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Using Microscale Liquid Decal Film...


dswoofie

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Has anyone any experience of using Microscale Liquid Decal film on homemade decals that were produced with an inkjet printer...

I'm currently having a go at some and have a few questions... I printed them up on some Experts Choice clear decal paper and they look absolutely superb. I printed a couple of extras to play with before I actually 'use' the ones for my Lightning.

I tried brushing on the Film but I did get a small amount of smearing, this may have been caused by me being a little heavy handed with it, but I don't know yet...

Is it possible to spray this stuff though the airbrush?? It seems a little thick, but that would probably be ten times easier as there would be no smudging at all. As it says it contains Propyl Alcohol, I assume that IPA will be fine for cleaning it out afterwards (IPA is all I ever use for cleaning the a/b)

If anyone's got any experience, please pop it up on here, I'd be greatful to hear it all!

Cheers,

Karl.

Edited by dswoofie
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I tried brushing on the Film but I did get a small amount of smearing, this may have been caused by me being a little heavy handed with it, but I don't know yet...

Is it possible to spray this stuff though the airbrush?? It seems a little thick, but that would probably be ten times easier as there would be no smudging at all. As it says it contains Propyl Alcohol, I assume that IPA will be fine for cleaning it out afterwards (IPA is all I ever use for cleaning the a/b)

If anyone's got any experience, please pop it up on here, I'd be greatful to hear it all!

Cheers,

Karl.

Karl,

I've used Microscale Liquid Decal Film quite a lot recently on my spotty Jag build. I too got some smearing when brushing the film over the decals, this hadn't happened on other occasions so I put the smearing down to me having to use one of the high quality (=more ink) settings on my printer. Like you I then thought of spraying the film which worked fine (high pressure 25psi and 0.4 needle did the trick). The film is a little reluctant to atomise but the high pressure sorted that out. I didn't thin the film when spraying (afraid that a higher concentration of IPA would dissolve the ink). I used laquer (cellulose) thinner to clean up with no problems.

HTH,

Ian

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I too got some smearing when brushing the film over the decals, this hadn't happened on other occasions so I put the smearing down to me having to use one of the high quality (=more ink) settings on my printer.

Ian

Yes, I've used the highest quality setting on the printer so that may also contribute to the smearing. I think I'll definitely have a bash at spraying the stuff on...

How many coats did you give the decals??

Karl.

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Have been playing around with this problem for some time, using Artists "fix" spraycans and "Klear" airbrushed on (3coats), limited success but tried Halfords Clear Lacquer. Really pushed this hard on trial piece (sprayed too much on in one coat) and amazingly no runs from inks! I then decided to push further and soaked in water less than 1 hour after sealing, again no runs or anything nasty happening! Have since bought another 3 cans of lacquer as this appears to be the answer. Do not worry if it turns white as it will become transluscent once dry. MODeller

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Interesting... some different methods emerging here... keep 'em coming!

One other thing I forgot in the original post... how long does it need to dry for before the decal can be used?? Just wondering about it not being fully 'set' before going in the water...

Karl.

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Interesting... some different methods emerging here... keep 'em coming!

One other thing I forgot in the original post... how long does it need to dry for before the decal can be used?? Just wondering about it not being fully 'set' before going in the water...

Karl.

Karl,

I leave it overnight to be on the safe side.

HTH,

Ian

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I did some experimenting a while back. Most of the inks used in inkjets will run with most of the varnishes or other sealants. Best think to do is to try a range of products.

With my HP and then Canon printers, I have ended up using Humbrol satincote as the best compromise. I normally brush it on - the down side can be a slightly thick film, but I could not find a solvent to thin it enough for spraying. I have managed to produce decent results from very small stencils to medium sized markings - the better the printer the more detailed the results. Large decals are still a problem - then you need a (scarce) Alps printer and some (very scarce) color cartridges.

Good luck

Tim

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So far I have used Experts Choice Decal film three times.

1/72 Fujimi F-14D using white decal film, sealed with brushed on MLDF >> build <<

Fujimi_F14D_001_012.jpg

1/72 Italeri F-14A using clear decal film, sealed with brushed on MLDF >> build <<

VF301_Decals.jpgIT_F14A_001_011a.jpg

1/72 Academy F-14A using clear decal film, sealed with brushed on MLDF >> build <<

VF202_Decals.jpgAC_F14A_001_010a.jpg

I printed the VF-2 colour decals out at the highest resolution my inkjet could do and left to dry for over 48 hours IIRC, before brushing on the MLDF. I didn't have any smearing, and left to cure for another day.

The two black sets on clear I printed the same, but only left for 24 hours and got noticable smearing on some areas. Also of note is when cutting out the black decals, I did the usual method of getting as close to the art as possible to reduce the possibilty of silvering, and lost a few when I dipped them as the water made the ink run.

So my advice is leave for up to a minimum of 48 hours before coating with MLDF and don't cut to close to the artwork before dipping.

HTH

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