Bedding decals in Klear/ Future or equivalent.

[Duncan B]

12 hours ago, stevehnz said:

That looks good Duncan Ok, so I'm biased 'cause I've got these decals too though I'm guessing yours might be 1/48  There is no doubt some practice makes better but I reckon it is a forgiving method, hiccups are recoverable & it also has the beauty of enabling second layer decals to go on fairly soon, rather than waiting over night.

Steve

Thanks Steve, practice will make better I'm sure. Those are the 1/72 scale decals.

 

Duncan B

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, Duncan B said:

Those are the 1/72 scale decals.

Your photography lead me to think  they were bigger, nicely done. As an aside, which Typhoon kit are they designed for or maybe more pertinently which one have you used? They fit very well.

Steve.

[Duncan B]

7 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Your photography lead me to think  they were bigger, nicely done. As an aside, which Typhoon kit are they designed for or maybe more pertinently which one have you used? They fit very well.

Steve.

Not sure if they are generic or not but I used the Hasegawa kit (I have not enjoyed the build, wing and intake joints in particular were not very good).

 

Duncan B

[stevehnz]

After making the request of the mods, this thread has now been PINNED in Tools & Tips, Decals. Thanks to which ever mod did the deed,  hopefully it will become a useful resource as others contribute their experiences with this method.

Steve.

[Uncle Pete]

Nice to see you pros weighing in on this.  I'd been floating them in on a puddle of diluted Quickshine but figured it was probably the wrong thing to do even though I was getting positive results.  I don't even prime the whole thing with a coat of gloss or Quickshine first, just dump it right on the matt paint.  After they dry I flood them with the Red Micro-thingy bottle a couple of times and they seem to like it well enough.  Doing it that way gives me more time to slip and slide before it says, "Till death us do part".  I found it especially good for those little warning triangles that are about the size of a titmouse's toenails.

[stevehnz]

I was doing OK without glossing till I got to some Academy stencils,   , since then, I figure a quick (brushed) coat of whatever it is you use, KOE, Quickshine, Pascoes for us down under, is easy insurance against really bloody minded decals.

Steve.

[Uncle Pete]

8 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Academy stencils

You mean the ones made from 10mm MDF? 

[cocky05d]

Talking of Klear ,my bottle of Pledge multi surface wax is getting low ,i bought it just after i returned to modelling in 2011 .

It has the red label ,they seem to be selling it with blue labels now .Is it the same stuff ,and what would be a fair price for a bottle of 750ml .

Any help would be helpful.

[bentwaters81tfw]

It's slightly different. Some people get on with it, others not. Go the Quickshine route.

[cocky05d]

Hi ,thanks for the reply ,never heard of quickshine ,had a look on ebay .Seems a bit expensive ,i can get the Pledge stuff for £3.95 from Sainsburys

[theplasticsurgeon]

On 6/29/2018 at 10:31 PM, Duncan B said:

I tried to ‘float’ decals into place with Kleer once before and it left a raised ring of dried Kleer around the edge of the decal. I didn’t dilute it though so is that likely to have caused the ring?

 

Duncan B

Did you wick any strokes KOE away, when the decals was positioned properly? That's where Is think the ring came from.

[theplasticsurgeon]

This is the method I've used for decals for many years - and and am seledom defeated by decals.

I tried Microsol and Microset once, couldn't get on with it - and the smell!

 

I panic-bought Klear at the end of its sales, and have never used anything else. Probably have a lifetime's supply.

My thinking is  for Klear to fill any gap between the decals and the model, leaving no space for any air. Air causes the silvering - so don't let any in.

I press the decal down with an old tee-shirt to wick up any excess. The thinner the Klear, the quicker it dries. Be VERY careful handling the model, decals have come off , onto my fingers.

As Steve describes, another coat overall to level the surface, before a matt finish. But be careful here you can activate setting Klear, resulting in some solid stuff on the surface of you model.

 

Edited July 28, 2018 by theplasticsurgeon
correction

[Duncan B]

8 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

Did you wick any strokes KOE away, when the decals was positioned properly? That's where Is think the ring came from.

To be honest I can't remember however the thinned Kleer as per the OP worked very well for me recently.

 

Duncan B

[bentwaters81tfw]

10 hours ago, cocky05d said:

Hi ,thanks for the reply ,never heard of quickshine ,had a look on ebay .Seems a bit expensive ,i can get the Pledge stuff for £3.95 from Sainsburys

You get what you pay for. How big a bottle in Sainsbugs?

[cocky05d]

I think it is 750ml ,and the price is £3.15 .I got some Astonish wood floor polish a while ago ,any views on that?

[bentwaters81tfw]

Never tried it.

[billn53]

Stevehnz -- Thanks for sharing your Klear/Future technique for decals. I'm in process of decaling my Ford Tri-motor build and your method is working fine on the Tri-motor's corrugated surface. Link to my build is here:

 

 

-Bill

 

[stevehnz]

Thanks Bill, I wish I could claim credit for this method, alas no but I've had such good results from it, it seemed a shame not to spread the word. Seeing your decals go into those corrugations like that has removed the doubts I expressed earlier in the thread. 👍

Steve.

[Herbert]

Thank you  from a beginner, I just completed at long last A revel mosquito.  I made a lot of errors but the worst has been the decals. Next model I’ll try this method.

[stevehnz]

It is worth trying it out on an old model (or plastic spoon) with some spare/unneeded decals to get a feel for it. I've found it a forgiving method that allows me quite a lot of wriggle room in repositioning a slightly out of kilter decal, up to several hours after the event, the trick being that fresh Future/Klear dissolves stuff that has already set, so dab some around the edge, till that stiffish small brush can tease a corner up, then progressively flood the decal with more that will penetrate till it can be moved. It does take a delicate touch, there is always the danger of tearing or folding the decal but taking it slow & careful, I've been amazed at what I've been able to do. I do this with the same dilute mix that I bed the decals with.

Steve.

Edited August 20, 2019 by stevehnz

[Rabbit Leader]

Although I've known about Steve's Clear solution decal bedding technique for a while now, I hadn't actually tried it until last night. 

I can't quite place my finger on it, however I've had a few roundel application problems of late where I've had to resort to removing the Micro Sol/Set or Mr Mark Softer / Setter decal due to shrink damage or lack or proper adhesion. I decided to bite the bullet and give this a try and boy was I pleasantly surprised. It does pay to try it on some old decals first, but once mastered (it won't take long) it's so easy to do. 

Anyway - I thought I'd just add my small story to this thread to further endorse this simple but effective technique. Thanks @stevehnz, much appreciated. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[stevehnz]

Cheers Dave, it is a revelation isn't it. Good tip to try it out to get the feel for it first.

Steve.

[Faraway]

On 30/06/2018 at 21:10, bentwaters81tfw said:

The very same

Do you think this will be ok to dip canopies in, to make them more like glass ?

[bentwaters81tfw]

7 minutes ago, Faraway said:

Do you think this will be ok to dip canopies in, to make them more like glass ?

yes. works well just put them on a paper towel to dry

[Rabbit Leader]

12 hours ago, Faraway said:

Do you think this will be ok to dip canopies in, to make them more like glass ?

However there’s no need to dilute the Klear. Just pour it into a plastic cup, dip your canopy and once finished pour the Klear back into the bottle. It’ll last for a good time longer that way.

 

Cheers.. Dave