Sealing Minis w/ Future Floor Polish

[MintFish]

So I've been looking to experiment with sealing some minis using Future Floor Polish and Testor's Dullcote;I have a question about which polish to use. In the USA, Future has been re-branded as Pledge FloorCare but there are at least three different varieties I've seen and/or heard of. Specifically there's Tile & Vinyl, Multi-Surface and Wood. My understanding is that the Tile & Vinyl variety is what should be used for sealing miniatures but I can't seem to find the stuff anywhere (not even on Pledge's website). Is the Tile & Vinyl finish just the same stuff as the Multi-Surface finish? Also, is there any visible difference in the quality of protection/finish between either variety? Is there a clear difference in how each affects the paint job after Dullcote is applied?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Zab]

Future floor wax has a tendancey to yellow with age. Stick with a gloss coat then matte coat if you want protection for your gaming minis.

 

[Chrispy]

I actually had the opposite problem- I found the Floor and Tile stuff at my nearby Alberston's but thought I needed wood or the other one.. until I read this:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
So where e'er you live in the world this should have you covered for approximations to Future Floor Wax!
As for putting dullcote on over it- it will protect it better, but then you need to put coats over it because the spray stuff is formulated to reduce shine.

 

[MintFish]

Ah, thanks Chrispy; that clears everything up. As for the dullcote, I was going to use the brush on stuff via airbrush to try and achieve a flatter finish. I'm also going to try a few minis using Liquitex matte varnish. Since these are the two easiest and most readily available varnishing methods for me, I want a chance to compare them side by side and see which effect I prefer.

 

[Kalidane]

Yup, my signature endorses what Crispy said.

We only have one formulation of Klear here so it's nice and simple.

If you need to super-double check, I can go find a bottle and list the ingredients?

 

[RuneBrush]

Ah, thanks Chrispy; that clears everything up. As for the dullcote, I was going to use the brush on stuff via airbrush to try and achieve a flatter finish. I'm also going to try a few minis using Liquitex matte varnish. Since these are the two easiest and most readily available varnishing methods for me, I want a chance to compare them side by side and see which effect I prefer.

Why don't you just get some varnish that'll go into the airbrush and use gloss followed by Matt? Not quite sure the benefit of using Klear over a true varnish if you've an airbrush available. I use Daler Rowney soluable varnish and really can't fault the finish I get.

 

[MintFish]

Why don't you just get some varnish that'll go into the airbrush and use gloss followed by Matt? Not quite sure the benefit of using Klear over a true varnish if you've an airbrush available. I use Daler Rowney soluable varnish and really can't fault the finish I get.

Well, I'm not sure if there's any advantage myself which is why I've set up an experiment of sorts to test out various airbrush varnishing techniques on a series of junk minis that I'll slap with a quick paint job. I'll have a small control group of unvarnished minis and test out a few different gloss, matte and alternative varnishing methods on the rest. I decided to do this since I seem to get a lot of conflicting information about varnishes online; I figured the best way to determine which method works best for me is to see them all with my own eyes.

I'll probably take down my findings and, when I have the time, publish them online if I think they'll be of any help to other painters out there.