Floor Finish as a Dope Substitute
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by Andy Mitas and
Wout Moerman
April 9, 2006
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Wout:
As my re-entry in building stick-and-tissue models
takes place on the dining table in the living room,
I soon was trying to find a substitute for dope.
When browsing on the internet I found a possible
substitute: Future Floor Finish, which is sold in
the Netherlands as Pledge Parket Plus.
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| Andy:
I’m on a perpetual quest to find chemicals
that allow me to build good models without
the headaches I always get from dope, acetone
glues, and even Krylon spray. For a covering
sealer I wanted something that I could brush
on, thin and dissolve with water, and use
to good effect on models that required additional
strength from their covering, like light Dime
Scale models. |
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Wout: "Future" is a water-soluble
acrylic floor coating which dries into a completely
clear, waterproof, tough and flexible layer. As
it does contain ammonia it is not completely odourless,
but the smell is less annoying than the smell of
dope. Brushes can be cleaned with water directly
after use. Hardened Future can be dissolved in an
ammonia solution. More info on Future and its different
names can be found at:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
In this article we will show different techniques
to use Future:
- dry covering
- wet covering
- pre-shrinking and pre-doping
- tissue over tissue
- tissue over foam
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Dry covering Wout:
The balsa frame is coated with diluted PVA-glue,
and a slightly oversized piece of tissue is put
on the coated frame. The tissue is pulled taut
to remove wrinkles. The excess tissue can be removed
after the PVA has dried.
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The tissue is coated with Future, which contains
enough water for a moderate shrinking action. If
the tissue is very sloppy it can be watershrunk
before applying Future. Normally this will not be
necessary.
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Andy: I actually use the Future,
thinned 50% with water, as both adhesive and sealer.
I first brush it on the frame, stick the tissue
on, then brush thinned Future on the tissue to seal
it. If it doesn’t stick, I wet the tissue
again, then use full-strength Future around the
edges, and rub the tissue against the frame with
the back of my fingernail.
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Wet covering
Wout:
When tissue is used for covering complex forms it
is better to use wet covering:
- coat the frame with diluted PVA,
- coat the rear of the tissue with Future,
- place the tissue on the frame and try to smooth
as much as possible,
- the remaining wrinkles should disappear when the
tissue dries,
In this example green Esaki tissue is used which
has been sprayed with Tamiya spray paint (rattle
can) before covering. The sprayed tissue can be
used as regular tissue. If dope is used over spray
paint it will smear the paint, but Future can
be used without problem.
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Andy: I now use wet covering on
everything except the most fragile structures (indoor
models and tail surfaces). My procedure is a little
different from Wout’s. I cut each piece of
tissue to the size & shape needed and dip it
in water. While it dries from wet to damp, I brush
Future on the frame. Then I place the damp tissue
on the frame, starting in a corner, and take advantage
of its wet strength to pull it tight. If it is a
wing, it is advisable at this point to pin it to
the board in a jig to keep it flat or even warp
in a little washout.
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