Sealing inkjet printed decals

[mollythedog]

Can anyone tell if there is a gloss varnish that can be sprayed through an airbrush,that will seal inkjet home made decals? Apart from the fact that the Micro Mark stuff is impossible to get shipped outside the US,I do not like the lack of pressure regulation with a rattle can. It is very difficult to get any control of how much goes where,and the pressure from the can stirs up dust and junk all over,ruining the surface of the decals.

I tried a thin coat of slightly thinned Vallejo Air gloss varnish over my last sheet of decal paper,only to find that it bled and blurred the print to the point of being ruined. I had waited 24 hours before misting a coat over it,and am annoyed that it was my last chance,until i get more decal paper.

I do have a rattle can of Halfords clear varnish,but the pressure in it is even greater than the MM stuff,and it goes on quite thick,making the decals hard to hide after,no matter how many coats of clear I apply.

Is there anyone that has tried a gloss varnish from Humbrol/Revell that is not water based and works when airbrushed? I am using a Canon printer with genuine cartridges,a printer I only use for this sort of thing and not every day printing tasks. I suppose it doesn't HAVE to be gloss,just thought that would work better.

Cheers

mtd

[Happy Martian]

When coating my decals, I tend to brush coat with either Microscale Liquid Decal Film or Johnsons Klear. People do airbrush Klear so that could be an alternative for you.

[Giorgio N]

For inkjet decals, any paint containing water must be avoided. As such, I also avoid klear. Klear can be used in very thin passes and letting each pass dr before the next, however any mistake will ruin the decal.

Enamel based gloos varnishes work fine and do not damage the decal. Have to say I haven't used any of these in ages, but yars ago I used model master clear enamel over home made decals with no problem.

If you want a spray can altrnative, the one I use now is not modelling paint at all ! It is a spray plastic film by the name of Goisa Gel Plastic Spray. It's one of those products used to make fabric or paper waterproof. Bought it from a DIY shop for a few Euro, it works very well it's totally clear and can be sprayed in very thin layers.

[mollythedog]

Am trying to avoid using a brush,as I have several airbrushes that will do it far better than the hairy stick-though I realise that for small decals they would be fine.

I wasn't sure about Klear,thanks for the heads up. I'll try and look out for that Goisa stuff too,but don't hold out much hope of finding it here-hobby/craft shops very thin on the ground,but the DIY will be expensive,as is are all paint products here.

I'll give some Revell gloss enamel varnish a go then, it was my next step (when the decal paper arrives and I can print some more) but I thought I'd ask first. Which is what I should have done BEFORE using the Vallejo stuff I think!!

Thanks for the help.

mtd

[oggy4624]

The last decal kit I bought had a spray can of decal sealer with it.

It turned out be games workshop purity seal.

Give it a try, its good stuff - just apply misted coats and you should be ok.

[mollythedog]

The last decal kit I bought had a spray can of decal sealer with it.

It turned out be games workshop purity seal.

Give it a try, its good stuff - just apply misted coats and you should be ok.

Thanks Oggy, I'll give it a try. One good thing about Games Workshop,they are a bit like any big chain,if it is available in the UK it is available pretty much everywhere else. Just a shame that here,in Yurop,land of the Euro and the common market,we get to pay 25% more for the same product than you do in the UK. Rip off Britain??

cheers

mtd

[mollythedog]

Thanks Oggy, I'll give it a try. One good thing about Games Workshop,they are a bit like any big chain,if it is available in the UK it is available pretty much everywhere else. Just a shame that here,in Yurop,land of the Euro and the common market,we get to pay 25% more for the same product than you do in the UK. Rip off Britain??

cheers

mtd

Just in case anyone is interested, I did try the Revell matt enamel varnish on the very last bit of decal paper I had (and for those that might not of thought of it,you don't have to use a full A4 or letter sized sheet as long as you set the sheet size in the printer properties and the sheet feeder adjusts small enough to hold the paper) and it worked fine. Just trimmed some pretty tiny decals very close and had no issues with ink bleed or lifting. Will give the Games Workshop stuff a go as a an alternative to the Micro Mark varnish they won't send overseas. |

As an aside, I see several models shops in the UK won't send Alclad except by surface too....so it isn't just the USPS.

Cheers

mtd

[Giorgio N]

Glad to hear you've found a solution !

I agree, there's no need to use the full A4 sheet. I usually start with these, then cut the part I've printed and use the rest, until the smallest bit my printer feeds with no problem is around 6X6 cm...

Regarding alclad, have you tried Kits Discount or Special East in France ? They both have an online shop and have Alclad paints.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Giorgio N

[TEZ]

Hi,

I used Halfords Clear Lacquer spray to seal my last ink-jet decal sheet. Worked really well.

regards

Andrew