custom decals

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OCN Guy - I don't think I would recommend the Evan Design paper. For all the details you can go to the Decal page on my website.
 
oh the colors are the general colors of the railroad. The nose would have some sort of angled effect with the logo in the middle. I've drawn out the nose but can't explain it except the center band of tan/sand color will come to the nose and the top and bottom with flare to a point each.
 
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here is a very crude drawing of the front of th nose kinda explaining how I want the nose painted. Either coming to a point or just a blunt stop on top and bottom.
 


I know this isn't model railroad, but I used Bell decal paper (I wouldn't use anything else for making decals myself) to make decals for a model project I did for a good friend of mine for Christmas. Several friends have WWII Jeeps (1942-1945 Ford GPW and Willy's MB) and his is done up as "Military Police" assigned to 1st Infantry. We call his Jeep "Easy 19" since it is number "E-19" in his unit. He was a cop in the Air Force years ago, so it was a natural fit for him. Easy 19 is his prized possession, and since I did the paint & lettering on the real thing and helped him and his brother build it from a rusty pile of parts last winter, I decided making a 1/24 scale replica of it would be a cool Christmas gift for him. I still need to get a display case for it after Christmas (I have a guy in Texas that custom makes Oak and Acrylic cases, but wasn't sure what size this model would be until it was too late to order). As you can see, I printed white decal paper Olive Drab Green and then cut them out and applied them. The paint I used on the model was a can of the OD paint I used on the real Jeep, and while the color on the decal paper is not *exact*, it's pretty close and you'd have to look at it up close to tell. I printed them on my Kodak Ink Jet printer and sealed them with two coats of Testors Dull coat. After applying on the model, I dullcoated the whole thing and it worked slick. Don't be afraid to try custom making decals. With a little work and some basic Photoshop skills, anyone can do it.
 
Which decal paper did you use from bell? clear or white for the letters? How noticeable is the clear un printed part on a painted surface?
 
I used Bell White Ink Jet. The color match is pretty good, but I didn't cut around the invasion star on the hood, instead just cutting a square. If I would have cut it round, around the circle, it wouldn't be noticeable at all, but it's only mildly noticeable anyway. I could have tweaked the colors a little more before I printed them, but I think it is pretty close, especially after the model was dull coated. His daughter also has a 1940's Huffman bicycle assigned to the Army Medical Department, so I stenciled the lettering on the chain guard after repainting and made the cadusceus logo on white decal paper as well, and after 3 coats of Testors Dullcoat, it's durable enough to resist chipping, scratching, etc. Same with the Red Cross on the center plate.
 
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Sorry Steve, I misunderstood your question the first time. The white unprinted part on the OD green is not transparent at all. It is pretty white, even on a dark colored surface like OD green.
 
In Photoshop, (actually I use an OLD copy of Paint Shop Pro 7), I made a white invasion star by making a circle, and drew a star in it, all in white. All of that was drawn on an OD green background (all at 600 DPI resolution) and then resized to the actual size I want to print them. Then I print them on photo paper. I use the "print multiple images" feature and lay them all out on the sheet electronically in the program and once I am happy with what I have, hit print.
 
ok just so im understanding since its early am LOL

The square I see in the pic is green with the star inthe middle? I gotta get my printer set up now. We got a new canon ink jet last christmas and its still in the box now LOL
 


NYSW F45 said:
here is a very crude drawing of the front of th nose kinda explaining how I want the nose painted. Either coming to a point or just a blunt stop on top and bottom.
Click to expand...
thats going to be a lot of work for those three colors but heres one sample so far
NJERR.png
 
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oooooooooo, me likey! Is it possibly to replace the "NJ with the actuall shape of the state with some sort of arrow fading in to the right, kinda indicating the "eastern" part of the road name? And I like those fonts too.
 
One suggestion: my railroad is the "Minnesota, Sioux Lake & Western", so I use initials on the diesels or a logo with "Sioux Lake" as the colloquial name. If you can use a portion of the overall long name in a similar manner, then do so. That way, you have 3 options for lettering: initials, logo + short name, and full name, where different situations require different solutions. I have used Avery clear non- glare address labels for small letters- only decaling, using a free copy of "railroad gothic" font I downloaded, or for more modern purposes, Arial bolder font. In either case, you can make the numbers and letters any size, from 6 point to 14 or larger, without losing clarity.

You can use these fonts in MS Paint and place them centered in a box by moving the separate image elements around or double-spacing lettering, to increase visibility when placed on a side of a steam or diesel cab.

Check out Decals.com for bulk inexpensive decal paper, that you custom print yourself, then seal with clear spray, allow to dry and then cut-soak-apply. Testors also has a decaling kit.
 
DIY Decals

One suggestion: my railroad is the "Minnesota, Sioux Lake & Western", so I use initials on the diesels or a logo with "Sioux Lake" as the colloquial name. If you can use a portion of the overall long name in a similar manner, then do so. That way, you have 3 options for lettering: initials, logo + short name, and full name, where different situations require different solutions. I have used Avery clear non- glare address labels for small letters- only decaling, using a free copy of "railroad gothic" font I downloaded, or for more modern purposes, Arial bolder font. In either case, you can make the numbers and letters any size, from 6 point to 14 or larger, without losing clarity.

You can use these fonts in MS Paint and place them centered in a box by moving the separate image elements around or double-spacing lettering, to increase visibility when placed on a side of a steam or diesel cab.

Check out Decals.com for bulk inexpensive decal paper, that you custom print yourself, then seal with clear spray, allow to dry and then cut-soak-apply. Testors also has a decaling kit.
 
JACKPOT! The little star i'de move more towards the northeastern section of the state where I live. LOL But that i just kick friggin ass.
 
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