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Age of a Decal Sheet

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  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Miles City, Montana
  • 2,289 posts
Age of a Decal Sheet
Posted by FRRYKid on Friday, September 1, 2017 12:02 AM

Got a slightly off beat question for the group.

From an eBay listing, I received the following:

A Microscale decal sheet in a solid sky blue envelope with what appears to be reflex blue print on the front left and right hand sides and the bottom. On top, all in black, is the following: the left hand rounded corner square has "MICROSCALE" for the 1st row, "87" in the middle, and "DECAL" on the bottom preprinted. The middle long rounded corner rectangle has no preprinting. The right hand box, which is the same size as the right hand one, has preprinted "HO SCALE" on the 1st line and RAILROAD" for the second.

The back has the standard Microscale notes on the back in the same reflex blue ink. (Also it has a product I had never heard of: Micro Hi-Tac.)

In the left hand and middle boxes are printing that was either typewritten or printed in Courier. The stock number (after the preprinted 87) is in the left hand box and the description is in the middle rectangle. It reads as manufactured by Krasel Industries, Inc.

I have never seen an Microscale decal envelope of this type. How old is this? It's just for my curiousity. Any decals I get, no matter the age, always get a spray of decal set solution.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, September 1, 2017 8:24 PM

From your description, that sounds like how Microscale packaged their decals in the early 1990s.

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More importantly... Why do you spray decals with decal set? What do you use, and how do you spray it?

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Miles City, Montana
  • 2,289 posts
Posted by FRRYKid on Friday, September 1, 2017 10:31 PM

SeeYou190

Why do you spray decals with decal set?

I have had too many sheets fall apart over the years if I didn't. It also gives a extra layer of insurance even if the sheet is new as I have to order all my stuff and it takes a bit to get them sometimes.

SeeYou190

What do you use, and how do you spray it?

-Kevin

I use Testor's Decal Bonder Spray. (I design my own custom decals. At one point I used their system with my personal printer. I later upgraded to an ALPS printer because I use silver decals. It later gave up the ghost as a head pin broke. I now custom order the from a printer that also has an ALPS.)

I had a few cans from the kits and I just spray the decals like one would with a can of spray paint. Give it time to dry and use like usual.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, September 2, 2017 8:35 AM

FRRYKid
I have had too many sheets fall apart over the years if I didn't. It also gives a extra layer of insurance even if the sheet is new as I have to order all my stuff and it takes a bit to get them sometimes.

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Oh... OK. I never thought of using decal bonder in that way.

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I usually test with a decal I will not be using to see how brittle the decal sheet is. If there are problems I use Microscale's "Liquid Decal Film" on the decal. This has always worked well for me when I have fall-apart decals to deal with.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Miles City, Montana
  • 2,289 posts
Posted by FRRYKid on Saturday, September 2, 2017 10:00 AM

I have used the Liquid Decal Film as well but, at times, cleaning the brushes from the film gets to be a challenge.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
  • Member since
    February 2007
  • 472 posts
Posted by Graham Line on Saturday, September 2, 2017 10:21 AM

Pour  a small amount of decal film on the sheet, tilt it back and forth so the film flows around to cover the whole sheet, then tilt a corner so the excess flows back into the bottle. No brushes!

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