whats the best way to apply decals


L

Lab Rat

19 and crazy
i have some good quality decals that dont have any clear between the letters to hold them together. what is the best way to apply decals. keep in mind i have never applied a sinle decal in my entire life.
 
first the painted surface the decals will be used on needs to be smooth. gloss paint helps with this. If the decal is to be placed over uneven surface you need to use a decal softner such as "Micro scale decal softner" that lets it "melt" to the surface. a small fine tip brush is what works well to apply the softner to the decal. after it "melts" to the surface and all air bubbles are gone. you can apply a gloss coat to seal the decal in to the model. at this point you can use a flat or semi gloss coat to get the desired finish.

this is the way I like to do it. others can post there ideas.

Trent
 
Most decals, you just cut out the portion you want to use, dip it in water for a few seconds, let it sit for a little bit then slide the decal off the paper onto the model. I use the micro scale stuff. When the decal is in place I use a Kleenex edge to siphon off excess liquid to let the decal settle on the model.

Cheers
Willis
 
A little practice is all it takes. Maybe this might help you; most hobby shops have a clearance area for stuff they just want to move out the door. Often you find decal sets. One near me had a good sized box of decals on clearance and I got 2 sets of ALCO demo unit decals for $1.00 each that normally sell for 4 to 6 bucks each. If you come across something like that, anything, buy it and use it to practice with. I'm sure by the time you've used 1/2 a sheet you'll have it perfected and can move on to the ones you asked about at the beginning of this post.
 
For a smooth surface. I have been told that a lot of people are using future floor polish on the model first. It leaves a nice glossy base to lay a decal on.
 
never used the furnature stuff but i have used gloss cote. As for applying the decal, like CBCN said, just cut out the image or letter you want to use dip it in water (i use twezers) for about 4 or 5 seconds - another 4 or 5 seconds out of the water and you can slide the decal right off. Be careful, the decal is very delicate at this point. Once you have it on the model, i use an unused pensil eraser to gently move it into place. then with a clean dry rag, i dab the excess water off. Again, do this very carefully - before it is dry, you can still knock the decal out of place. Once dry and everything is the way you want it, apply a fine mist of dull cote to seal the deal.
 
Future is awesome, much cheaper then glosscote. The only thing I can say about it, is spray in thin coats or it'll run.
 
Lab Rat said:
i want to know the best way to get the decal off the sheet and onto my train
Click to expand...

CBCNSfan said:
Most decals, you just cut out the portion you want to use, dip it in water for a few seconds, let it sit for a little bit then slide the decal off the paper onto the model. I use the micro scale stuff. When the decal is in place I use a Kleenex edge to siphon off excess liquid to let the decal settle on the model.

Cheers
Willis
Click to expand...

Those are the key steps, couldn't have said it any better
 
ok if i dont want to go and buy special chemicals other then the clear coat to finish the model can i just clean the space to apply the decal with alcahol or something that is definately in my house. i dont have the money to buy the setting fluid. i can just barely afford paints right now
 
i appologize now for the blurry pic. this is the very first locomotive that i will be going the whole nine yards on any pointer before i start
the loco will be a reading lines paint scheme. this is because the bulk of my locomotives and cars are either reading or pennsylvania then next in line is sante fe but i will be changing all my santa fe over to norfolk southern which happens to be the big company around here
 
Don't decal without decal setting solution. The decals won't settle properly and you'll get a film behind the decal when it dries. If you literally don't have $5 to do this right, set the locomotive aside until you do.
 
I saw a video on Youtube just yesterday that had a guy that used a very thin mixture of white glue and water. dabbed a small amount on the model and placed the decal on. Someone commented on it saying this is a popular way to do it in Japan. Im not sure how well it works so I cant personally vouch for it. But the modeler has a lot of good how-tos on weathering and painting so I would think it may work. But it might be something thats worth trying on a scrap car first.

I think I will do what Mike said and get some clearance decals and try a few different methods on what works and what doesnt.
 
i have some decals from roadnames other then what i what i am using i can use then on my busted gondola car to practice decalling on ith the glue and water
what mixture ratio
 
I've never heard of using a glue dilution. Get a shallow bowl and fill it with slightly warm, not hot, plain water. I hold the decal in it with tweezers for 10 to 30 seconds until I can easily get it to slide on the paper it is printed on. Then place it on the car side using a small wet paint brush to drag it off the paper and onto the model, again clean water on the brush. Move it around until it is where you want it and gently blot it down with a damp handkerchief or something like it. Don't rub it just blot it. If it ends up crooked wet the decal and the area around it with water on the brush and it will float back up so you can move it again.

Everyone has their own methods. This is the basics just to get you used to the process of getting it off the paper and onto the model without tearing or folding it up. Just relax and take your time. It is easier than you might think.
 
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