What is your decaling routine?

[BlueNosers352nd]

Since my long hiatus I seem to have nothing but problems with decals no settling, weird bubbles, etc.   Part of me wonders if it's paint/clear coat.  In the old days it was Model Master Enamels and brushed on Future clear coats.  Didn't seem like I had as many issues.  Now it's mainly Tamiya, although after using some Mr Color, I might switch to that if I can find stock, it sprays way smoother.

 

So basically these are my steps.

 

1.  Dip decal in warm water for maybe 10 secs and set it aside.

2.  Maybe after 30-60 secs I check if it slides.

3.  If it doesn't slide I give it a quick dip again, 1-2 secs.

4.  Spread some Micro Set (Blue Bottle) over the area.

    4a:  In the past I think I did water instead of MicroSet.

5.  Slide decal onto model

6.  Roll with a cotton bud to release air (usually it looks great, minus sinking into the panel lines)

7.  Usually let it set 5-10 mins until it looks dry, them moisten with MicroSol (Red Bottle)

 

Then from there it just depends.  Pin gentleman's parts here, little slice here, some more MicroSol.  Old timer told me to run your finger nail down the panel lines, so I do that before another application of MicroSol.

 

I did an application of Solvaset last night as these Print Scale decals didn't seem to want to settle much.  Got real wrinkly along one panel line.  Trying to fix that now.

 

I do have some of the Mr Mark Setter and Mr Mark Softer coming to try.......never have used those.

 

And the problem usually with the bigger decals like Stars N Bars and Roundels.

 

Very frustrating!

[dromia]

Never use warm water, it seems to get the transfers of the backing sheet quicker but also suspect it lets a bit more adhesive come away as well. It also softens the transfers some what and l like mine to be a stiff as possible when positioning.

 

I just use  transfer water that has the sol mixed in with it and apply the transfers to a dry surface.

 

If they are being recalcitrant which mine usually are, I dread applying water slide transfers, then solvaset, Isopropyl alcohol,lacquer thinner and the hairdryer may be brought to bear to work the damned things into a satisfactorily submissive outcome.

 

 

[BlueNosers352nd]

31 minutes ago, dromia said:

 I dread applying water slide transfers

Lately I do to......don't remember having nearly the problems like I do now.  And I seem to struggle with multi part Masks too.  Can't win it seems.

[Mike]

I've never been one to overthink things, and I've never suffered much from decal issues that weren't my own doing. This is how I do it:

 

1. Always, and I mean ALWAYS decal on a gloss surface to avoid silvering, which is tiny bubbles of air trapped under the decal on the rough surface of an unglossed model.
2. Cut the individual decals out of the sheet and dip them in cold water briefly.
3. Leave them to soften on my cutting mat.
4. Test their movement with a finger. If they're not keen, leave them for a few more seconds until they move easily on the paper.
5. Put a dab of decal solution where I want the decal, then transfer it with tweezers or by sliding it off the paper onto the model.
6. Adjust the location and then roll the decal with a cotton bud to expel air and excess water.
7. At this stage the decal looks dry, so I apply more solution over the top, leave it a few seconds, then roller it again.
8. Leave it to dry and settle into the crevices and panel lines.
9. If it's a tricky decal with lots of shapes to settle into/around, I check back and apply more solution and roll it as required.

I usually use Mr Set and Mr Soft from Gunze, preferring the green bottle, but if they really need a good beating into submission, I use Daco Extra Strong solution, which comes in a little jam pot that you get with scones in cafés. That's the bee's pyjamas and the cat's knees all rolled into one

 

After the decals are set, I usually apply klear over them and sand back the layer over the decal very carefully, reapplying a few more times until the carrier film is rendered invisible.

 

That's the way I do it, feel free to take onboard or ignore anything I've said

 

[Ratch]

For the best results that eliminate silvering, it is advisable that decals are applied to a glossy surface. Matt surfaces are rough and can capture air bubbles between the decal film and the matt surface: It is therefore advisable that any matt surface be changed to gloss. You may well have read that Klear is the recommended medium, another suitable product is Humbrol Gloss Cote and there are others.

My weapon of choice is Klear. I have got away applying a single coat, but three coats are normally recommended to ensure that glossy surface. It may be applied with an airbrush, but I find a good, soft, wide brush adequate. Each coat of Klear takes approximately twenty minutes to dry, so progress on your build will not be delayed too long. Remember to rinse the bristles of the brush in warm, soapy water after applying the Klear.

What tools and equipment? Scissors – you’ll need to cut the individual decals from the backing paper. Dish – most manufacturers recommend warm water to soak the decal in and loosen it from the backing paper. I’m not sure why; although I always start with warm water, after ten minutes or so in the dish, the water is less than tepid and yet the decals still slip off (eventually). Tweezers – to extract the decal (on the backing paper) from the dish and transfer it to the model. Paint brush – to apply Micro Set, position the decal on the model, and apply Micro Sol. Micro Set aids the adherence of the decal to the model and Micro Sol helps the decal conform to any curvature of the surface.

Referring to the instruction sheet, identify the decal and the position on the model where it requires placing. For the main part I use scissors and cut a reasonable distance away from the required markings. Sometimes I may wish to use only part of the decal (robbing codes or National markings) and use a scalpel and steel ruler as close as possible to those required Cut the decal from the sheet and dip it in the dish of water. After dipping the decal is set aside on a cutting mat.

Most manufacturers state that their decals should be soaked in warm water, and some go further to suggest this be done for 15 seconds, 30 or even a minute In my experience, the temperature of the water is almost irrelevant. That said, I always start with warm water (from the hot tap) in a large dish. You will appreciate that a dish does not retain the warmth of the water for long. Indeed, I can recall taking most of 8 hrs putting 90-odd decals onto a P-51 with the same dish of water - hence my assertion that temperature is irrelevant.

The backing paper should be thoroughly soaked (no dry spots), be careful not to damage the decal film, use a soft brush to test whether the decal is slippery on the backing sheet. You will find that the decals from some manufacturers loosen from the backing paper much quicker than those of other manufacturers. Indeed, some take an age to loosen; be patient, it will come off in the end! Apply Micro Set to the area on the model where the decal will be positioned. Use the brush to slide the decal from the backing sheet onto the model, and then use the bush to position the decal correctly. Repeat as necessary.

When the decals have been positioned, Micro Sol can be brushed over the decal(s) to ensure they conform to any curves (complex or simple) on the model.

When thoroughly dry the decals should be sealed under a varnish of your choice (Matt, Satin or Gloss). This will protect the decals from damage. Its as simple as that.

[hendie]

 I pretty much follow what everyone has said above with a couple of small changes.

Always cold water.

Apply softening solution to the area and slide decal onto that.

once in place, I'll use the brush to press down lightly to get the decal to stay in place and remove any trapped air bubbles 

Over the next few minutes I'll brush more softening solution onto it several times

I then take a piece of kitchen roll, dip it in water and use that to press down firmly on the decal making sure there is no chance for any air to remain under there and the decal is firmly stuck to the model

Only after I've done the hammer-it-in-place-with-kitchen-roll do I add the setting solution. I'll do a light coat first, then follow that up with a few heavier coats every few minutes

Let dry then seal with clear coat of choice

 

I've never been able to remove a decal once I've done that. Never.  A few builds ago I used a decal that was too small and when I realized my mistake, I tried everything to remove it - the stickiest masking tape I could find, sellotape etc Even scraping it with a new blade. Nothing worked.  The only way I could remove it was to sand everything back to the primer

 

 

[dromia]

Always puzzles me the gloss surface stops silvering thing.

 

I never gloss for transfers, in fact the only time I have ever had silvering was on a gloss surface, that was many decades ago and at the time I put two and two together and put it down to the gloss surface  so from then on I always put the transfers onto a matt surface with no silvering, years later coming back to modelling I saw this gloss for transfers thing and re-coming back a few years ago I see it now has almost universal traction whilst I continue to apply my transfers to a most usually matt surface with aplomb and no silvering.

 

Transfers can look shiny on a matt surface but this is to do with the gloss nature of most transfers contrasting with the matt surface, but this is not silvering. The final clear coat evens out this effect anyway.

 

Personally I suspect that silvering has more to do with the nature of the transfer rather than the finish.

 

If applying gloss for transfers makes you happy then go for it, me I have never had the need and continue to successfully (in non silvering terms at least) apply my transfers to whatever finish my model has at the time with gay abandon.

[Rick Brown]

I do the same as everyone here, but I do seem to suffer more with silvering now than I ever did in the past. 

It's driving me mad on a few builds at the moment.

I reckon the decals have changed in some way. Maybe a process has been removed because a chemical is killing us?

It's mainly stencils that I have trouble with.

I'm just about to go down the mask route for roundels etc. I'm also looking into wet transfers, but the range is limited.

Rick.

[Ratch]

You guys must have been very lucky. This model was built 30+ years ago, before I knew about the process.

[ckw]

I think you need to be careful about being too dogmatic on your processes - decals differ hugely from company to company, and what works well for some, doesn't for others. For example, I'd say warm (very warm) water is a must for Tamiya decals, but not for many others - some will fall apart.

 

Glossing is probably good practice, and won't do any harm (at least as far as the decals concerned)

 

Setting solutions - again it depends. Different strengths and formulations - what works well in one set will cause another set to shrivel up.

 

If you are using decals printed by a company you're unfamiliar with, try a test (there's almost always a surplus decal or two on the sheet). This will also give you an idea how the decal will behave ... sometimes you get a lot of opportunity to slide the decal about when you lay it on a surface. With others where it lands is pretty much it, with little or no wriggle room.

 

While you're testing its also worth testing for denisty if possible ... will the camo demarcations show through the whites of a decal? This has spoiled an otherwise fine model for me in the past.

 

 

Cheers

 

Colin

 

[Ray_W]

Decals are my least favourite part of kit building because of all the variables.

 

My method is similar to @Mike although I agree with @ckw and find I cannot be too dogmatic. I do vary the water temperature going very warm with Tamiya to close to cold with very thin decals. I always use Mr Mark Setter, just a dab, under the decal. I like the Setter as it gives me a little more working time to move the decal around and with a little on top, once in position, I find in many cases no further treatment is necessary. I use Mr Mark Softer over the decal only when needed for complex shapes or surface detail not picked up adequately by the Mark Setter. Sometimes the Softer needs multiple coats.

 

Even with a gloss coat you can get silvering if the finish is pebbly. I will usually polish the area to be decalled with a 3000 sanding pad doing the colour coat and/or gloss coat depending on the surface finish. Then I still might carefully post sand the final gloss coat encapsulating the decal to reduce the evidence of carrier film.  

 

Ray

[scaler x]

Here is a short and helpful video by Paul Budzik: Decal Application for Scale Models  He even manages it without applying the gloss pre-coat by preparing the paint layer instead.

Edited August 10, 2020 by scaler x