Making decals need a web page g scale

[Anonymous]

Going to try to make my own decals with the water slide method. Just got done with making a few bachman kit cars and they are screaming for some lettering.Is there a web page to go to i can down load pictures of road names or numbers can be genric not looking for a specific name just want to try it out .

[scottychaos]

Tom,

most lettering on-line is very low resolution..for G gauge, you need crisp letters!

what roadname would you like?

let me know the size of the area on the car for the roadname, (length and height)

and what roadname you would like to try, and I can whip you up some lettering in photoshop in seconds! ;) 

Scot

[Anonymous]

Tom,

most lettering on-line is very low resolution..for G gauge, you need crisp letters!

Scott - I don't have photoshop but was thinking of buyn fonts from Ribbion Rail Productions/Benn Coifman. So you say "crisp", I do have programs but not sure what is crisp?

[scottychaos]

Scott - I don't have photoshop but was thinking of buyn fonts from Ribbion Rail Productions/Benn Coifman. So you say "crisp", I do have programs but not sure what is crisp?

well..I guess for smaller scales (HO and N) the decals will be small enough that lettering found on-line would be fine..

but for G-gauge, you will have a harder time and its better to just make your own. 

what I mean by "crisp" is high-resolution and clean, for example, here is a boxcar photo I just found on-line:

 http://www.trainweb.org/seaboard/MODELS/kadee5112sal24933big.jpg

lets say you wanted to make decals from that lettering, here is full-size (more or less) text for G-gauge, that I made from that photograph:

notice its rather fuzzy..I had to blow it up (make it bigger) to make it the correct size for a G-scale boxcar..and its only 72ppi (pixels per inch) which is the resolution of virtually everything on the internet.

now..If I try to design the same lettering from scratch in photoshop, I get this!

The original (that I made from scratch) is 200ppi, and much "crisper"!

(the original is actually "crisper" than what can be displayed on a computer monitor!..so its actually "better than it looks" on this forum, if you follow..)

of course, matching the exact font style is harder when making lettering yourself,(if I poked around, I could probably find a font that matches better..and yes, you can buy specific "railroad" fonts that several places offer, like "Penn Central Font" or "Railroad Roman") and im not good at making logos from scratch! ;) but generally speaking, for lettering, its always better to make them yourself..you dont need photoshop specifically, nearly any image program will work.

Scot

[Anonymous]

Scott - I do have a program then!!! For a printer I own a Epson Stylus Photo R2400...is that good enought?

[kstrong]

Maybe, maybe not. Decals from inkjet printers are translucent, so they need to be applied over a light (preferably white) background in order for the colors to be accurately reflected on the finished model. White lettering cannot be done on an inkjet printer.

One alternative is to use white decal paper. This works well for full logos and signs where the background is white, or can be colored to closely match the color of the surface to which it's applied.

I covered decals in the December '06 "Garden Railways Basics" column, if you want to read more.

Later,

K

[altterrain]

I have had good luck with ink jet decals after a bit of experimenting. I also have and Epson printer with the Durabrite inks (they are waterproof and supposedly UV resistant for 30 years). I just use my Word program to make them. I print them out in the best photo setting. Once printed I immediately give them a quick spray with Krylon Crystal Clear. Once that is dry I give them a couple of coats with ModelMasters brush on clear coat (flat or semi gloss). This is very important, as I found the spray on clear coat did not fix the ink to the decal paper well enough and they lettering would float off sometimes. Here are some results using both the clear and white decal paper (Black paint matched/touched up by hand after application to the loco and caboose lettering intentionally weathered) -

 

 

-Brian 

 

[Camaro1967]

Brian, I am not sure, do you spray the decal with Krylon Crystal Clear, even before you transfer it to the model, or after.   I got a Testors decal kit, and it has its own spray on fixative. Is that all that I would have to do.

Paul 

[altterrain]

Paul,

Yes, I spray the decals right out of the printer but I just purchased the decal sheets and followed the instructions that came with them. I imagine your kit spray is something similiar or better. I was having unpredictable results with the lettering floating off in the water soak. That's why I went with the brush on clear coat after an initial spray. Since then no problems.

-Brian

[Camaro1967]

Brian/Kevin,

Thanks for the help and instructions. Kevin, I read the article in the Dec GR.  My quesiton to both of you is that I have read that people use Krylon Crystal Clear.  I am seeing laquer by this name, but I am not sure that is what to use as the base to put the decals on.  Can you help a little more. Specifically, what Krylon Crystal stuff do I use. 

I am getting ready to make a club car, if it works, I will show it off.

thanks guys, GO Lady Terps. (Brian will know what I am talking about, Actually Kevin your dad went to Maryland didn't he, while I worked there even)

Paul 

[altterrain]

Hey Paul,

As far as I know the Krylon Crystal Clear is a spray acrylic clear coat. ACE hardware stores are the only ones around here that still carry Krylon. I live 10 mins from the UMCP campus. I do not know if Kevin's dad went there but he and my father-in-law are old friends from there days at NASA. If you are going to be up at York at the end of the month for ECLSTS, I'll be there with my club the WVMGRS ( http://www.wvmgrs.org/ ) and have a few models in the contest. If you get your club car done in time, bring it on up and enter it.

 -Brian Donovan

[Camaro1967]

Thanks Brian, For sure I will try and find you in York, to meet you finally. If the car gets done, I will bring it along. I am hoping to get the roof on my train shed that I started in january, so if the weather is warmer than 30 degrees, I have to do that first. But I will get all the stuff for the club car, just in case.

Don't Home Depot carry the Krylon. Also, I think I saw some at Walmart.  Remembering back, There's a HD up 29 from you, but no Walmarts close. I have an Ace a few miles from here, I will check it out tomorrow.  

Paul 

[kstrong]

Dad spent 16 years in UMCP's engineering department, leaving with a Ph.D in 1971. I spent 2 years in UMCP's engineering department, leaving with a bootprint on my posterior. So much for following in dad's footsteps. On the other hand, Colorado State's campus had much better scenery (in all senses of the word.) Some things are for the better.

I don't think Home Depot or Lowe's carries Krylon anymore. Every time I go into one thinking they carry it, they don't have it. Wally-World does, as does Michaels, MJ Designs, and Hobby Lobby.

In terms of a gloss coat base, Krylon's Crystal Clear will work well if you want to spray the entire model. In most cases when I'm applying decals, I'll use a gloss paint if at all possible. I've also had luck applying them on a satin finish, such as Krylon's satin black. Usually, though, I'll just brush Future acrylic floor covering where I want to apply the decals. You can also airbrush this. I've heard of folks mixing it with their acrylic paints to make them glossy when applied, but I have yet to try that.

Once applied, you can then spray the model with a matte coating such as Krylon's UV-resistant matte clear coat. I've gotten away from Testor's Dull-cote. I've heard tales of it yellowing over time, but I have yet to see that on any of my old models. I'm just cheap. I can get 11 ounces of Krylon for half the price of 4 ounces of Testor's.

BTW, Brian--I like what you did with the Dunkirk. Can you post a close-up photo of your lettering on the side?

Later,

K

[Camaro1967]

 Kevin,

Thanks to you and Brian, I am ready to become a decal maker.  Your advice should save me a lot of problems, and maybe I will be able to turn out something worth keepking. If so, I will take a picture and post it. 

Sorry about your UM experience.  My daughter had exactly the same experience.  It turns out that I was there after you and your dad. I worked there from 1973 to 2003.  I was a Plant Biologist. (Geneticist) Then the traffic got so bad I couldn't stand the commute so I retired to the countryside of southern Delaware and the beach. I got lots of room for my railroad. 

Paul 

[altterrain]

Hi Kevin,

 Here's a close up. Close examination will show where I did the touch up around the lettering to blend the decal black with the paint. Not nearly as good as an Alps but not bad either. I also use MicroSol and MicroSet when applying them.

 

 

-Brian 

[kstrong]

Brian, looks great, even on close inspection. Too bad I didn't have that photo when I was writing my column! I'll have to remember it for future reference.

Paul, I don't blame you for getting out. I had the same kind of epiphany when I moved to Colorado, though I got lots of strange looks when I referred to CSU (20,000 students) as a "small school." Things are a bit more hectic down here in Denver, but still nothing like back east. You can have that rat race.

One more quick tip about applying decals--I've heard some folks comment that too much protective coating over the ink-jet decals (prior to application) may keep the film from settling down over details such as rivets and wood grain. (It thickens the film up too much.) I don't know how common that is, but something to keep in mind.

Later,

K