Search the Community

I have a large bottle of Klear (branded Pledge Multi Surface Wax) which when I coated the clear parts of a current build has left a horrible film over all the parts, leaving them much worse than before I started ! Could this be down to the Klear or likely the brush I was using ? How do you remove it ? All help really appreciated cheers Pat

I'm contacting the BM Brains Trust to see if someone can give me a steer. I've been using Pledge to dip canopies and have found it works ok but have recently come across a problem. I've dipped a canopy and wicked the surplus off (or at least I thought I had) but now it's dry, there seem to be a couple of small runs, or distortions, on the part. I've re-dipped it and tried washing it off in warm soapy water as suggested in this thread that Shaun began some years ago, but it hasn't lifted it off. I've decided to give ammonia a try as it's listed as a removal agent on the back of the Pledge bottle but most everyday window cleaning products seem to have had ammonia replaced with vinegar, and I can't find a screenwash that contains it either. I have found some household ammonia on Amazon though. From what I gather from the Q & A's, it's 5-9.5% strength (even though it's advertised as 100% ammonia) so I'm wondering: (a) Should I dilute it further before dipping the canopy in it and (b) how long should I leave it before washing it off? The canopies in question are for a discontinued 1/72 scale TSR2 from Airfix, so I know I won't be able to get a replacement part and I don't want to ruin them! Does anyone know please?

Hi Guys, I have a question, I have made my first few models and was hoping to finish my canopies as nicely as possible. I wanted to make sure that my process is not hindering the clarity of my canopy. First I clean and polish the canopy with a polishing stick, this seems to work really well. Then I dip the canopy into a pot of Pledge multi-surface polish, this used to be known as ‘KLEAR’ in the UK. It is left overnight under a box to prevent dust whilst curing. once its ready I will then glue it to the unpainted aircraft, ‘I finish all my models with canopies closed’. I then mask the aircraft and canopy, I use mask tape on the canopy. I prime and base coat the aircraft. Now… here is a crucial question. I remove all masks, including the canopy mask, and gloss coat everything including the canopy with KLEAR gloss by airbrush. It seems to flow nicely across the glass. Would this process reduce clarity or quality or perhaps enhance it? How many times could I apply gloss coat with an airbrush if the process is ok? Could I polish the KLEAR coated canopy if at all, and how? I would love to here your thoughts fellow modellers. Kind Regards Matt

Evening lads hope your all good I've been using the ''New clear'' since returning to the hobby, Used it quite a bit for clear coats sealing decals etc. I've heard people say that it yellows?! but i have found it to be fine so far! I have been using the astonish floor polish for canopies as i find that a touch shinier, Anyway i digress. Last night i had a go at mixing some of the ''new'' klear ie pledge multi surface wax with some tamiya flat base, I used the ratios specified on swannys complete future.. I tested it out on some scrap parts and it has left some frosting and white spots! Doh! So my question is gents can you make a matt varnish with the latest incarnation of ''klear'' or did it only work with the old clear?! Or did i mix things up wrong! Thanks and all the best lads!

Hi folks, I've just dipped a canopy in Klear and it hasn't settled like I would have hoped. Does anyone know how to rectify this - is there any way it can be buffed or polished perhaps? Any help would be greatly received. Many thanks Kris

Gauzy Glass Coat and Intermediate Agent AK Interactive There was a time when Klear/Future were about the only clear gloss varnishes that people raved about, but since the formula was changed by the manufacturers J C Johnstone in the UK, some people don't like it and some do. Stocks of the original are limited, and going for silly prices, so people look for alternatives. AK Interactive have clearly (sorry – pun unintentional) been doing just that, and have found quite an interesting liquid, which they have named Gauzy. Firstly, I have no idea where the name comes from, but Gauzy it is, and it is available in two flavours (DO NOT drink it!) with differing properties and uses. Glass Coat Gauzy Agent As the name suggests, this is for your canopies and clear parts, which are almost always over-scale, and often not of the highest clarity. The bottle is a stout polypropylene cylinder with a full-diameter screw-cap lid that is initially protected from accidental spillage by a tear-off strip moulded into the lid. It contains 100ml of gauzy, in a form that is well-suited to the shape of most canopies, with insertion an removal facilitated by the wide mouth. The liquid is quite viscous and of a milky consistency, so don't let go of the part you are dipping unless you want to spend the next 5 minutes searching for it with tweezers. The fluid becomes clear as it dries, and dipping the parts improves the clarity by flooding all the tiny imperfections in the surfaces inside and out that would otherwise scatter the light. This is due to the self-levelling properties that evens out peaks and troughs on a microscopic scale. You need to drain any large puddles or areas where its surface tension prevents gravity from evening it out, but this can be done with a lint-free paper, or kitchen roll if you're careful. Set the part on a piece of absorbent material, propped up on a cocktail stick or coffee stirrer to aid draining, and then place a clear container over it to prevent dust from adhering. When dry the canopy can be masked and painted just as normal, but if it isn't marred along the way by your ministrations, it should remain crystal clear, or at least substantially better than it was. If you make a mistake with painting and want to start again, you can re-dip your canopy to remove the Gauzy, although this will also deposit thin layers of undissolved paint into the bottle, so use it as a last resort, or decant enough for the task to avoid ruining a bottle. Also, don't fall into the trap of passing it through the Gauzy a number of times (like folks did with Klear), as it just dissolves the old layer and leaves you with a new one. Conclusion - Glass Coat Gauzy Agent Super stuff in a very useful container that also resists tipping with the attendant mess. It dries to a very strong glossy finish that does exactly what it is intended to – fools the eye into thinking the glazing is thinner than it is. You might notice in the photo that there is a little blemish at the rear of the canopy, which is down to my lack of familiarity with the medium. I left an accumulation without wicking it away, please feel free to learn from my mistakes. Intermediate Gauzy Agent I suspect that Intermediate refers to the viscosity of the fluid, as it is definitely thinner, and not quite as opaque as the canopy dipping variant. It arrives in a more standard Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) container with plastic cap and tear-off retention ring for safety during shipping that you can see in the picture above because it had been opened by then. It is suitable for application by brush or by airbrush, and I have had two successful tests that prove their assertion. Application by Brush With little/no preparation I applied the Gauzy to an old 1:72 He.111 wing (the tip), using a 3mm flat bristle W&N "One Stroke" paintbrush, which performs beautifully in case you wondered. One coat gave a sheen that would be suitable for most decaling jobs, although the sheen was a little patchy. After two coats the shine was much more regular and very glossy. Cutting back between coats would have produced a glass-like sheen I'm sure, as the sheen was already good after my slap-dash attempts. Application using an Airbrush The Gauzy can be sprayed without thinning, and goes on quickly even with the 0.2mm needle of my H&S Infinity. One coat gave a satin shine, while two surpassed the shine of the second coat by brush. The first coat was lighter than the second, which was wet, allowing the Gauzy to level itself while curing. There was a little variation in the shine that could have been due to a little accident I had while cleaning the brush, so I then gave it a third coat that went on beautifully. It really is a joy to spray. Test Notes My workshop was at about 25c at the time of the test, and I had been sanding earlier, so there was plenty of dust around, so you'll have to excuse me if there are any motes now trapped in the finish. Clean up is with water, or any acrylic airbrush cleaner (I used the Premi-Air Foaming cleaner for this test), but as with all clear coats, don't be lazy and let it sit for too long, as it will make cleaning up much more trouble. The wing was painted previously with Ultimate Primer to a matt finish, which was buffed very lightly with a piece of kitchen roll. Conclusion - Intermediate Gauzy Agent This is my new favourite clear gloss, and I'm only sorry I don't have much more of it. It dries quickly to a high shine when correctly applied, and sprays easily. There's not much more you could want from a clear gloss. Yes, I know I've pictured the canopy version in the shine test, but it's just there to show the reflectivity of the finished surface. Review sample courtesy of

Hello all. I'm in a state of confusion at present, heh. Ok, so here's the issue. After quite a hiatus I've recently got back into some modelling. Back when I use to make models, I put them together, painted them and added the decals, and that was it. I never used varnishes or washes or weathering. For Christmas I received a Bandai 1/72 Y-Wing starfighter. A bit different from what I used to make, being a clip-kit, but I actually quite liked not having to faff around with glue, sticking the parts to myself more than the other pieces So anyway. I gave it a coat of Tamiya primer, then some flat black and light grey for the shadowing. Other bits were painted with Tamiya acrylics with tiny amounts of Revell matt enamels here and there (for chips and marks and whatnot). Overall, I think it looks pretty good for my first foray into 'beating' up a kit. Now here's where the dilemma sets in. Varnishing. I've read a lot about Klear. Of course, prior to this kit, I'd never heard of the stuff. Apparently it was renamed and rebottled and appears slightly different, but works the same way. I got my hands on some Pledge Multi-Surface Wax, which I think is the same stuff updated. My surety wavers a little when I see people displaying bottles with the old Klear markings above the new title (I haven't actually seen anyone with the exact bottle I have). I've tested it on a small piece, and it did do the job. Also stood up to a small test of Mig washes and a bit of paint cleaner (still waiting on my Mig thinner to arrive). However, the results were a little less stellar on a larger test piece (the kit base). It didn't seem to apply consistently, and even after a few coats the wash test didn't really flow into all the little nooks and cranny's. In hindsight doing a test clean up with the Revell paint cleaner probably wasn't the best choice ( ) since it started to remove the underlying layer, but the exercise had me a little concerned for when I would apply this stuff to the model. By brush, I might add. So I started looking around. So far I've snagged myself a can of Vallejo matt acrylic for the final job (I think prior to applying Mig pigments, since I hear coating them doesn't work well) since a test of adding some flat base to the pledge didn't exactly work, but my recent test had me wondering about the gloss. Today I had a look around. The options were limited to a bottle of Windsor and Newton gloss varnish (not sure how that would react), and some Humbrol gloss cote. My confusion flares up with regard to the Humbrol in particular. The Humbrol video on the gloss cote says to thin it up with enamel thinners. That would suggest its composition is similar to enamel paint, or something similarly solvent based (no real information on what its made up of that I can find). But then the Humbrol washes (and the Mig for that matter) are enamel, and cleaned up with enamel thinners. So how is it the Gloss cote isn't stripped off as well? I'm pretty confused at the moment, and a little worried to try anything in case it completely knackers all my work so far. If anyone can clear this up for me, I'd really appreciate it. I'd also love to know for certain if this is the right stuff: Thanks for any help in advance

Is Micro Krystal Klear still the 'go to' for glazing small windows and gaps? It's not showing on Antics website but I thought saw the familiar bottles behind the counter on the last raid...ere...I mean visit.

I regularly used to use Klear and never had any problems when using Microsol, even in excessive quantities on large decals. Recently I have been using Future, the milky varnish, and have had a recurringbproblem with Microsol. There apears to be a reaction which causes white haze to form within the varnish on undecalled areas which is impossible to remove. I am using exactly the same painting technique, Halords rattle can grey plastic primer, Xtracrylix, two coats of Future, decals and microsol. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a way of removing the discolouration? Is this something to do with the 'milkiness' of Future? Peter

Hi I am looking for some tips. No matter what I do I keep getting little particles of dust or what ave you, caught up in the klear coat or varnish. It's very minimal and only noticeable on very cruel close Inspection but drives me mad on white aircraft. Does a anyone have any tips on applying a flawless varnish to white surfaces ? Cheers Rob

Humbrol Clear (125ml) I should start this review with an apology to Humbrol. I’ve had this product in my possession for other two months but haven’t been able to write this review. This is not without good reason though, as I prefer to use a product of this type before reviewing it. Modelling opportunities have been very limited recently, so I haven’t had the chance to do so. I’ve finally managed to get out to the workshop and fire up the airbrush, so here is the review. Humbrol describe this new product as a thin, clear varnish that goes on clear and stays clear. Presumably that means it is not prone to the yellowing that can be a feature of some spirit based varnishes. Judging by the name, this product is intended as a replacement for the much-missed Johnson’s Klear floor polish that was beloved of many modellers all over the world until its withdrawal and replacement a few years ago. I’ve only used this varnish with my airbrush so far, but I can vouch for Humbrol’s claim that it dries to a low gloss finish which can be improved by the application of further thin coats. This is actually an important point, because if you give in to temptation and spray too much onto your model at once. It will pool and cause an uneven finish. A high gloss can be achieved by more judicious use of the product. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to try dipping canopies in the product, but I hope to try this soon and will update this review with the results. Conclusion From personal experience, I would say that this is an interesting and useful product. I have to confess that I never really got to grips with Klear as a varnish, but find it indispensible for improving the clarity of canopies. First impressions of Humbrol’s Clear are positive, and hopefully this will turn out to be a worthy successor. Review sample courtesy of

Hi guys I've not had chance to do much modelling this year infact I had until now only completed one build! which aint much for me. I got back into things with this little avro vulcan kit from dragon this was the falklands boxing with decals for 558 so i did 558. It is a fantastic kit the fit is great and a joy to build this one has took me about 3 days doing about 6 hours each day. I decided i wanted to try humbrol's new shades for RAF dark green and medium sea grey from the excellent rattle cans and i have to say im impressed the colours are bang on and seem different to the tins the med sea grey having that blue tone captured perfectly bleaching in the sun and going very blue in shade as you can see in the following photos. I did decide to skip the little refuelling probe as this currently is like other models at risk of being knocked by someone else so i built it to last and as its so small ....(I'm not that fussed) The exhausts were brush painted with revel aqua aluminium (wonderful paint). The model was masked with blue tak this time i tried green first grey second as its easier to visualize the dominant colour for me anyhow. I was sceptical about doing this as it should really be green last so it bleeds over the grey however i felt the inversion would help with the scale and i was pleasantly surprised with the results. The model was then given a coat of Klear and the windows painted black with thinned matt black paint with flow improver and a cocktail stick to flow into the window frame edges and built up any over spill being easy to wipe away with a cocktail stick if needed. then the decals were applied with pools of klear to suck them down and then finaly a spray over with humbrol rattle can gloss varnish misted from about 4 ft away and then a final wipe over of Klear with a bit of sponge and what a joy this thing has been This may only be 1/200th but it still took 2 packs of blue tak to do! I remember doing An airfix one with blue tack and that took many packs of blue tak. I dread to think how much the reall one would take haha! I hope you like it I am really chuffed with it if i do say so myself. Cheers Rob