I am about to decal some Bowser wagon top boxcars for my home road. These are undecorated except for the data portion. I've been reviewing these forums to refresh myself on what the proper order of tasks is as well as trying to remember what I have done in the past. This is what I understand the proper order to be.
1. Print the decals.
2. Spray the decals with a bonding agent. One poster suggested as many as four coats.
3. Allow to dry thoroughly.
4. Spray the boxcar with gloss.
5. Apply Micro-Set to the area to be decaled.
6. Apply decal to the surface.
7. Apply Micro-Sol.
8. Spray decal with gloss.
9. Spray with dullcoat.
10. Apply weathering.
My questions are is this the proper sequencing and are any of these steps redundant? Also, these Bowser cars already have a fairly smooth glossy finish as is. Is the initial spray of gloss still a good idea?
Edit: I noticed I had the Micro-Sol and Micro-Set steps reversed. I just corrected it.
Can't help much on the first few steps because I only use commercial decals, not home-brewed.
If the surface is smooth and glossy enough I omit the glosscoat step. Those who remember the old Kar Line custom painted Athearn freight cars will remember the high gloss they came with anyway. Some Bowser cars come pretty glossy out of the box. To gloss on top of gloss seems more like obeying a ritual than fulfilling a need. [Amended post - after looking at some of my projects in waiting last night I noticed that the Accurail kits I was looking at often have a flat finish rather like DullCoat. While good for applying weathering powders and chalks, for substantial decaling a gloss coat may well be needed].
Even if the surface is merely smooth I often gloss it by rubbing a tortillon on the precise area to be decaled rather than add a glosscoat. My feeling is, after a while of decaling and weathering and re-weathering you can add too many layers of stuff to a model. And in my experience, glosscoat --or perhaps the spraybooth? -- seems to act like a magnet for random household dust.
I usually seal a new decal and any post-decaling weathering with a final DullCoat rather than yet another coat of gloss followed by DullCoat. Opinions vary on that.
Assuming you are soaking the decal in water (not mentioned in your steps) remember to use only distilled water in a very clean container - no dust.
If you have access to the videos David Popp has been making recently during the "safer at home" confinement on MR Video Plus, he just did one on decaling his Olympia layout's On30 gondolas that uses techniques which I have not seen before. He omits the water soaking and just uses the decal setting fluid to soak and then after the mandatory wait apply the decal. And while the decal is newly placed he presses it with a soft sponge, which I would never have thought of doing. It seems to work for him. Watch the video if you can.
Dave Nelson
PS off topic but I started this "safer at home" period with four full rattle cans of DullCoat. I am now down to 2. Perhaps DullCoat is the model railroader's equivalent of toilet paper during this strange period in our lives. Never to be taken for granted again! Just wait until I can use those "40% off any one item" coupons at Michael's craft store.
Step 6.5 Let it dry
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddy Step 6.5 Let it dry
Got it.
Thank you.
John, probably everybody does it a little different... here is what I do.
1) Design decal/lettering scheme for nonsense railroad and acquire decals.
2) Get a freight car with a hard, dry, and glossy finish. My preference is Scalecoat 2, but I also use Floquil, Model Master, Humbrel, and Testors glossy colors.
3) Soak decal in distilled water until it is free from the decal backing paper.
4) Wet car side with Microset.
5) Slide decal into position and wet the top with more Microset.
6) Allow to 80% dry.
7) Apply Microsol over the top of the decal.
8) Allow to throroughly dry.
9) Apply Daco Strong over the decal.
10) Allow to thoroughly dry.
11) Seal with Testors 1260 Dullcoat.
12) Weathe to taste, I usually do light weathering.
13) Seal with another coat of Testors 1260 Dullcoat.
14) Allow to thoroughly dry.
15) Take a picture on your background of choice.
16) Share picture of new rolling stock with Model Railroader community forum.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 16) Share picture of new rolling stock with Model Railroader community forum.
Some good ideas there. I was going to ask this in another thread but because it has come up here, now is as good a place as any. I haven't posted any photos since Photobucket began requiring users to purchase their premium membershipt in order to share photos. I'm curious as to what free photo sharing services others are using.
I like what you've done there and the decaling scheme I plan to use is about the same as yours except for the road name and the American flag. On the rights side it will simply read:
NEW YORK BINGHAMTON & WESTERN
At one time I had planned a logo but finally decided simpler was better. I have that same backdrop so I could make the same pose although I have a couple low relief structures in front of it.
Micro sol and Micro set are decal softening agents. They soften the decal film and allow it to settle down around rivets and other lumps and bumbs. Once the decal is exposed to these things (or Solvaset, my favorite) you cannot move or reposition the decal without tearing it. Your Steps 5 and 6 ought to read "Slide moist decal off the backing paper in just the right place on the model. Carefully position it. Use a small paint brush or a needle to move it around. Let it dry part way, dry enough not to float out of position when decal setting solution is applied. Apply decal setting solution and let it dry. Do NOT reposition the decal after applying setting solution to avoid tearing the decal.
I have good results applying decals over flat paint finishes such as you get from rattle can auto primer despite widespread opinion that a gloss coat is needed before decaling. I see no point in a gloss coat over decals. I give my decals a coat of Dullcote to blend them into the paint finish, AFTER the decals are good and dry, over night at least, more is better.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
dstarr Micro sol and Micro set are decal softening agents. They soften the decal film and allow it to settle down around rivets and other lumps and bumbs.
Micro sol and Micro set are decal softening agents. They soften the decal film and allow it to settle down around rivets and other lumps and bumbs.
Is Micro sol and Micro set interchangeable? Should I just get the cheaper one? Prob best to use them outside!
Any particular paper to get? I see a variety from Amazon. Given current conditions, I figure they are a suitable place for buying such supplies now.
MicroSet is milder than MicroSol, which is milder than Walthers Solvaset.
You need to be careful with some decals as the stronger solvents can cause the inks in the decals to run. Most people use MicroSet before placing the decal as it's designed more to help adhesion than to conform the decal to the model's surface.
There are a number of different decal solutions out there. Military modelers have their favorites as well. Some of the European paint companies have solutions of their own, but I don't have any experience with them.
I think Tamiya and some of the Japanese companies have setting solutions as well.
Check out the FineScale Modeler forums for information on those products.
Eric
After the model has dried 72 hours.
1. Remove shears from the tool box.
2. Put water in my decal bowl.
3. Get a cup of coffee and turn on country music from the 50/60s.
4. Start the decaling process.
5. After decal has dried apply Solvaset-yes, I still use Walthers solvaset.
6. Dullcote after decals has dried.
7. After the Solvaset has dried I start weathering.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
John-NYBW6. Apply decal to the surface. 7. Apply Micro-Sol. 8. Spray decal with gloss. 9. Spray with dullcoat.
7. Even with the stronger Solvaset, you may find you have to do more than one application to get the decal to "snuggle down" completely. As noted, with homemade decals, you might have to be more careful than with commercial decals re having the color run.
8.- 9. The gloss is for a smooth surface to place the decals on. No need to apply another coat and then a coat of dull finish.
However, I generally seal in the decals with flat finish, weather the model with powdered charcoal, and then seal that in with another coat of flat. The powdered charcoal tones down the shinyness of the model and slightly grays the white lettering. Unlike chalk, the powdered charcoal doesn't dissolve when sprayed with flat finish.
Eric WhiteCheck out the FineScale Modeler forums for information on those products.
Fine Scale Modeler Magazine is an excellent source of information on tools and techniques that are more innovative. Every month I find some good modelling information in there.