Finally found some "Future', now what?

Started by Ralph Clements · 20 · 8 years ago
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    Ivan L Brown said 8 years, 12 months ago:

    Can anybody tell me the propper PSI to use with this stuff to not pool all over my model? i cant seem to get any consistency with the spray to make this stuff "rant and rave" worth in my eyes. As far as the canopy goes, love it. Great for clear parts. Just having a lot of problems spraying the stuff to any real effect.

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    Rob Pollock said 8 years, 12 months ago:

    A couple of points to make, if I might.

    The original Klear was just that - clear. The 'second generation' Klear is the Pledge version that has a milky appearance but dries transparent. It had to be changed, supposedly, because small children thought the clear product was something to drink.

    The original stuff started to disappear about three years ago. It had been withdrawn, but you could still find shops that had stocks, and as it lasts for ages, no one worried too much, but then the stocks dwindled and suddenly a big debate about what works and what doesn't, by way of a replacement.

    It can still be found on E-bay for something like £25! The last bottle I had was two years ago, at a model show a guy had a bottle under his table for £3. I still have it, well, part of it.

    The solution is to find a product that is what the original was, a clear acrylic floor sealer. Actually, you'd be surprised at how many products are out there that fit the bill. I use a product I found in my local store, £10 for a litre, and it works fine.

    About spraying it, it's an odd liquid. It's thin, yet it's not, because of the acrylic polymer base. If you spray it 15-20psi it tracks with a slightly bumpy look on the surface because it needs more pressure than that, but if you rack it up to 25-30psi it sprays much better but creates a dangerous (to you) air fog, so you must wear a proper respirator, not just a dust-mask sort of thing.

    Also, if spraying, spray it about 6-8 inches (say, 20mm) from the surface, at right angles to the surface, to avoid laying on too much at an 'off' angle. It should be sprayed when the air isn't too cold or humid, as the humidity will trap in the liquid and it will go flat.

    By the way, Alclad do a range of similar products now, from gloss to matte, so don't panic if you can't locate Klear, whether original or Pledge.

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    California Steve said 8 years, 12 months ago:

    You can also use it in a diorama to create a wet just rained on tarmac or on roads to make the best gooey mud this side of Texas.. Here is a pic from the dio I have posted this week. All of these surfaces are bone dry to the touch.
    California Steve

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    Gábor Szabó said 8 years, 7 months ago:

    I bought two bottles back then when rumours heard that the formula will be changed. I didn't use the half of one 🙂 and I gave some friend from it to try. Truly amazing stuff! Here http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html You also can find some useful tips. Rob: Thank You for the story behind the formula change. I didn't understand why have to alter a product that so good in it's original form but now I know - but I think a liquid seems like milk also can be dangerous for small children :DDDDD

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    Rob Pollock said 8 years, 7 months ago:

    Although I've commented previously about this, and the points are the same, what I've experimented with recently isn't a dipping liquid, rather, Novus plastic polish, which is made for removing scratches from plastic, primarily motorbike windscreens. It comes in three grades. Grade three is the coarsest and wouldn't be used by modellers. Grade two is good as a 'first' polish and cleans and clears any blemishes, and a final polish with Grade one adds a final fine polish and a lustre effect. It comes in two sizes, and you can find the smaller bottles for around £10, but it would last years.

    I haven't worked with aircraft kits for a long time time, but did some experiments with spare clear canopies and think this product is very good. I still have Klear to use, but think I prefer the polish.

    Naturally, if you're in a club you could chip in together to keep costs down, and just share it out amongst yourselves.