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[Corposant]

 The time has come to mount the Northlight decals on the puffer. Having never used waterslide decals before, I searched the Internet for advice – big mistake! The amount of advice was copious but exceedingly varied.

I was told I needed warm distilled water with a drop of detergent. The decals needed to soak for either 10-20 secs or up to a minute. Apparently I need to use Solvaset – or avoid using it in favour of Microset or alternatively use vinegar. After drying, an application of Microsol or isopropyl alcohol may be required.

As I am only going to get one chance to get it right, I decided to get some decals to experiment with. None were available locally and a further Internet search revealed that modestly priced sheets are available for young ladies to adorn their fingernails. A trip to the local nail-bar resulted in a conversation with a far eastern lady who hadn't a clue what I was talking about. Thus I moved on to the beauty salon where a very attractive young lady told me to try Superdrug or Boots. Neither could help but the lady in Boots was foolish enough to ask me what sort of boat I was making – she seemed genuinely interested to be told about Clyde Puffers! 

Finally I found another nail-bar where I was advised that the cheapest were available from Sparkly-Nails.co.uk.

So far, I have used cold tapwater without any detergent, mounted one directly onto a piece of ABS and another on a drop of white vinegar. After drying, I painted one with brown vinegar (it smelled stronger of acetic acid than the white) and the other with methylated spirit (I don't have any IPA). I wondered whether the alcohol would cause the decal to go crinkly but it didn't. The vinegar had no visible effect either.

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I now have two decals, very pleasingly mounted, on a bit of drainpipe. Where do I go from here?

Mike

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

You  'Shall'  go to the Ball.     

Nothing could be simpler than fitting water slide decals.

1.  Cut decal around its edge just outside its pattern

2.    Half fill a saucer with lukewarm water

3.    Place transfer across the water and leave for one minute

4     Pick up between finger and thumb

5.    Squeeze lightly and start the slide of decal from off the paper

6     Place sticky edge of overhanging decal into correct position

7     Press down on overhanging edge whilst gently pulling paper
       away and letting the transfer fall into place

8     Make sure it's lined up where you want it to go

9     Do NOT pull or Push the transfer once it's laid down

10    Working from the centre
         Use a cotton wool pad to GENTLY pad the transfer flat

11     Admire your work and leave overnight

12     Spray lacquer over it ,   if you plan to use it in the water

13     Post a picture on Mayhem

[Corposant]

Many thanks Ken. You've confirmed my feeling that the best approach is to keep it simple!

I shall press on (pun intended  ) and hope for the best. It could well go pear-shaped as the decals are 15 years old. 

Mike

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

Glad to help.  The only worry is tearing them, so the test with the thumb and finger sliding will set your mind at ease.  If they slide then they will drop on easily.

I did see a transfer fitting demo on youtube and evidently there is a spray which contracts them over uneven surfaces  (like a tank body ) but our uses are mainly flat surfaces.

Cheers

ken

[Arrow5]

Might be an idea to use Microsol to soften the transfers as they may have hardened with age.  Softening them will allow them to meld over rivets and plating details etc.

[Corposant]

I promise to be gentle!

Yes, there are quite a number of Youtube demos - hence my confusion!

In fact, the most fruitful search was on Mayhem - no surprises there then! 

Thanks again,
                       Mike

[Corposant]

Hi Duncan

Many thanks for the suggestion. My understanding is that Microsol is the one containing acetic acid. (Hence my use of vinegar in my experiments.)

Hopefully my ancient decals can be rescued from their fragility. 

Regards,

Mike

[Danny]

Once you're happy with using water-slide decals, you can easily create your own.
I have used Crafty Computer Paper stuff previously.  Their laser water slide paper is waterproof without varnish and stayed put on a racing boat in the sea! Lasted for over two seasons.
http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/userpages/creations/detail.aspx?id=23
The logos, numbers and even the flags were all done with it.
If you haven't got access to a colour laser printer, just buy the paper, create your masterpiece then take it (with the decal paper) to your local print shop for printing.  You can get a lot of transfers onto one A4 sheet.
The website also has some quite good "how to" videos.
Cheers
Danny

[Corposant]

Hi Danny

That's a goodly thought! It will give me the confidence to have a go, safe in the knowledge that all is not lost if disaster strikes! 

Many thanks,

Mike

[tigertiger]

To just add a little to what Danny said.


Laser jet printed decals are waterproof, BUT inkjet printed decals are not.
Also, when you order the decal paper, check that you have ordered the laser jet paper, not the inkjet paper.
The website didn't used to make the facts about the different types of paper obvious, but maybe that has changed.

[barriew]

Many thanks for the suggestion. My understanding is that Microsol is the one containing acetic acid. (Hence my use of vinegar in my experiments.)

Mike, No smell of acetic acid in Microsol    One thing these liquids do is help to conceal the decal carrier sheet. Sometimes the non-printed parts can look silvery when applied to a dark background.


Barrie

[Arrow5]

To reduce the "silvering" of the carrier film apply on gloss paint as well. Overcoat with matt or semi-matt varnish, after 24hrs, if non-gloss required.  Picture shows effect of softening to allow transfer to sink into louvres or other 3D details.

[Corposant]

Thanks Tiger - your warning duly noted. Danny's link does actually specify laser paper. 

Regards

Mike

[Corposant]

Barrie

Thanks for the info. I shall have to purchase the real thing!

Duncan

Fortunately the target sites on the hull have no rivets or projections. Thanks too for the picture.

Mike

[rickles23]

Hi,

I often make my own decals, mainly for a friend who is in to model trains.

In years gone by he was a ship modeller. He made his own moulds and they were usually over the 10 foot mark.

But time has caught up with him and trains are his relaxation but they give me extra work.

I design the artwork for the trains based on the real 1:1 types using Photoshop and then print them on the Decal Paper.

Before anyone says anything I have written permission from AusRail to copy and reproduce any artwork from their trains for use on miniature models.   

Regards

[Brian60]

you can add a drop (single drop!) of fairy liquid to your warm water. This just makes the water that is transferred across to the model on the decal paper a little slippery, so if you have to adjust its position once in place, it slides easier than plain water.

Humbrol do a product called Decalit, its a sealer to go over the decal and hold it in place before using your favoured clearcoat. Check the Humbrol youtube pages they are informative videos about not only decals but their full paint range as well.

[Corposant]

Thanks Rickles for your encouragement - I will certainly try DIY if the kit decals fail. 

Thanks too Brian

Yes, I am planning to add a drop of detergent. I almost had a go late this afternoon but by the time I had got the model orientated and stable I had run out of time and light. Instead I had another play with the finger-nail jobbies - which went very well.

I will also be taking your advice on Decalit and the Humbrol website.

Regards,

Mike

[red110kev]

 I agree with Tiger that inkjet printer ink is not waterproof BUT, I use an inkjet printer on the Crafty Computer Paper ‘Inkjet water-slide’ type to make all my decals.  All you have to do is let the ink dry for about 30 mins to an hour, then apply 3 coats of acrylic clear coat (I use a Halfords clear rattle can).
This way you don’t have to faff about taking the design to a professional printer.  You can practice with scale etc  on normal A4 paper with your model before you commit to the decals AND you can print multiple decals in case the positioning is not quite right and you need to start again.

[Corposant]

Hi Kev (or is that kiloelectron volts?) 

Many thanks for your helpful input. I have now got sufficient information to enable me to have a go on the hull without worrying about the consequences of things going wrong!

Regards,

Mike

[Brian60]

The nice thing about using decal paper and printing your own is that you can do dozens as and when needed. You make your design ether in an art program or something like Word. Then you can arrange them close together at the top of the page and print them out.Once printed cut the decals off with a ruler and knife leaving a clean edge, and maximising the amount of paper left for your next decal printing job.

Printing to plain paper first you can see if there is a better layout before printing to expensive decal paper.

[Corposant]

Thanks again Brian, my knowledge base on the subject should see me well into the future!

Today, I went for broke and things went well. There is a small amount of "silvering" - which takes the form a micro pattern. I was expecting this as the hull has a semi-matt surface. It was most noticeable on the stern starboard side where the surface was also a bit uneven. I know I should have waited until I had some Microset or Decalfix - but I thought it was worth the try!

Brushing a little meths on (and round the edges) significantly reduced the effect - to the extent that I am satisfied that some "rusty" paint and varnish will hide it altogether.

The pictures tell their own story!




(The whiteish patch at the right hand end of the stern "Northlight" is some surface scuffing, inflicted by me!)

Mike

[ballastanksian]

The effect you have got with the end productis very attractive and looks like a name sign applied over old paint or the like and it is just weathering differently to the surrounding hull:O)

I do agree with Arrow about varnishing the model before applying decals IF the carrier film cannot be completly removed for whatever reason. The extra benefit with a good coat of gloss varnish (Future floor polish or whatever it is called these days:O) is great) is that it seals your careful painting under a layer and protects against many of the knocks models suffer.

[Corposant]

Hi Ballastanksian

I haven't quite finished the weathering yet - I wanted to get the decals on first. I thought very seriously about following Duncan's advice and creating gloss patches for them but, as the final coat of varnish will be matt, I thought the outline of such patches might possibly show through. As I was prepared for the decal application to fail, I thought it was worth a try on the current surface.

I am about to try and create some slight traces of rust on the decals and the surrounding areas. The "Scenic Rust" which I have used on the stem and under the anchor port is very difficult to apply thinly, so I will probably use the Humbrol "German red brown" I have used as a wash over the rest of the hull.

Many thanks for your interest and helpful comment.

Mike

[Brian60]

Humbrol now sell a big range of washes, sold in jars not tins

[Corposant]

Thanks again Brian!

My current technique is to use the paint only slightly diluted, let dry (but not for too long!) and then wipe most of it off with white spirit. Humbrol's rust colour didn't look right for me (or Mrs Corposant!) hence the German red brown. (There's a report on the saga in my build log!)

Regards

Mike