Mark R. CandOsteam [snip] ....BTW: soak decal only as long as it takes to free it from the backing to keep some of the 'glue' that is there. This small amount of manufacturing adhesive actually helps the decal attach and lessens the chance of silvering. Too much soaking washes away most/all of this precious adhesive that usually means more of a fight with silvering..... [snip] Joel Actually, just the opposite is true. You want any of the remaining "adhesive" fully dissolved from the decal to AVOID silvering. That "adhesive" you are referring to really doesn't help all that much as far as the decal remaining on the surface .... that's what the setting solutions are meant for. That remaining "adhesive" will also hold air in its aqueous state and as the film dries, the air becomes trapped under the decal. I always soak decals until they literally float off the paper. Have never had any trouble with silvering. Mark.
CandOsteam [snip] ....BTW: soak decal only as long as it takes to free it from the backing to keep some of the 'glue' that is there. This small amount of manufacturing adhesive actually helps the decal attach and lessens the chance of silvering. Too much soaking washes away most/all of this precious adhesive that usually means more of a fight with silvering..... [snip] Joel
[snip] ....BTW: soak decal only as long as it takes to free it from the backing to keep some of the 'glue' that is there. This small amount of manufacturing adhesive actually helps the decal attach and lessens the chance of silvering. Too much soaking washes away most/all of this precious adhesive that usually means more of a fight with silvering..... [snip]
Joel
Actually, just the opposite is true. You want any of the remaining "adhesive" fully dissolved from the decal to AVOID silvering. That "adhesive" you are referring to really doesn't help all that much as far as the decal remaining on the surface .... that's what the setting solutions are meant for. That remaining "adhesive" will also hold air in its aqueous state and as the film dries, the air becomes trapped under the decal. I always soak decals until they literally float off the paper. Have never had any trouble with silvering.
Mark.
Glad your method works, but I disagree with your claim that any decal adhesive causes silvering.
The trick of leaving some residual adhesive was passed on to me by my brother who is a hardcore military aircraft and armour builder. Not oversoaking decals is a trick that is often discussed in FineScale Modeler forums and other modeling forums. There is also a product made by Gunze (Japanese supplier to plastic modelers) that is decal adhesive/setting solution for instances when a waterslide decal has been left to soak too long to strip away the original adhesive.
The Gunze product is called "Mr. Mark Setter".
Bottom line: Go with what works... and a little decal adhesive is the ticket for me, followed by the standard setting solutions.
Modeling the C&O New River Subdivision circa 1949 for the fun of it!
FRRYKid With stripes especially, whether the sheet is new or old, I always put a coat of Decal Saver or other decal sealer over the sheet. I have found that stripes seem to break up no matter what is done.
With stripes especially, whether the sheet is new or old, I always put a coat of Decal Saver or other decal sealer over the sheet. I have found that stripes seem to break up no matter what is done.
When I have a problem with decals breaking up I spray a light coat of Testors Dullcoat on the decal sheet and let it set overnight before using.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Will reiterate what Catt said. Solvaset is the strongest as far as what is currently out there (microsol and microset) and should only be applied after the decal is in place to soften it to conform to nooks and crannies.
Unfortunately the order you did it, your decals did not stand a chance..
Oh well, experience is always the best teacher.
BTW: soak decal only as long as it takes to free it from the backing to keep some of the 'glue' that is there. This small amount of manufacturing adhesive actually helps the decal attach and lessens the chance of silvering. Too much soaking washes away most/all of this precious adhesive that usually means more of a fight with silvering.
A final thought: When I started using Solvaset 30 or so years ago, the original formulation was even more aggressive than today's, so had to be extra careful not to disturb after application. The upside is, it usually only took one round of application to get a perfect, silvering-free decal job.
Other than leaving the cap on the Solvaset till the decal has dried ? No I don't.I use nothing but straight water when decaling,then use the solvaset to get the decals to snuggle down to the surface details.
I recently purchased a set os BNSF 60-1023 decals frm my local LHS. All went well until I tried to apply the decal stripes. After soaking for 30 seconds I slid the the decal off fthe paper into the Solvaset. When moved to position it the decal broke apart. This should not happen to a new set od decals. Any ideas would be appreciated.