The Modeler's Secret: Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish (Formerly 'Future')

There are a lot of great modeling materials and tools that can be found at your local big-box retailer. One of the greatest of these is a product by the S.C. Johnson Company that was formerly called 'Future'. It is now sold as Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish. This is a clear acrylic liquid that has multiple uses in the modelling realm.

Magic for Clear Parts

First and foremost it radically improves the look of model canopies and other clear cast parts. Simply

Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface
Floor Finish

dip the clear parts in the emulsion, shake off the excess and allow them to dry on a paper towel. Cover them with a cup or plastic storage container to keep dust from settling on them while they dry. This has the following benefits:

1. Makes the parts appear clearer and thinner.
2. Allows you to reshape and clean up clear plastic castings because it will cover over and eliminate scratches caused by sanding with fine abrasives.
3. Seals the clear parts against the frosting effect created by cyanoacrylate glues.

Using forceps or tweezers, dip the canopy
in the finish, shaking off the excess and placing
on a paper towel to dry 

The product can be removed with ammonia, so if you mess up you can simply soak the parts in a water/ammonia solution to remove the Pledge. I have even painted over it with enamel and then soaked the part in ammonia and been able to remove both the Pledge and the paint.

Economical Gloss Coat

The gloss coating sold in hobby stores usually retails for around $1.50 an ounce. This stuff sells at the grocery store for about $.32 per ounce. You can apply it from an airbrush after thinning with ammonia to to create a glossy coating for decal application, or mix in a small amount of your favorite flat finish to create a semi-gloss final coat.