Help with Number Boards

[meanjean]

This is one thing that gets me everytime. How do you add great looking number boards? Decals? Dry rub?
I have tried both and the spacing is off, the nubers are crooked. It really makes a loco look real.
Chad

 

[wheeler1963]

Chad, I use decals. Once the background color is done (black/white) then I put 1 number on at a time and let it set. Then the next number, and so on. Trying to get them all on at once makes the others tend to move around some. I usually start with the center numbers and work outwards.

 

[meanjean]

Yeah, those look great and what I want. Really makes the old Athearn BB look better.
Ill give that a try. Is there a decal sheet with just numbers for number boards? I have mostly SP so need there font to look good.
You use micro sol/set with your also?

 

[wheeler1963]

Chad, most Micro-Scale engine decal sheets come with the correct numbers for that engine. I have never had much luck with the Micro-Sol/Micro-Set. I've used Champ decal set for over 20 years and won't try anything else. I stick with what I know!! I also use a lot of Shell Scale's numbers for number boards. Here's their link.

http://www.shellscale.com/

HO set #120 looks like what your after.

 

[meanjean]

Those do look right. After looking at some pics I may need the 8" vs the 7". I have never seen Champ Decal set before. Is it a pre soak solution?

 

[wheeler1963]

Chad, here's the link for Champ. I usually water the solution down 50/50.

http://www.minot.com/champ/

Any of these decals, cut them out as close as possible, soak them in water until they slide off of the paper. Apply the decal set to the model, lay the decal in that, wet it down with a brush, position it, then leave it alone!!!

 

[ICG/SOU]

One thing I'm going to try and do is use printable decal paper and make my own on the computer. I tried the one number at a time, and it was a big pain in the butt, aside from running out of numbers (think about 9623 in four places on one locomotive, and then running out of 9s and not being able to use 6s because you need them too).

 

[MrTrain]

I use decals they are easy to use

 

[rbrown7713]

This is the way I did it on an E-8 diesel. I printed the numbers on printable clear on my ink jet. I covered the numbers with another piece of clear, then that way the light would illuminate the numbers. I also inserted a fogged piece of thin vellum behind all of it, it was a nice affect. Rbrown 7713

 

[rbrown7713]

Number board

Here is a picture of one of my first attempts on an E-8 number board with the procedure I discribed earlier. Rbrown7713