I have rarely seen (or completed) decals that look anywhere close to good factory lettering. I have not yet tried dry transfers, am hoping the results are better. Who has any experience, and therefore, opinion, about this?
sanduskyI have rarely seen (or completed) decals that look anywhere close to good factory lettering. I have not yet tried dry transfers, am hoping the results are better. Who has any experience, and therefore, opinion, about this?
I'm a big fan of dry transfers, and have used them for decades, but I've used decals even longer, dating back to the mid-'50s.Many people don't care for dry transfers, as in most cases, you get only one shot at placing the lettering exactly where it needs to be.
I've done around a hundred passenger cars using alphabet sets (every letter individual), like this one...
...and dozens of freight cars, using a combination of custom dry transfers and stock dry transfer sheets for the dimensional data, for cars like these...
My experience with decals, however, took a longer time to achieve satisfactory results, and I've honed it, over time, to get what I would consider results comparable to dry transfers.
This mostly scratchbuilt boxcar was lettered with decals from Speedwitch Media...
...and even under oblique lighting, one would be hard-pressed to notice that the lettering is decals rather than painted-on...
Here's a procedure which I finally developed for doing my own decal work, perhaps a little too finicky for some, but I'm quite satisfied with the results...
However, I have found a few things that may prove useful. Use distilled water for soaking the decal - it's available in gallon jugs at any supermarket, and not at all expensive. This eliminates any dissolved minerals which might otherwise be present in tap water, and a gallon will do a lot of decals. When you're cutting the lettering from the decal sheet, use a sharp blade and don't cut to closely to the lettering or image. Once the lettering is free of the main sheet, place it on a hard surface (I prefer a sheet of glass), and use a sharp blade to trim as closely as possible to the image or letter, using a straight-down chopping motion. If necessary, do this work under magnification (eyeglasses, Optivisor, or loupe). The reason for the two-part cutting is that slicing the image, even with a sharp blade, raises the edges along the cut line, and when you apply that decal to the model, the setting solution is often insufficient to to make those edges settle completely flat onto the surface. The chopping motion pushes the edges of the cut down, making the applied decal easier to set.Another tip to make the decal appear painted-on, rather than as a decal, is to snick-off the corners of decal film at any rounded letters or numerals at the corners of the piece of decal. It's surprisingly effective.Before applying decals, spray (I prefer Testors Glosscote, thinned with lacquer thinner and applied with an airbrush, but it's also available in a spray can) the entire area which is to be lettered, not just the particular areas where the lettering will be applied. Allow that to dry completely, usually at least a full day, and longer won't hurt.Do not rush the soaking process for the decal, but allow it to release from the backing paper on its own. If it's big enough to handle with tweezers (not something small, such as a single digit for dimensional data), dip the released film into water, submerging it completely, then, as you withdraw it from the water, drag the back-side of it over the lip of the container holding the water - this helps to remove any residue left from the backing paper. Depending on the particular decal, you may want to repeat this a couple of times. Most decals applied using only water can be re-wet and moved an almost infinite number of times. Use references on the model (rivet lines, panel lines, doors, ladders, and other details) as guides to position the lettering correctly and level. Where those details aren't available, I like to cut strips of masking tape as guidelines, and when lettering with individual letters or numerals, often use a pencil to denote the beginning and end of each word, so that the spacing is correct. Likewise, individual letter spacing is not usually uniform, but rather depends on the particular letters and their sequence within the words. Google "kerning" for more info. Once the decals have been applied on the gloss surface and have been set and have fully-dried, overspray them with another coat of clear gloss. This step may seem unnecessary, but the gloss of the decal seldom matches exactly the gloss of the surface to which it has been applied. This overspray ensures that the entire surface has a uniform finish. If you're using an airbrush for applying the clear finish, it will dry (to-the-touch, at least) very rapidly, and you can then apply the flat (or semi-gloss, if you're modelling a fairly new car) almost immediately. Airbrushing gives you the option of mixing that final clear coat to whatever sheen or flatness you wish for that particular model. The car can then be weathered as you wish, but unless you're weathering using oils or chalk, I'd recommend no flat overspray on the weathering, as it usually makes the weathering effects too uniform.
Wayne
Thanks Wayne for the great instructions!!!! Everyone will learn from that post. I saved that one.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Dry Transfers
Pro: No decal film to hide
Con: Cannot be adjusted after they are applied
Decals
Pro: Easy to apply
Con: Must have glossy finish followed by dull finish, more steps
There are a lot more pros and cons to each. I think those are the biggies.
You say you rarely see decals that look good? Just look through any issue of Model Railroader magazine? I'll bet 99% of the issues have pictures of decals that look great.
This was my Weekend Photo Fun decal project from last weekend.
There is a need to follow a careful process when applying decals. Wayne's post hass all the information you need.
Like anything else...practice and patience is the key.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
RR_Mel Thanks Wayne for the great instructions!!!! Everyone will learn from that post. I saved that one.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Thank you Wayne
WP Lives
softail86markMe as well. Information I will need in the future. Thank you Wayne
At least three of my freight car models were inspired by Doctor Wayne's postings in here. I am amazed how much I have learned from him.
that has to be the best instructions for applying decals. I have been searching on how to apply decals to some containers I have made, and now I feel confident that I can do it. Thanks, Wayne!!
Wow! I'm blushing. Thanks to all for your very kind comments.
I'm always wary of going on at-length when attemping to outline a procedure, as it can be an eyes-glazing-over experience for the reader. I'm heartened to know that my effort will help others, just as I've been taught by others here and on other sites.
Thank you again.
If you are using Micro Scale decals, or other thin filmed decals, use Micro Sol solution, Solvaset is too strong and can distort the decal.
Also it is best to let the decal dry on the surface before brushing it with the solution, otherwise the decal can float.
azrail If you are using Micro Scale decals, or other thin filmed decals, use Micro Sol solution, Solvaset is too strong and can distort the decal. Also it is best to let the decal dry on the surface before brushing it with the solution, otherwise the decal can float.
While Solvaset is stronger than Microsol, I've never had issues with it distorting or damaging a decal, even those from MicroScale. I'm not a fan of MicroScale's so-called thin film around the edges of their decal images, though, and now, after using it once, always trim it off completely, when possible.
The decals which I find very hard to set are the 3-D rivet decals from MicroMark. They show little response to Solvaset at all, and on unpainted surfaces, I set them using a very light and rapid application of MEK, using a suitably-sized brush. One pass is the limit, with a second pass usually removing individual rivets.
Over the years, I'd come to the same conclusion as Wayne about applying a gloss coat before and after applying decals.
Occasionally some of my buddies would try to tell me that all that does is slow down the process, that it was silly to put the second gloss coat on if I was just going to apply a flat coat over it, or that just using glossy paint in the first place was good enough. I've found that doing it pretty much the same way as Wayne does gives the most reliable, consistent and pleasing results.
When going to the effort to paint and letter a model, I prefer to have the confidence that this technique provides.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
One place I advise people to never use Solvaset is on decals printed on an ALPS printer.
The line between applying enough and applying too much is pretty fine and a lot lower than for other combinations of decals and solutions. I've melted lettering off of ALPS-printed decals a couple of times by using just the slightest bit too much Solvaset.
Generally speaking, if I use Solvaset, I use it diluted with distilled water, but for most decals, the Microscale solutions do the job for me.
fmilhauptOver the years, I'd come to the same conclusion as Wayne about applying a gloss coat before and after applying decals....
Thanks for your re-affirmation of that step, Fritz, as it took me some time to come to the same conclusion.
Something I neglected to mention about lettering with dry transfers is the option to put them on clear decal paper where applying them as dry transfers might give less-than-satisfactory results.
The one I used most was for the end lettering on freight cars, which, depending on the style of the car's ends, could be relatively easy, while others might be close to impossible.
For both dry transfers and decals, I found it advantageous to put the model in a large (and heavy) beer mug, cushioned by a clean rag or hanky, then placing the mug in the centre drawer of my work desk. This put the end to be decaled at a more accessible height than if it were atop the work surface, and when setting solution was applied, the car could remain on-end.
Incidentally, setting solutions, especially Solvaset, work quite well on dry transfers, which can be useful when the lettering is applied over details that are either in-relief or recessed.