Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: roycv on April 05, 2019, 12:06:45 pm
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Hi all, does anyone remember a post about printing boat names? I am sure I saw something recently but a search of the mayhem site did not reveal anything.
I want to transfer or a peel off name mounted onto a brown mahogany wood surface. So far multiple inkjet printing does not produce a solid enough colour. With kind help from a friend, 5 times print with bold yellow produces a transfer that vanishes on the wood surface.
Perhaps I need a decal from plastic and there are many shops around but for 3 off 5cm long names I suspect the price will be out of proportion or not possible with a large commercial printer.
I want a fancy scroll font, I have one on my laptop labelled Edwardian script, the name Pelican with a large P is what I am after. I don't think it will reproduce here.
Suggestions welcome.
Regards to all
Roy
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can you do the same transfer process using laser prints?
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Hi Grendel, I do not have a laser printer so I do not know.Roy
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If you are using the waterslide papers for inkjet printing you need to use the ones with a white background not transparent. The white background should stop the colour of the wood surface coming through.
Jim
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If you are using the waterslide papers for inkjet printing you need to use the ones with a white background not transparent. The white background should stop the colour of the wood surface coming through.
But surely that would mean that the name will be on a white background which I dont think is what Roy wants. Cutting out each letter individually and applying them evenly is likely to be pretty difficult.
I have the same issue with my SLEC Huntsman model. Not got around to solving it yet.
On my Fiishery cruiser I printed out the yellow lettering on a black background using inkjet paper and MS Word which gave the effect of a black backing board. This was stuck onto a strip of wood and the whole thing matt varnished.
Colin
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I've used this lady's vinyl printing services for the names on my last three models. She ain't cheap but she's very, very good! https://callie-graphics.com/ (https://callie-graphics.com/)Dave M
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Hi Roy. what you need is someone with access to a vinyl cutter. It just so happens I use one for my lettering. I have found that the more ornate the font the more difficult it is to produce nice decals. But if you ask nicely I will see if my machine will do it.
Cheers Chris Monk. %)
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Hi Chipmonk, I am game what sort of obeisance do you require, I can do major sucking up (shades of Pretty Woman here) but draw the line at some suggestions, I have my street cred to consider!
Well I think there is a problem that I have only just considered. It is that vinyl lettering comes out in separate letters whereas the transfer is a complete item. But perhaps you stick it all on and peel off the outside unwanted part?
I think most of it has been stated, Name about 6cms long, 4 names in a scroll type script it could be joined up (or cursive for the educated).
The name Pelican with an ornate P. Yellow, possibly gold or a mid blue. the vinyl as thin as possible. I was planning to varnish over it unless you think otherwise.
Is that all you need?
Kind regards,
Roy
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{-) have you been on the drugs again Roy? O0 .......Derek
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OK no problem, I can do them in yellow. They come as single letters on a single sheet, what you do is stick a piece of masking tape over them and peel the entire word off. Then place this in position on the model and peel off the tape, the letter spacing is retained. If you send me a pm with your address then I will send them off.
Cheers Chris
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Hello Chris, you have a PM.Roy
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Hi you can try Letraset transfer , you rub the letters on to a pre-painted name board then varnish over them to seal them
john
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John
Just HOW old is that sheet of Letraset?
DM
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actually old boy I twisted Noah's arm after he had finished putting the name on the Ark O0 they cost me two pigeons :D
John
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Ah thowt as much, marra. Ah'll bet yah reelly paid na mower than seven an' a tanner, neither!
Incidentally, Callie's lettering consists of separate letters cut out from self-adhesive vinyl and sandwiched between two disposable sheets of 'paper'. Have a look at the Instructions page on her website and all will be revealed. I am generally super-critical of such commercial services but Callie Graphics passes all of my tests. Just don't expect Old English font in 6pt lower case, though - she'll tell you if the job is feasible before you pay anything.
Not related, as they say - just a satisfied customer.
DM
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hey my Marra - I cant have paid much for them cos I only had 2-/6d pocket money and from that I had to buy 10 tabs; 2 sheets of balsa a tube of balsa glue and tin of diesel fuel not to mention a gob stopper :-)
but.....I have just been on ebay and had a look and you can actually still get them - they cost £6 now - so I better ask wor lass for a rise in pocket money :-)
John
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The transfer paper I've used recently had a white background BUT it became transparent when normal rattle-can varnish was applied.If you want white lettering though.................. %)
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I've just bought some from e-bay. Printed to my specification a nd in the colour I wanted. Applied by a transfer sheet, they are waterproof. Only cost me a couppe of quid and there are loads of suppliers.
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I used to have sheets and sheets of Letraset but think I threw it all away. Trouble is as it gets older it gets more difficult to get the letters etc. to transfer cleanly and without breaking.
Chris
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I've just bought some from e-bay. Printed to my specification a nd in the colour I wanted. Applied by a transfer sheet, they are waterproof. Only cost me a couppe of quid and there are loads of suppliers.
Do you have a link for the one you used? It sounds a good price.
Colin
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The "real" answer was around about 20-odd years ago, it was an "ALPS" printer. Thermal printer using special coloured wax. Cost a fortune back then, no longer in production as far as I can see, a good second hand one these days would probaly cost an arm and a leg, maybe a kidney as well if you wanted the right colour wax sticks to feed it with.
I recall seeing them in a shop window and thinking that they seemed a good idea, but back then a printer was a luxury (I was running an Amstrad PCW 8512 at the time), and they were right at the top end of the price range. Cheaper ways of getting coloured ink onto paper appeared and took over the market.
Printing outlines onto sticky back plastic works, then using the result as a stencil after placing it where wanted. Cutting round the letters in situ before painting the letters in is a PITA, the smaller, the worse, but you do get the chance to put any colour letter on any colour background.
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The "real" answer was around about 20-odd years ago, it was an "ALPS" printer. Thermal printer using special coloured wax. Cost a fortune back then, no longer in production as far as I can see, a good second hand one these days would probaly cost an arm and a leg, maybe a kidney as well if you wanted the right colour wax sticks to feed it with.
I recall seeing them in a shop window and thinking that they seemed a good idea, but back then a printer was a luxury (I was running an Amstrad PCW 8512 at the time), and they were right at the top end of the price range. Cheaper ways of getting coloured ink onto paper appeared and took over the market.
Printing outlines onto sticky back plastic works, then using the result as a stencil after placing it where wanted. Cutting round the letters in situ before painting the letters in is a PITA, the smaller, the worse, but you do get the chance to put any colour letter on any colour background.
ALPS printer production ended with the MD5500 model which is in great demand on the second hand market. The cartridges use a wax colour ribbon similar to a old typewriter ribbon. As such they're not very economical, although the cartridges are not ultra expensive I have to get mine from New Zealand. The interesting feature of the ALPs is that you can print full colour using the usual colour mixture Magenta/Cyan/Yellow and Black They also have the option to print a single colour (the spot colour feature) so If you have a white or metallic colour cartridge you can print those colour separately one at a time. The Silver and Gold foil cartridges are quite effective. The full colour printing isn't that good as the highest resolution is 600 dots per inch (DPI) which means small printed items come out like old fashioned newspaper photos.
There is room inside the printer for 8 cartridges although you only load 7 because the printer has to be able to "dock" one when it's changing colours.
The ALPs main draw back is it won't work with anything later than Windows 2000 as there doesn't appear to be Driver available for Windows 7 or 10. All this said, used in "spot" colour mode with a "Vector based" output such as Photoshop or a PDF it does print quite fine, I've printed lettering as small as 1mm and it easily readable.
I usually use Laser Waterslide paper from https://www.homecrafts.co.uk/ (this used to be Crafty Computer Papers) Beware of the stuff sold on Amazon which come in from China as the quality can be sporadic.
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my boats name transfers are gold, they were obtained by the original boats owner as an addition when he had some full size ones printed for the boat, they were printed at 1/12 the size of the originals at the edges of the sheet, I believe they are vinyl, but a good gold colour.
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Glancing through this thread it sounds like you guys are really straining to print your lettering. Spending way to much time and money on it. Callie Graphics is the solution. And very inexpensive, unless the shipping and customs raises the cost a bunch.
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Glancing through this thread it sounds like you guys are really straining to print your lettering. Spending way to much time and money on it. Callie Graphics is the solution. And very inexpensive, unless the shipping and customs raises the cost a bunch.
I rest my case. Cost of two gold vinyl nameplates, incl postage to UK from New Mexico, was $6 - that's less than a fiver (until next Friday?).
Dave M
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"coopersvinyldecals"That's who I used at a cost of £2.73 for 4.Hope this helps.
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Hello Chris, names arrived they look excellent. Will let you know how it works out.
regards
Roy