Dry Transfer?

[diburning]

I was watching a video on Youtube where someone was using dry transfer decals (DecaDry?) to renumber a car. Has anyone used these (or the Woodland Scenics ones)?

How hard are they to use as opposed to waterslide decals? How hard are they to use period?

 

[Outback]

That's all I used in years past as being a freelancer, I had to number and name all my equipment by hand. They are easy if you have a steady hand and can see what you are doing. The hardest part is keeping a straight line. Eventually I started doing them onto clear decal film and then sticking the entire creation onto the piece intended. It beat the heck out of trying to fit your fingers and paper and pencil into some tight spots on locos and cars. I still use them but am leaning towards going to custom printed decals as I am very much out of practice with dry transfer techniques after being out of trains for so many years.

My first recent attempt in years was less than satisfactory in the straight line department. I found that the hardest part was seeing where I was wanting to work and holding the sheet in place while burnishing the letter/number in place. It was frustrating after not having done it in so long. But I do still see useful applications for this type of lettering.

I would suggest you get a set of letters/numbers and just try doing them on patched equipment as a sort of test and practice session. They also work great for replacing one or two numbers on a car in order to change the number from another identical car. Likewise they are useful for other purposes like structures, signs, &c.

Give it a go and see what you think.

D

 

[wheeler1963]

And then there is the thickness issue. They stick out like a sore thumb (pun intended).

 

[Larry]

I used Dry Transfer decals for a long time. Like they say, ya gotta have a steady hand. Now, I just use them for building signs because my hands aren't steady anymore.
It's awfully hard to get them rubbed off in anykind of a straight line. Jerome sent me a stack one time & I'll send you those if you want. PM me your mailing address & i'll send you a stack.

 

[kenw]

It takes a lot of practice and patience, but I've used them for many, many years. To get them in a straight line, you need to tape a straight edge in place, a post-it actually works, masking tape, whatever to form the lower line to register them against. Resist the temptation to cut and apply them into separate letters/numerals, having them in a row still attached is a major aid in getting them straight and spaced properly. Good sets are spaced properly on the carrier sheet so you can use the adjacent letter to get the spacing correct.

If you need to do some tricky spacing around ribs, etc, cut them into separate letters (still on the backing), the apply a long piece of clear tape to the back to hold the alignment/spacing. Then merely stick the tape to the car and apply the letters rubbing thru the tape.

If you cover them with clear coat (gloss or matte), it will help disguise the thickness part but the thickness issue is more a problem on some than others. however....lacquer gloss/matte clear coat will destroy them, so use a water-based protective coat. I used older commercial lettering from Letraset and Chartpak. No clue as to if they are even available anymore.

 

[NH Mike]

I've used them for years with the same effort the others have told you about. Beyond all that there is one other problem. If you aren't happy with the placement there is no moving it around once you've rubbed it even a little. Unlike a decal that you can wiggle around on a puddle of water or weak setting solution until it is where you want it, a dry transfer will need to be removed and replaced with another one. As a plus, they don't need a totally smooth glossy finish to adhere to like a decal does so they do work better on raw wood or stained wood as long as it isn't overly grainy.

 

[Outback]

You mention wood or stained wood. Here is a photo of an old blacksmith shop (perhaps a Campbell Scale Models kit) that I did many many years ago where I hand lettered the signs on thie side onto painted and stained wood. Perhaps a bit of inspiration?

 

[kenw]

another technique is to apply the lettering as a mask over a color, overspray with another color, then remove the lettering to expose the 1st color. It is a way to get different colors.