decalling and varnishing problems and opinions

[Allan]

first up, here's my decalling and varnishing arsenal....I've decided to stop using the Mr Mr Mark Setter as, for some reason, it's caused completely unremovable residue on the surface of my model (see the 109 below that I'm presently working on..the marks are near the wing cross and close to the L on the fuselage)...Mr Mark Softer used to work wonders on my decals, but nowadays doesn't act like it used to ...some of my decals are still wrinkly, maybe or maybe not because they are old decals that have been in the decal bank for some time, but they've been looked after and their age shouldn't be an issue....the Micro Sol is okay but has never been as good at Mr Mark Softer, which by the way I brush onto the decal after I've applied it...
I've never used gloss varnish before, but perhaps now I should start to use it, apply the decals and then use my fav matting agent, Testor's matt varnish in the can (pictured in the lineup), though I sometimes thin Humbrol 49 in the tinlet and airbrush it..
what do you think?...is Testor' gloss varnish okay, or can I thin the Humbrol gloss coat (lineup) and spray it on with an airbrush...I've seen Tamiya's gloss clear in the spray can and might try it...any feedback on how good it is???....and in the craft shop today I saw a canned gloss spray for artwork made by a company called Boyle and it looks okay and is cheap at $9 compared to at least $12 for the Tamiya stuff...but is it okay with models and what do you use for gloss spray prior to decal application??..I don't think I'd have the skill to decant from a spray can to airbrush, though some of my club members do
I'm not confident to use my airbrush to apply the green mottle so have bought some olive green pastel and will apply with a cut-down paint brush...that'll be the What-If connection: what if Allan used pastel
Allan in Canberra

[matrixone]

Allan,
A few months ago I tried using Future instead of the usual decal setting solutions and I like the results so much I will continue using it.
The only drawbacks to using Future as a decal setting solution is once the decals start to stick they really stick well and are hard to move, accurate placement of the decals is a must. The other problem is Future is thicker than the other decal setting products and you do want to be careful to prevent of a blob of the Future forming on the models surface, what I tried as an experiment recently is thinning the Future with Windex and it works quite well, the decals settle down nicely with no build up of Future over the decals.
Thinning the Future with Windex for airbrushing the gloss coat on the models also works a treat and has given me the glossiest clear coats ever and is better than anything I have tried so far.

If you suspect your decals are not settling down to the models surface as good as they should try using hot water to wet the decals before removing from the backing sheet, this works great with Tamiya and Hasegawa decals from older kits.

Testor's products are very good but their spray cans of clear gloss and Dullcoat are rubbish, I used them for years and years and have found they start to turn brown over time and gave my models a dingy look to them they had to be thrown away.

For a flat clear coat I have been using Xtraclolor flat clear through my airbrush the past few years and it works pretty good, no telling if this product will also start to turn brown like the Testor clear coats did in a few years but so far so good.

Matrixone

[frank2056]

I've been using Future for years as a decal setting solution. You can brush it out (carefully) and it won't form a thick layer, or do what Matrixone suggests and mix it with Windex. Since Future shrinks as it dries, it will suck the decal down into the plastic (or painted) surface.

Future is also fantastic for saving old decals - if you think an old decal sheet will shatter when placed in water, spray (or brush) Future on the sheet and let it dry. It'll form a skin that'll hold a fragile decal together long enough to wet and place on the model. You'll have to cut out the decal (since the Future will form a continuous skin) but it's worth the effort.

[TomZ]

I agree. I always apply all my decals with Future. No silvering, draws it down into panel lines etc.

TomZ

[PR19_Kit]

Are your supplies of Future relatively new?

I ask because the UK equivalent, Klear, suffered an EU enforced change a few years ago and the new stuff is useless, whereas the older version is as good as yours sounds. We might have been thinking of importing Future from the US in bulk if many of us hadn't laid in stocks of the old version back then. 

[matrixone]

Kit,
Future has been given new labels here in the states, maybe you have it in your area and can't recognize it?
I have no idea if its been phased out for use in other country's...I hope not, because its the best non-modeling product I have tried and has many uses.

Matrixone

[Allan]

thanks for your comments and advice....this morning I gave the 109 another annointing with Testor's Dulcote and got the fleeting impression that it might have improved (read: knocked it to the boundary for four) the lingering residue...I'll check when I get home and maybe post pictures....
I've always found Testors Dulcote to be quite effective and have no complaints about it...so much so that I'm willing to invest in a can or two of their gloss coat as well
Allan

[PR19_Kit]

Future has been given new labels here in the states, maybe you have it in your area and can't recognize it?

I don't think so. They changed the labels on the original Klear when they changed the formula, and a number of us asked them why they'd changed it. That's where I got the bit about changed EU regulations from, so that means the old stuff wouldn't be allowed to be sold here any more. I have three bottles of the old stuff  full stashed away, which should last me out, but younger modellers won't be so lucky.

[CANSO]

I don't think so. They changed the labels on the original Klear when they changed the formula, and a number of us asked them why they'd changed it.

Maybe this is the case with Klear only?
Future was sold since years under the name Pledge (in the USA and here in Canada - I don't know about other countries). I still have samples of some Pledge variations from the last 5 years. I even found some quantities with the old label (called "Pledge with Future shine") for less money some months ago. With this label:

This is the latest label:

All of them are the same. The formula AFAIK is the same - see also here. I don't have a lab to check it , but the quality is the same as the original Future when applied in the same way. All the variations have a smell of apple - this is my way to find is this the "real one" or not. There are some more Pledge floor finishes, but I've never used them. The only foreign product I could test was an Italian floor wax called "Pronto", which was basically the same (3 years ago). But again there are many products under this label and I don't know how the others work. I've never used "Klear" though...

[NARSES2]

As far as I'm aware the change to Klear's formula was purely an EU thing and doesn't effect our cousins in the America's. I'm not sure however if it was a change ordained by the EU or just something dreamt up by Johnsons ?

[PR19_Kit]

As far as I'm aware the change to Klear's formula was purely an EU thing and doesn't effect our cousins in the America's. I'm not sure however if it was a change ordained by the EU or just something dreamt up by Johnsons ?

I asked them and that's what they said, some EU ruling meant that one of the components in the original mix was no longer 'allowed'.

Typical EU really, delving FAR too deep into things that really don't matter a jot. 

[matrixone]

Kit,
If you have three bottles stashed you are in good shape, I still am working on my original bottle I purchased about five years ago, a bottle of this stuff lasts a long time and also has a good shelf life.
But I agree the newcomers to this hobby might be out of luck, there is not really anything to replace Klear/Future.
If the EU rejects Klear now its only a matter of time before its gone in the states too.

Matrixone

[Allan]

progress report: notice how the application of Testor's Dulcote has completely taken care of the Mr Mark Setter residue, which has allowed me to make an executive decision and reinstate the stuff to my decalling arsenal
and here's what we have in Australia to use instead of Future...and my little bottle of Windex, which I sometimes use when thinning acrylic paint
the model is coming along well and the fus guns and engine exhausts have been painted with a propelling pencil..the loop antenna is Lifecolor gray, which goes over enamel primer (sand brown in this case) very nicely
pretty soon I'll break out the pastel and do the fus first so I can hold the wings while doing so and reduce the possibility of smudging the thing..off to Sydney for two days this weekend and hope to pick up some Testor's gloss in a can while there
and have you noticed the goof???  I think I've used the wrong style fus crosses
Allan in Canberra

[PR19_Kit]

What's Windex please? I've never hard of it, at least under that name over here. And what's it used for as that may make it possible to find an equivalent here.

[Librarian]

I'm down to half a bottle . Never understood many model reviewers who state "....dunked in future...". Wouldn't this be disastrous? I've always carefully brushed it on. Works wonders on cloudy/opaque transparencies which still turn up in modern kits (Airfix, are you listening? ).