For two plus decades i have been doing decals, both manufacture and home printed. New and old. I used champs solution and micro sol and micro set. When the champs ran out, i got walthers version. Never had any problems. Recently in the past two years a problem has developed. Some of them curl up. Both the manufacturer and home print. I stopped putting solution onto the model then applying the decal. I started waiting for the decal to dry, sometimes up to a week. Nothing is stopping them.from curling. Not all of them.do it all the time.either. just most of the time.any more. I found burnishing around the edge of the cut decal before soaking helps to some extent. These decals also refuse to conform to the surface. Even after multiple solution applocations. I have lost multiple decals to curling and them not relaxing. They just crinkle and stay that way. Any clue as to what is going on? After 20 years of no problems. I am stumped as to why it is happenening.
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My first thought is the water you put the decal into. I would recommend seeing what happens when you use distilled water. Also, whatever HOLDS that water (dish, bowl....) should be clear of any chemical residue--I'm thinking of various dish cleaning residues.
Also, if you use a (paint)brush for any of this process. Again, contamination. Get a new one and ONLY use it for this process and be very careful what you get on it.
The curling gets me thinking that there's a problem based on the layers of the decal. And if it's happening "suddenly" with both commercial (Microscale being the go-to test for this) and your own, it is likely something common to all that you're doing.
Also, if you are putting any coating over the decals BEFORE the problem happens--some sort of clear overspray, say--I'd be checking that out, too. As in, see if not doing that clears up the problem.
Good luck with this,
Ed
I forgot to mention the water is filtered. So i do not get the white residue. I did change the water purification and the container having the same thought you did. I have tried different clear coats with varing degrees of success. I now use testors clear coat applied by air brush. Seams to curl the least this way. But they still curl
Filtered is not distilled. It may not be the water, but until you use distilled water for testing, it's not eliminated. I'd still try using distilled water.
Something has changed, and it appears to be at your end. That is, if you're trying a wide variety of decals.
You didn't say how long it takes for the decals to curl. If it's happening within a month or two without a clear coat, I'd say: refer to previous paragraph.
The curl is almost instant. The second the solvent acts on it. I forgot the difference between filtered and distilled. So could be. Tonight when I got home, I tried again. This model was sitting for a month now after the gloss coat was applied. everything else was the same, the decal laid right down. No curl. This decal was on the model for the past month , and one of the ones curling. I am wondering if something is happening with the solvents and gloss coat. Keep in mind solvent based paint formulas have changed a lot recently. I am now wondering if that has something to do with it. It falls in the time line of the problem starting.
It's not entirely clear, but it sounds like you're saying that you DID have the problem when you decaled almost immediately after final gloss coat, but DID NOT have it on the same model when you added another decal a month later.
That's certainly worth pursuing. Put simply, maybe you've got to get the gloss coat VERY cured.
Another test you could try is to do some decaling onto acrylic paint. No solvent release there!
Yes.
7j43k It's not entirely clear, but it sounds like you're saying that you DID have the problem when you decaled almost immediately after final gloss coat, but DID NOT have it on the same model when you added another decal a month later. That's certainly worth pursuing. Put simply, maybe you've got to get the gloss coat VERY cured. Another test you could try is to do some decaling onto acrylic paint. No solvent release there! Ed
7j43k It's not entirely clear, but it sounds like you're saying that you DID have the problem when you decaled almost immediately after final gloss coat, but DID NOT have it on the same model when you added another decal a month later. That's certainly worth pursuing. Put simply, maybe you've got to get the gloss coat VERY cured. Another test you could try is to do some decaling onto acrylic paint. No solvent release there! Ed Yes. That is correct. At least for.this model. Sometimes it doesnt happen. I have a couple decals on this model that had no curl. When applied a month ago. And others that did but now (so far) not curling. I will have to see if they stayed or curled back up when i get home. I will also have to get some acrylic clear coat and see if that helps.
Yes. That is correct. At least for.this model. Sometimes it doesnt happen. I have a couple decals on this model that had no curl. When applied a month ago. And others that did but now (so far) not curling. I will have to see if they stayed or curled back up when i get home. I will also have to get some acrylic clear coat and see if that helps.
Never understood the gloss coat before decals in this modern era, sure in the days before setting solutions, but not now.
[quote user="RR_Mel"]
I have never heard of Testors decal bonder. A little more info would be appreciated. Thanks
Looking on the web think it's used as a clear coat/ sealer on decals made using your home printer.meant to be used after printing and before application.