Ok, its about time we post an article for posterity on Future. There have been a nearly infinite number of threads created by people inquiring about it as they've heard many folks say they use it, yet they don't know really anything about it.
Future has so many uses, its like Duct-tape to a Redneck. I've used it to tighten joints. Its so thin, you just touch the joint in question with a brush that's been dipped in the stuff and it will run down into the joint. Just let it sit for 24 hours and that joint is good as new. Future is an acryllic used for protecting floors, so its exceptionally durable. And, since its an acryllic, it doesn't react to anything, so no fear of damage! I've used future as a thinner also: it can be used to thin either acryllics OR enamels, and the bonus is that this makes washes easier to clean up, and also has the bonus effect of "self-clearcoating" your surface as well.
Future is a nearly perfectly clear high-sheen (read: glossy) finish. Whatever your paint looks like raw, is exactly what it will look like with Future over it other than the whole thing will be now shiny. The stuff is really thin, and is self-levelling, so its nearly impossible to get brush-strokes when you brush it on. The only trick is not to move too fast or you can create bubbles. Just take your time and you'll be fine though. Its thin enough you can airbrush it on straight from the bottle too. Or, you can mix it with alcohol to thin it even more and this will make it more of a semi-gloss coat. You can mix Future with other clear-coats to achieve a satin(semi-gloss) or a matte/flat finish as well. I use the following as a good guide:
1 part flat base to 3 parts Future = very flat
1 part flat base to 10 parts Future = flat
1 part flat base to 15 parts Future = satin
Future is also great for tinting clear parts. Mix ANY color paint you want, and then use Future to thin the paint way down, and then you can paint this on your clear pieces (or you can dip them) and your parts will remain transparent, but with your new tint applied. I did this on my Alternators Motormaster, for example, which can be found in the Gallery. The bonus of this trick is that its also "self-clearcoated" and so you don't have to put anything over the tint to protect it.
I've found about the most thorough article on the stuff way back when I myself knew virtually nothing about Future. This article includes photographs of what it looks like as of May 2008, and not just in the USA, but in many other countries around the world, so anyone should be able to find this stuff. It comes in a pretty large bottle and is still only a few dollars to purchase, and I've used my bottle on over a dozen large customs and I've still not used even a quarter of it! To check out this article, click here:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
