I have been reading here and there on the net about the wonders of Future floor wax as a gloss coat. Has anyone here used it before applying decals? Just wondering if there were any negative effects in that application. Thanks.
I have not had any problems. It does not dry quite as fast as a lacquer such as Testors Gloss Coat. I always had problems with using a lacquer gloss coat, decaling and then using lacquer dull coat or satin over that. Enough of the gloss base coat would be melted by the duller overcoat to absorb the dulling agent. That would leave the area covered by the decal much duller than the rest of the surface. By using the acrylic Future floor wax for the base coat that does not happen. Decals flatten out real well with little silvering and bubbles on the acrylic surface. Lately Johnson Wax is marketing Future under the Pledge label. It is called Pledge with Future. Same stuff as far as I can tell.
That's good to hear - I have had that same problem with the decals looking duller than the surrounding areas. Frustrating. I'll give it a try, thanks!
Yeah thanks russ, The outdoor layout guys swear by future as a ballast adhesive. I will have to pass on the info.
Future is a great way to apply decals. But, one thing, Future is not a wax as it is comonly refered to. It is in fact an acrylic "paint". We also use it at work so I have some familiarity with the makup of it. About 80-90% of it is distilled water. This is what allows it to flow out as well as it does. It is also why it dries slower than solvent based paints. When I decal with it I allow it to cure for about 48 hours. When I float my decal into place I use a setting agent such as microset. After that dries I hit it with a solvent such as solvaset or microsol. This will turn the area under the decal a milky white. Don't panic. Once it dries it will clear up again. One of the great features of doing this is the solvent actually melts the decal into the surface and can, most times, hide the edges. Once dry I usually give it a quick shot of future to seal everything, let it dry and coat it with dullcoat if desired.
danpik - I have been using the very process you describe and yes, I am getting the same results. Huge improvement over using Testor's glosscote, with the added benefit of being able to breathe.
I use it have no problems. No negatives to report. Everything you ever wanted to know about using Future floor wax for decals there is always http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html ratled
It's water solvable, as in it unlocks with the application of water. I don't use it for that reason. A spilled cup of coffee is all it takes to rue the day. I used Future on a motor home of mine and the next rain rinsed it off quite nicely. If you knows what's I mean.
I have found that once it is overcoated with a lacquer finish like Testors, it is pretty resistant to most water exposure. However, I have not tried to immerse things in a water bath for long periods.
Water resistance is not an issue to me. In the instances that water does come into contact with the finish, such as when applying decals, it does "whiten" the area under the decal and anywhere in the vicinity, but it always dries back to the original gloss. Aside from that, I can't imagine water resistance being an issue - my layout town hasn't received rain in years. :cute: Of course, flying cups of coffee are a whole different matter.....
I saw several people in a variety of forums rave about floor wax to seal decals so I gave it a try. I used it to gloss a clear plastic window. Next day, I accidentally got some paint on the window and wiped it off with damp paper towel. The paint came off but the floor polish smeared. Had to remove window. Then I discovered that I could basically wash the floor wax off the window. Not sure.... maybe I did not let the floor wax dry long enough(?). Well... anyway, I discovered better products to gloss over windows and decals to seal them. I gave up on floor wax.
I don't use it seal the decals. I just apply a gloss coat over the paint to allow the decals to adhere then seal them on with a clear lacquer. If I use a lacquer gloss coat first and then lacquer semi gloss or dull coat again to seal, the base coat is partially dissolved and absorbs some of the flat agent. This leaves a different finish over the decals and they stand out duller. Any clear acrylic gloss coat will work for the first coat but Future is way less expensive.
I use it straight. I pour a little into the color cup on my airbrush and spray it on. It does come out a little thick but so far I have not tried to thin it. I may add a little distilled water and try that and see what happens.
That's the down side of Future, it is water soluble even if it is completely dry - so no I don't think it was your fault. I've seen some people call that aspect a benefit, guess it depends on your particular point of view. What products have you found that work better for you? I'm always looking for good ways to seal decals.
