The Klear that we all know and love is discontinued in the UK. If you haven't stocked up it seems a promising alternative may have been unearthed.
Check the link in this Britmodeller thread.
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35896&hl=
Initial reports look good. I was particularly impressed with the effect it had on the canopy.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steven

According to SC Johnson's website, Klear is still available - they've simply rebranded it as Pledge.

EDIT: Hmmm - I see there are reports that "Pledge - formerly known as Klear" isn't the same stuff at all, and is little use for modelling.

All the best

Rowan

I've heard on the grape vine (and in it was covered in last months SAMI) that The Klear we all know and love has been re-branded and is a new formula. long story short if its got a different label and smells of lemon it won't work on models

All I can say is thank god I have 6 bottles in the stash after the last "Klear discontinuation rumours"

Has anyone thought of using floor finish from the Jantioral field ? I used to do floors at one time and it is water based , or cleans up with water . Can also bemoved with windex or aimonia based cleaners . It comes in sizes of 2 liters all the way up 20 gal drums !
And it dries fast as well depending on how thick you put it on and after polishing be great for decals !!!! Just a thought .....................................

Hi again

Well, they were still selling the classic Klear in the local hardware shop on the Isle of Wight last month, so I'd better nip out and try to buy up the remaining stock!

All the best

Rowan

The answer is yes. Vectro Floor Polish is one that has been identified as a substitute but when I searched the internet I could not find anyone that sells it. Search for acrylic floor polish and you will find similar products fairly easily. The problem is that market for them is professional cleaning companies, hotels, hospitals, shopping centres, etc. It might be possible to order a single 5 litre container from some suppliers but really they are looking to sell it in boxes of 5 litre containers. My only reservation is wil it last? Will it start to blister or peel off in 2 years, 3 years, 5 years time?

A few weeks ago the local Asda store was selling it at £2.50 a bottle. I cannot remember the price I paid for the last bottle I bought over five years ago but it would be more like £3.50. Perhaps Asda are clearing out old stocks. Get it while you can.

Can anyone explain why the new stuff isn't suitable for models? I've got a bottle of Pledge Multi-Surface Wax (as opposed to Pledge with Future Shine) and it definitely smells different from Klear (Future). It is, nonetheless, a clear floor wax. So what effect does it have on models? Does it eat them, or something?

I personally would like to say as I'm only reporting on what I've read.

In the UK, SC Johnson claim that the new Pledge Multi Surface Floor Wax with it's new formula can be used as a cleaning solution if diluted. This to me doesn't sound to promising for modelling applications and I've also read that it dries brittle.

However in the US, SC Johnson now call it Pledge Premium Floor Finish with Future Shine and claim "its the same great future formula, now just under the pledge name"

The best bet would be to test on and old kit you don't want first.

Klear as we know and love it is definitely discontinued in the UK though it seems some stocks are still available. Despite conflicting emails from SC Johnson it seems the replacement (again in the UK) is no good for models. I've not tried it myself but it has been tried. It simply does not do the same thing.
Jonners (on Britmodeller) has done some extensive testing, including air brushing, on his discovery (Holloway House Quick Shine) and it seems to perform at least as well as Klear and in some applications better. It is advertised as an acrylic floor polish which is, after all, what Klear was. Of course one thing he can't test is how well it will look long term, will it yellow for example. If you've run out of Klear and are looking for something similar it is probably worth a try.
Here it is.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/quick-shine!REG-floor-finish/F/C/cleaning-protecting/C/cleaning-protecting-clean-floors/product/20286
I confess to having a couple of bottles (that's not 15 Lampie!!!!) of original Klear stashed but may give this stuff a try anyway. I'll let you know how I get on if/when I do.
Cheers
Steve

ouch ouch,,,,,burning ears
15 bottles of Klear stashed??,,not me Steve,,,,,,I like even numbers
Nige

Hi there

One thing I would advise to anyone hoarding a store of original Klear: keep it out of direct light. While I was down on the Island last weekend, I noticed that an old bottle had definitely clouded slightly compared with fresh stuff. It hadn't yellowed like some other varnishes, but was slightly "milky" after sitting on the shelf in daylight for a year or so.

Robert Dyas is another store that still has good stocks of real Klear. Grab it while you can...

All the best

Rowan

i use future shine it works great

i have become friends with a chap from Russia here on Armorama. he was about out of it and asked if i could get it for him. he told me that it was common that people would buy it from another country and then re-bottle it into small containers for resale at ridiculous prices. since every supermarket and department store here has it, i picked up a quart for him when i went to the store next time and shipped it to him. it was a bit of a hassle at first when the Post office gave me a bit of a run-around. i even took them in a bottle and the supervisor smelled it and said he thought it burned his eyes so was a no go. i persisted and downloaded the materials sheet from Johnson and Johnson's web site that detailed any associated hazards and special considerations and took it to the Post office. the sheet quite clearly said it was safe to handle and required no special shipping or handling and was completely unregulated. the manager agreed after seeing it but double checked with his higher ups anyway and it was cleared as OK to ship from all levels. they checked the Russian import laws and while they won't allow import of floor waxes, Future is not a wax but an acrylic sealant and i described it as acrylic sealant on the customs form. long story short, i had to double bag it because it was a liquid per postal regulations, which i would have done anyway. i boxed it carefully and off to the far eastern end of Russia it went. it took about 2 weeks to get there and arrived intact. so, as long as your country doesn't ban it being sent in and you have a willing friend in the US, you should be able to get it sent to you. all post offices have data books specifying what can and cannot be sent to your country. the large bottle i sent him cost about $6.00 USD and will last him for years.

Yep, over your side of the pond Pledge with future shine is the good old formula.

Burning ears Nige? Is it twenty bottles now!!!?

Steve

Good advice there Rowan, I have noticed a slight cloudiness in my current bottle. It's been in use for over two years and seems okay once applied to a model but I still keep my strategic reserve in the dark.
Steve

Good tip Rowan, after trying everywhere I could think of, I found some in Robert Dyas this lunch-time.

My local Morrisons has loads in stock,£2.50 each,I got 4 ,better go and get somemore!

Hi again

A frantic clean-up of my flat prior to moving sent me off on a fresh hunt for Klear to get the kitchen floor ready for inspection. I have to say, I still had no trouble finding the original formula (in fact, I couldn't see any of the hated new stuff anywhere), and supplies were so good I did the dirty deed and actually used some precious Klear on the lino! (It did a lovely job, and I've still got 7/8ths of the bottle left for its proper modelling use!)

All the best

Rowan

A question for Terri,
Did you get the 20gal drum ? be a sod of a thing to move

Chris

You can still get the genuine stuff here

http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-72-Klear-Floor-Shine-500ml.html

Has anyone actually seen it disappear from store shelves yet?

As an aside, I sent a big bottle to a friend overseas last year. Apparently, it was very difficult to get where he lived and some hobby shops actually imported it, measured it out in small bottles and sold it for a pretty good chunk of change. In order to send it, I had to contact the company and get the paperwork that described its makeup, hazards, etc. to ship it by air. It turned out it was totally safe to do so with the US Postal Service. It went to Russia and the only trick there was to call it acrylic floor finish as opposed to floor wax which because of petroleum products in some cannot be imported there. During the course of speaking to several company reps I told them of it's use by modelers and they were quite surprised.

Not only had none ever heard of that application for it, but they were unaware of the concern in the modeling community about its reformulation or discontinuation. They were even more surprised to learn of its re packaging and resale at premium prices in some countries where modelers had trouble finding it. Says a lot when people go through those extremes to get a legal product!

It may not affect anything, but I'd like to think it planted a buzz in their ear.

It's gone from the shelves of the big supermarkets around my neck of the woods in Birmingham (England). I still see it from time to time,often in smaller stores. I saw some recently in a hardware store in Thame (Oxfordshire),whilst senior management was looking for garden lights.
I think that if it was an animal it would be on the red list for endangered species!
Cheers
Steve

I have. Sainsbury's used to sell it, then switched to the new stuff. Asda held on longer but I gather may be nearly out of it now.



I'm not at all suprised at their reaction. The usage of Klear by modellers must be a veritable gnat-bite compared with the volume used on floors. Someone on Britmodeller was speculating that the change from old to new formula would result in sales dropping by several orders of magnitude. If that wasn't a joke, it's certainly looking at it from the wrong end of the telescope.



Back to the gnat bite, I'm afraid. I can't see modelling being anything like big enough to make them change their minds. Even if model shops can sell hoarded spoonsful of the stuff for more than the price of champagne, the overall volume won't get close to justifying the retention of the old production line.

I have a few bottles of Klear. I was impressed enough with it to want to stock up. But it can't be the only useful clear coat. We lived without it before someone had the moment; we'll live without it again.