Coating with Future Floor Wax

    A few years ago, I was decaling a slot car and had a reaction between the paint on the body and the solvent I was using to set the decals with.  A few mouse clicks on the World Wide Web taught me that many modellers used Future Floor Wax to coat their builds, often hiding issues with the paint, as well as protecting it.  I tried it a few days later, and to my delight, found it did everything they said.

    I've used it numerous times as my clear coat when painting slot cars.  For this example, I'm going to use it over two cars that are already painted, but I've recently decaled.

    Begin by disassembling the body.   Using an Xacto knife or other instrument, carefully remove the melted tabs.  Be sure to put all of the parts in something so you don't lose them.  In my shop, I utilize old slot car case lids.  

    If you've raced the car, buff out any areas on the body that may have scratches.  I use Novus polish and a scrap of old T-shirt for this job.

    Next, clean off any fingerprints or residue as they will appear under the Future coat.  I wash my bodies in a mild detergent such as Dawn dishwashing liquid.  After drying, I wipe off any possible prints and then decal the car.  After decaling is complete, I wipe the car down again once they are dry.

    In order to keep any dust off the body when the Future is applied, I use a stand (in this case an old digital camera dock) and a slot car case lid to cover it.  I place a paper towel under the base to catch the Future as it drips off the car.  I also use an old tire to keep the lid propped up slightly so it can breathe.  The tray under it is an old lunch room tray one of my kid's schools were getting rid of.  I actually have several of these and it helps when moving projects around.

    When "dipping" a body into the Future, I use a fork to hold it.  I submerge the entire body into the Future, which I've poured into a sealable container.  When raising the body back out, I let it drip for a minute and place it onto the stand.   

    I then take a papertowel and blot the bottom of the body where drips are appearing.  This ensures I don't have dried blobs of Future hanging onto the body later.  I then cover the body with the case lid.  I check every 5 minutes or so and re-blot the body.

    When brushing a body, such as this one that is assembled due to it's clam-shell style, I like to use a medium sized model brush.  Simply paint the Future on.  I even do the glass as I think it makes it look thinner when dry.  Cover the car as before and a let it sit for a few hours.

Results:  Worth it!  Future not only protects decals and paint, but it gives it a great shine!