Decal Tutorial a la Lou

[lastvautour]

I will attempt to describe how I make my own decals based on my many failures and minor successes.

The basic requirements are an inkjet printer, decal film white and clear plus access to the internet.

Lou

P.S. Oh yeah, lots of patience.

All amendments will be in blue

[lastvautour]

I have no secret as to the correct brand of decal film to use. I started with Super-Cal Micro Mark and am now a proponent of the Testor product. It comes in white and clear in packs of six sheets (8" X 5.5") or you can buy a combo pack of three sheets each. The clear, white or combo each sell for $11.99 CDN. Since I generally go through at lot of the stuff I buy the larger packs for use on solids as well as plastics. My biggest beef is the markings on the rear of the sheet. As they are widely spaced, it is sometimes hard to figure which film you have in hand, clear or white. The first photo shows the Testor brand and the second with lots of white white indicators is the Super-cal version.
I now use film bought on e-bay. Here is the link for white.
Lou


https://www.ebay.ca/itm/133121180576?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=706-89093-2056-0&mkcid=2&itemid=133121180576&targetid=1278000645094&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9000028&poi=&campaignid=9561945108&mkgroupid=126559648550&rlsatarget=pla-1278000645094&abcId=1063836&merchantid=116351274&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9v_L-Pm48gIVkoTICh02Vw_qEAQYBSABEgL_tPD_BwE

[lastvautour]

Decal bonders come in a variety of brand names. Testor # 9200 and Super-Cal's Last Chance are just two that I have tried. Tremclad or similar products carry gloss, semigloss//satin and matte finishes. Testor and Super-Cal bonders are gloss and like the other gloss finishes go on heavier than the satin or matte products. The gloss finishes do not do as well and may have a tendency to either crack or wrinkle especially the larger decals.
The satin seems to bond the ink better with less chance of colour bleed. I prefer the matte finish myself. The flip side is if you are making a gloss finish on your model, a gloss coat must be added after decal application. I will cover this in greater details later.

I now use Krylon clear gloss. Drying time is about an hour and can be safely handed after that.

Lou

[lastvautour]

As with Mark's P-80, the image required is the Star and Bar circa 1950-ish. Upon googling "USAF Roundel" in image format you will come up with lots to choose from. I chose Wikipedia's selection for clarity and dimention. this is an excellent image to work from. Try to find a large image that you can compress down to your size rather than a smaller one needed to be enlarged. The finished product is greatly improved with a quality image to start with.

(Attachment 1) I download the image to my PC and then inserted it into a MS Word document. Any word processing program will work. This is where I will resize and print the decal.

(Attachment 2) Other images required are letters and numbers using the correct font. I use AmarilloUSAF to do my lettering and numbers. There is also a stencil version for that type of work. The second attached drawing shows AmarilloUSAf using Word Art. (Word Art in Windows 11 is not as useful as previous versions)

(attachment 3) The images are reduced in size after adding the correct colour. I like to darken the colours prior to printing. Once you are satisfied that the size is correct, I duplicate the image as many times as required and add a few for good measure and fat fingers. The sizes here are just guesstimates for purpose of the article. Print and check against your originals or measure using what method you desire. Do your test printing using a single image and in draft format so to conserve ink. Once satisfied on the size, duplicate and prepare to print on the decal film. The Star and Bar will be printed on white decal film and the Lettering on clear film, but that will be another post.

lou

[lastvautour]

Next comes the printing of the decal.

(Attachment 1) Print the image using used recycled paper and the draft setting on the printer.

(Attachment 2) Place decal film over the image and secure in place. I use ordinary scotch tape. Just make sure you do not cover the area where the decal will print. Holding it up to the light will help you do this.

(Attachment 3) Feed the paper to the printer and remember to reset the properties to "Normal, Plain paper" before hitting the print button.Later version of Word has a gloss paper option)

(Attachment 4) Viola, printed decals. Place the decal in a dry place and let dry a few hours. The next step will be addressed tomorrow.

Lou

[lastvautour]

After a few hours, I lightly LIGHTLY sprayed satin finish over the decals. A few quick sprays at about 12 inches away does the trick. Leave them overnight to dry.

(Attachment 1) Lightly spray the decal.

(Attachment 2) Let dry overnight. The 1/48 scale Academy T-Bird is decked out in my home made decals with exception of the roundels. The CT-133 was my Christmas present from the misses.

I now use Krylon gloss exclusively as I coat even the camouflage aircraft with acrylic liquid wax

[lastvautour]

Sorry folks, I forgot to mention that the Star & Bar is printed on white films while the USAF is on clear film.

(Attachment 1 & 2) Examples of decals printed on white film. The P-47 is recent while the Phantom is about a year ago. Notice the better resolution on the P-47 decal. These were printed on two different printers and it shows on the close up.
(Attachment 3) Carefully cut the decal from the white decal sheet after having sprayed the bonder and making sure is is completely dry. The Star and Bar is a problem due to the inner corners, so go slow when cutting. The RAF Roundels are easier to cut. I have started to make my own star and bar in MS Word, but that is another subject.
(Attachment 4) I use a wide brush to transfer water. DO NOT SOAK the decal.
(Attachment 5) Place a pool of water on a bottle top, a glass or suitable surface that will not absorb the water. I currently use a piece of wide masking taspe to pool my water. A few toothpicks placed under and around the piece keeps the water in place}
(Attachment 6) Brush water on the back of the decal. Take care to avoid water on top of the decal. No longer being done
(Attachment 7) Place the decal on the pool of water. It does not matter that the decal curls, it will still absorb enough water to break free from the backing. If you get a drop of water on the decal, just place the corner of some tissue paper on it to soak it up. I personally have a toilet paper dispenser attached to my work bench for this sort of thing. I no longer worry about a small amount of water getting on the decal.

More to come - placing the decal on the model.

Lou

[lastvautour]

Wet down the area where you wish to place the decal.
(Attach 1) I use Testor Decal Solution. I prefer Microset and Microsol, but they are hard to get around here. If I run out I just use water to ease the movement of the decal.
(Attach 2 & 3) Ease the decal in place and dab with a soft tissue. Go easy as the decal will want to stick to the tissue. The edges will curl so be patient and wait a few minutes and dab the edges down. They will settle down...eventually

[lastvautour]

Do the same for the USAF on clear film.
(Attach 1) Wet the back only and sit in pool of water. (
I no longer brush water on the back of the decals)
(Attach 2 & 3) Place the decal where is should go and use a bit of solution to help hold down the edges. Patiences is key to this operation.
(Attach 4) The decal is in place and the edge held down. Once the decal has dried, a small application of future wax or similar product will enhance the look of the decal.
(Attach 5) The same procedure was used to apply decals to silver painted area.

[lastvautour]

The aforementioned procedure is very basic and design for the beginner. Anything beyond this level will be addressed separately.

Making your own decals is satisfying and less costly than buying after market products. One must realize that your inkjet cannot compete with the new Alps printer, however with practice, a fairly good decal can be produced.

Lou

[lastvautour]

I have gone back over my text and updated to the method I now use.

Lou

[Boomerang]

Thank you for updating Lou.

Gordon

[buccfan]

Thanks for updating, regards Paul J.

[lastvautour]

You are both welcomed.

Lou

[Gearup]

HI Lou,
Should have looked a bit closer and found this post!! I appreciate your help with producing some decals and now that I have read this string, I'll give it a go soon.
Thanks
Fraser