decal trouble..

[twospruces]

Hi all, sorry if this is a well worn topic.

I seem to remember decals being easy. But, not so easy today.

cut, soak (warm or cold? does it matter?) , slide off and apply.

What could be easier?

Yet, the decals didn't seem to have any glue left on them. They would not adhere. The target surface is tissue with one coat of 50/50 butyrate dope.

Any suggestions? I'm about to graduate from "stickering" the cadet and move onto the spitfire twins.

thanks,
Steve

[Phugoid]

The decals in the kits don't stick to doped tissue surfaces.... You can get them to stick on by using white glue. Otherwise they stick on fine to painted surfaces.

Andrew

[Wildpig]

Water slide decals best stick to a smooth surface such as a plastic model.
As Andrew suggested, stick them on with white glue or even a glue stick after removal from the backing sheet.

[Mitch]

I find decals WILL stick to doped surface, but you should at LEAST 2 coats maybe 3 before decals. The paper really SOAKS up that first coat. The second coat is a MINIMUM I would have before I apply decals. The paper will retain a nice "SHINE". Oherwise the paper is still too pourous and that is why the decal can NOT hang on. The paper needs to be completely sealed.

I find it harder to get decals to stick on the painted surface because it needs to be SMOOTH, preferably GLOSSY.

ALSO... you said 50/50... with 1 coat that is not much. I know the dope says 50/50... That's a guide... Mine is more like 2/3 dope 1/3 retarder.

SO...

1. Dope the paper until it has a nice shine, AT LEAST 2 coats, 3 would not be a bad idea.
2. Larger Decals May need to be cut, Guillow Decals are thick and do NOT mold well to Curved Surfaces. I had to make a slit in the "Meatball" for my Zero
3. They may not stick to plastic, but they are durable and will hold together... get some WHITE glue down and get that Decal ON!

Thats my 3 cents worth... Mitch... nothing is as easy as you may think... Good Luck

UPDATE: My expeience is for decals on doped paper... ALSO... If you want to paint, the same thing goes... the paper should be sealed before the paint.

[Phugoid]

Mitch is right about the extra coats of dope BUT, if you are working with a relatively small model one coat of dope is all you should use weight wise unless you use a very thin dope like banana oil with which you can get away with two. (Assuming you want to fly your model)

I always use dope ( of whatever type) thinned 50/50, but then again I don't use a retarder, but banana oil only seals it does not shrink hardly at all, you have to rely on the water to do that.

There are products that are designed to soften decals to make them conform better, in the UK this is called Humbrol Decalfix. I'm sure that there will be something similar over in the US.

If I paint models I seal as above and paint with enamel, the decals always stick nicely to that.

Andrew

[paul]

when I apply decals I soak decal in tepid water.
After ten seconds I use a very fine haired brush and stroke the edge of the decal very lightly until a couple of hairs lift the decal slightly from the backing paper.
Remove decal from water and place onto some tissue to remove excess water. Too much water and it will never stick, all the glue has gone from the decal.
I also use decal fix as Andrew has mentioned, it gives you a precious seconds to slide decal easier into position before glue takes a hold, moulds round edges and corners and prevents the decal cracking. I leave 24 hours to dry

Paul

[Wildpig]

To soften a decal and make it conform to an irregular surface I use Micro-Sol. A decent hobby shop should have it.

[Bill Gaylord]

As Paul says, too much soaking removes all the glue. Since the entire decal sheet has glue, I've found that you can rub your finger on the sheet and apply wet glue to the model surface, before applying the decal. I do that to pre-wet the model surface, so that I can adjust the decal without breaking it.

One thing not mentioned yet here is 40+ year old waterslides. Now they're an entirely different story. I managed to piece a few together quite well and couldn't believe that I didn't just throw in the towel, when I tried to remove them from the sheet.