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How To Make Decals

Started by Kenny Horne, February 19, 2008, 04:45:46 AM

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dave_t

Thanks, I actually have a half can of the Krylon. I'll run a test with that first.

Ken Pugh

Regarding the decals made on ink jet printers, have any of you tried using decal setting and thinning solutions with them?  I am curious if my solutions from my plastic days will work with home made decals.

Ken Pugh

lastvautour

Microsol/microset and the Testor brand solutions all work for me. It helps to slide the decal in place and shape it to the contours. I am getting better at it and a light coating of bonding spray works much better than saturating the decal. White backgrounds are still problematic.

Lou

Joe

Hi,

I, too, have used Microset and Microsol with good success.  One thing to note is that if you "over-dose" with Microsol, you can dissolve or break the decal.  I use a soft brush very carefully.

My experience with HP Officejet decals is that they are intrinsically weaker than the originals.  I have somewhat overcome that by spraying on 4-5 thin coats of Krylon Acrylic Crystal.  That seemed to make them stronger and not interfer with the Microset/Microsol treatment.

Another technique that I have tried is to sharpen the lines and enhance the color of repo decals by using "Gelly Roll Fine" paint pens by Sakura.  I get these at a local art store and they do a nice job of cleaning up lines.  I do this prior to spraying with Crystal.  I also use my old mechanical drawing circle templates when needed.  It is very important to let the decals dry thoroughly so that the Crystal will not cause them to bleed. 

I still have not found a satisfactory EASY solution for white letters/numbers.  However, for US Armed Forces insignia, I make a white decal of the appropriate shape, but somewhat smaller, affix it to the model, and then apply the clear-based decal.  This seems to make sharper lines than trying to carefully cut a white-background decal.

Good discussion...thanks to all!


Joe

Ken Pugh

Thanks for the info.  I was wondering if the solutions would interact with the inks and all looks good.

Cutting clean lines is an issue that I think I just need to do a lot of practice on.  I know from the airbrush gurus that the ability to cut masks is the key to detail.  I see guys whipping out their cuts using a single edge razor blade.  My results are usually terrible and I guess it's just a matter of practice and development of skills.  If I can cut good masks, I can just paint the insignia.

Lettering is also a big issue that I want to resolve.  Of course, the problem is that I work in 1/72 a lot and that makes things difficult.  Again, one can develop the skills to make lettering by hand.  A big issue I have to resolve is getting paint that flows well yet covers well.  I tend to get paint that is too thin down the center of the line and too thick on the edges.  Maybe inks are the solution.  Using acrylics does have its challenges.

Ken Pugh

lastvautour

I found that wrinkling was a problem when soaking Testor Home made decals. To avoid this, I tried wetting just the underside of the decal. This has given me great results and less problems with the colours running or being rubbed off when moving the decal. I use a brush to apply water to the bottom side and place on a flat wetted surface (normally the top of a paint jar).