you can, dip the clear parts (windshield glass-porthole glass, etc ) in future...it dries pretty quickly ( a few hours) and can be put back in place...
if you do choose to dip the clear parts...place them on some paper towels to help wick the extra clear away from the part as it dries...

~Bruce

[peteski]

For those members who are asking things like "where to buy Future", etc - the "Complete Future" link I posted earlier in this thread is *VERY* useful as it answers those and many more questions. All you have to do is to ...  click on it. 

This stuff is a floor finish - not a wax!  It basically is a water-based acrylic clear (paint, enamel, whatever you want to call it). Just don't call it wax! 

I'm not really upset here - just wanted to make sure to get your attention. 

[HuskerN]

All you have to do is to ...  click on it.

why didn't you say that in your original posting?  Do you think we are all masters of the obvious?   

Now that I executed this "clicking" technique that you speak of, I now have a good understanding of what I need to do to get started using this stuff.

I have heard of Future before, but didn't pay much attention since it sounded bizarre.  I am now however, taking note.

Thanks for the guidance here.

HuskerN

[bbussey]

you don't dip the model in future....spray future on the model...a gloss coat...in preparation for the decal process...

For vehicle models you absolutely do dip, which is what the original inquiry was about.  It gives any paint the appearance of a just-left-the-showroom finish.

[Pete Steinmetz]

This thread is kind of funny and sad all at the same time.

Model railroaders think the world of painting and finishing goes through Testors.  The military modelers snicker at the train guys.  The general opinion is we are in the stone age.

People are figuring out that there are much better products on the market than what Testors puts out.  One post in this thread suggested using Tamiya clear coat.  Another talked about Future.  People were very skeptical.  Future has been used successfully for years by military and car modelers.

Since the announcement that Poly Scale and Floquil are being discontinued, model railroaders have looked at other brands and found many to be superior to anything Testors puts out.

Micro-Mark has a new line of paints that are cross referenced to Poly Scale colors.  It includes a gloss coat and flat finish.  The quality is outstanding.

[central.vermont]

For those members who are asking things like "where to buy Future", etc - the "Complete Future" link I posted earlier in this thread is *VERY* useful as it answers those and many more questions. All you have to do is to ...  click on it. 

This stuff is a floor finish - not a wax!  It basically is a water-based acrylic clear (paint, enamel, whatever you want to call it). Just don't call it wax! 

I'm not really upset here - just wanted to make sure to get your attention. 

Pete,

I have had  this same link now for years and have used Future. Stuff works great. But I have one question to you about this stuff. Have you ever heard of anyone adding something to Future to make it a flat finish product? I know this seems counter productive but I have not been very happy with most flat finish products out there.

Jon

[peteski]

why didn't you say that in your original posting?  Do you think we are all masters of the obvious?   

Now that I executed this "clicking" technique that you speak of, I now have a good understanding of what I need to do to get started using this stuff.

I have heard of Future before, but didn't pay much attention since it sounded bizarre.  I am now however, taking note.

Thanks for the guidance here.

HuskerN

HuskerN,
I thought that when I posted:
Here is the scoop on Future: a complete and illustrated  reference http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
it would be understood that when someone sees a URL, they would click on it. That is a basic forum Internet functionality.  Even if it is not a clickable link, copying/pasting the URL into a browser would have got you to that website.

Sorry that I wasn't clear enough. 

Jon:  getting flat finish with Future is also covered .... on the above mentioned website. 

[arbomambo]

This thread is kind of funny and sad all at the same time.

Model railroaders think the world of painting and finishing goes through Testors.  The military modelers snicker at the train guys.  The general opinion is we are in the stone age.

People are figuring out that there are much better products on the market than what Testors puts out.  One post in this thread suggested using Tamiya clear coat.  Another talked about Future.  People were very skeptical.  Future has been used successfully for years by military and car modelers.

Since the announcement that Poly Scale and Floquil are being discontinued, model railroaders have looked at other brands and found many to be superior to anything Testors puts out.

Micro-Mark has a new line of paints that are cross referenced to Poly Scale colors.  It includes a gloss coat and flat finish.  The quality is outstanding.

ya' know...this is, generally, true....
I remember reading RMC, waaaayyy back when, and seeing modelling that was, easily, equal to, or superior, to anything that I was seeing in aircraft and armor...scratchbuilding structures and detailing locos and rolling stock...
but it seems to me, could be wrong here, that the modelling industry, that is, the glues, paints, tools, etc, has been driven more by the aircraft-armor-ship building crowd, than the railroad modelling crowd...notwithstanding Micro-Mark, and their wonderful tools, slanted toward model railroaders!
  It's just a perception, generally, of the rivet-counting aircraft and armor modellers (AND if you think model railroad rivet counters are bad...you haven't seen anything!), that railroad modellers don't model to the degree of others, simply because they don't really have to-the model railroads benefiting from the advantage of animation...I know I'm painting with a broad brush, here, and ,of course, not everyone really looks 'down their nose' at those modelling other subjects, but some of those guys do some amazing work and have developed some incredible techniques that benefit all of us who cut, glue, paint, and weather....
 
i will really miss Pollyscale...both for railroad colors and military colors....their line was extensive and I love their acrylics...the Pollyscale flat coat is outstanding...
the Tamiya paints are also very good...but they don't include any railroad formula mixes...
in the aircraft modelling world, Gunze Sanyo and Vallejo brands have really gained favor in the last 10 years, with their acrylic lines...absolutely beautiful to airbrush...but, again, no railroad colors pre-mixed.

but I'm  amazed that model railroaders are still using Testors glosscote and dullcote...it's been fairly well established that just picking a bottle off the shelf that is 'stable' is a crap shoot, at best.

Respectfully,
~Bruce