WP34s' second best friend... 'Future'

[Luigi Vampa]

We all know WP34s' Achiles heel, the stickers on the original keyboard. First of all, the stickers' adhesive doesn't seem strong enough to keep all of them on the right place just by themselves forever. But WP34s' best friend comes to the rescue: Loctite adhesive, or any of its close relatives. Well, so far so good.

Secondly, fair wear and tear pose another threat to survivability and aesthetics. This has been already addressed in a thread in this forum almost 2 years ago. Nonetheless, the price of varnish brands used by scale modelers could seem expensive.

I happened to find this site talking about the wonders of a cheap non-yellowing varnish that seems to be used by many scale modelers across the world to protect decals on their models; it is called 'Future', but the name may vary depending on your country. For example, in Spain it is called 'Cera Parquet Bosque Verde'. I have tested it over my WP34s and results have been very good when painted by means of an airbrush. A single action airbrush + compressed-air source would be enough to provide the varnish protective layer. Please note the stickers' finish will change from semi-glossy to matte, but if you try to use a regular brush, instead of an airbrush, then you will notice the finish will go from the original semi-glossy to extra-glossy, at least that is what I found after applying the varnish on the spare '/' key with a common brush. Besides, the regular brush provides a much rawer finish, very far from the professional look of the airbrush's finish.

Needless to say, some masking tape should keep (at least) the display away from varnish.

Although I tried to take some pictures with my mobile phone's camera, its flash ruined every try :0/ I need to take my DSLR out.

I hope this information could help other forum members.

[walter b]

Ciao Luigi,

Did you find your DSLR in the meantime?

Cordialmente,
d:-)

[Luigi Vampa]

(06-04-2016 11:52 PM)walter b Wrote:  Did you find your DSLR in the meantime?

Too late Walter, one of my brothers fell in love with my WP34s and he borrowed it :./ You know, big brothers are like that ;O)
Showing the quality of the 'Future' finish without a macro lens is truly challenging. If you give it a try, go for the airbrush rather than the paintbrush, it is definitely worth. I will ask my big brother to send to me a picture, he owes that to his little brother :O)