Hello All,
I'm getting back into modeling after a couple year break and already have a few questions.
1.) With future floor wax...I see that it is applied with an airbrush...could one also apply it with a brush?( I dont have an airbrush yet).

2.) What would be the best way to connect tank tracks that come individual sections?

Thanks in advance,
Sean

Hi Sean
Welcome to the best site on the web. You can brush it on, it tends to go on thick and it makes it harder to get it to go back to flat after decaling etc etc. WIth aircraft I always spray it on in thin multiple coats, but I figured with a beat up old tank who's going to notice an irregular finish to the turret, right? It might even make it look more realistic. It just made it look semigloss as i couldn't get it to look flat no matter how many times i sprayed with dullcoat.

Hi Sean,
As Pig #34 says, welcome to the best site on the web, this is deffinately the place to ask those questions. Although I've been using Future (Klear in the UK) for years, it was only yesterday that I managed to air brush it successfully. I cranked the pressure up as high as it would go. I build aircraft and apply Future by brush, I think bison44 uses a 3" paint brush lol, but I use a soft bristled flat 1/2" brush (No 8, by Humbrol). I decant the Future into a film canister, dip in the brush in and scrape most of it off on the edge of the canister. The amount left on the brush will, almost, cover the wing of a P47 Thunderbolt, in 1/48. You have to take it easy, as it will pool around detail and/or will form bubbles if move to fast over edges. If either of these two things happen, level it off by carefully going over the area again, if the brush is nearly empty, if it isn't, wipe it on a paper towel. It dries quickly so you need to sort it immediately. Future is very thin and self leveling. I normally apply 1 coat, sometimes 2 before decalling and up to 2 coats after. I have spoken to someone who actually uses 7 coats in total. I have no problem with matt coats. See my posts on the Rivet Review Board F6F Hellcat and Dewoitine D.520 (for some odd reason posted as Dewotine 250 ).
Hope this helps. :-)
Mal
Sorry can't help with the track question.

Mal: you hand brush your future on and you still get such flawless finishes?? I bow to the master. Maybe I am just too sloppy when I brushed mine on. VET: search the articles there was one not long ago about putting together tracks, and lots of posts on that kind of thing too.

Alright, thanks for the info everybody it helped out alot.

Ryan, when you are a hundred years old like me you must have been doing something for a long time, and when you've been doing it a long time your supposed to get resonably good at it :-) er whatever it is #:-)

I have an idea for ya to try. spray your armor with enamel and use an acrylic wash then you don't need to protect the paint from a wash. Mix your wash with one part dirty black or whatever color you need to three parts dawn dish soap then add acrylic thinner or water to the desired consitancy. The dish soap makes the wash flow really good just like you had applyied future plus the spillage wipes off really easy. A guy at our hobby shop showed me this and now I don't bother with future.

This will also work if you paint with acrylics.....as long as you let the acrylics cure completly...say 24-36 hrs.

I also don't have an airbrush and have used Klear with a brush. I did have some problems with bubbles and pooling, but having read Holdfast's post it's probably just my technique.

I had no problem with a dull coat afterwards, I sprayed an aerosol flat laquer and that worked OK although again I overdid it on the first attempt (lots to learn yet )

I too have got my first tank with individual links, and I have found that there is plenty of advice on this site for tips on building these.

Good luck

Roger