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Decals that look like...well...decals


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So I finished putting decals on my Tamiya F-117 (2Bobs Kosovo Bandits sheet), and I notice even after flat coat, they have a distinctive "these are definitely decals" look to them. The ones on the vertical stabs looked so bad that I had to sand everything down and start from scratch (I have a second decal sheet on standby. I haven't tried applying them yet...the paint is drying on the stabs as I type this). The fuselage ones have that look to them as well (not as bad as the ones on the stabs, but you can tell they are decals), but I'm just going to live with those, unfortunately :(/>.

My question is...what causes this? I prepped the surface like I always do. Testors Glosscote, apply decal, Micro-Sol, then Testors Dullcote. That process has worked for me every single time in the past (well, except on my Revell SR-71, but those kit decals were horrendous), but this time, it didn't seem to want to cooperate. I noticed a sort of "cloudiness" to the decals after I applied them and Micro-Sol'd them, but I figured that would go away when I shot the dullcote.

Edited by TomcatFanatic123
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Sir -get a spare bit of plastic painted as per your model, a spare decal (ideally from the sheet you wish to use, of course), and try the Future/Klear setting method.

It was a revelation for me... :yahoo:

(I'll give you chapter and verse if you need it, just reply here.)

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I agree with ChippyWho. After I switched to using Future as a gloss coat and decal setting solution my decals look more like they were painted on instead of being decals.

I stopped using the Testor's gloss and dull coat products...years later the models that had these finishing products on them started turning into a dingy looking brown tint.

It will take a few years from now to find out if the Future I now use for gloss coats and the Xtracolor clear flat will work any better than the Testor clear coats but so far so good.

Matrixone

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You applying a decal with no type of setting solution onto a black surface, that's a recipe for disaster,if you saw a problem before you put the clear cote on it could only get worse as a clear coat will magnify the silvering affect.

As suggested use the wet Future setting solution, it will cure your problem.

There's also a way to fix a silvered decal, a very forgiving process over black.

Curt

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That surface is very rough, when I spray Testers Dull-cote Lacquer, I will thin it with Lacquer thinner and keep diluting it till the final cote is almost pure thinner, it will melt the clear down to a nice smooth but dull finish.

If you want to save those decals, take some burnt umber oil paint, thin it with some turpentine (oid) poke a bunch of holes into the decal and flow the paint onto the decal it should penetrate and kill the silver appearance.

Curt

10_23_122.jpg

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Mr. Mark Setter / Softer has pretty much eliminated all of my silvering woes. That stuff works so well. I tried the Future as a setting solution method, but I didn't like the fact that even when you wipe the excess away, you can still see the pooling of where you applied the Future. It dries a lot darker than the surrounding area, and leaves a white halo that was a pain to get blended. The alternative was to use very little, but I found that to be more frustrating since the less you use, the sticker it gets in a hurry, hence your decals are pretty much screwed once they hit the surface. I like to be able to apply the decal into a pool of water / solution and move it into position from there, as I find that moving the entire decal allows you to get it nice and flat where you don't have to worry about wrinkling once it lays down. My first experiment with the Mr. Mark series was on an OH-58 that I built. I did ZERO gloss coating, and used Italeri's kit decals for the experiment. Put a little bit of the setter solution down, and applied the decal onto a plain jane flat paint job, and they looked painted on by morning. Have a very slight silvering around the outer edge of the "United States Army" decal that went down the tail, but I was able to get that to lay down as well with another light coat. That stuff is great.

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Sir -get a spare bit of plastic painted as per your model, a spare decal (ideally from the sheet you wish to use, of course), and try the Future/Klear setting method.

It was a revelation for me... :yahoo:/>

(I'll give you chapter and verse if you need it, just reply here.)

I need it :)

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Essentially, just use future, or future mixed with water as a setting solution. Pool it in the area that the decal is to go and set it in place. Wick up the obvious residual and let it dry. As it dries, it will suck the decal down to the surface. And avoid any bits of silverish since it'll be hard flushed with the surface. It does work, but again, I've had a few issues with it that I didn't particularly care for. Hence my decision to go with the Mr. Mark line of product.

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Essentially, just use future, or future mixed with water as a setting solution. Pool it in the area that the decal is to go and set it in place. Wick up the obvious residual and let it dry. As it dries, it will suck the decal down to the surface. And avoid any bits of silverish since it'll be hard flushed with the surface. It does work, but again, I've had a few issues with it that I didn't particularly care for. Hence my decision to go with the Mr. Mark line of product.

The future part of this is how I do decals. Except that if the surface is rough like in the picture the decals are gonna silver. I just went through this with one of my P-40's, the paint was rough like the pic and I ignored it, stupid move on my part. I had to carefully make slices into the decal to get rid of it.

For set the set/sol part of decaling, I use straight future and distilled white vinegar.

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This is why I asked for a pic. That cloudyness as you call it is a classic example of silvering and is what I suspecting all along. I suggest spend more time on paint prep before decaling and your problem will be solved.

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I tried the Future as a setting solution method, but I didn't like the fact that even when you wipe the excess away, you can still see the pooling of where you applied the Future. It dries a lot darker than the surrounding area, and leaves a white halo that was a pain to get blended. The alternative was to use very little, but I found that to be more frustrating since the less you use, the sticker it gets in a hurry, hence your decals are pretty much screwed once they hit the surface.

This is why I stress that you need to dilute the Future, I see you replied that you do thin it,so I don't see why your having the problem, but I know there are always things that happen that you cannot control or expect.

I like to mix my future in a small plastic cup like you find in cough syrup, I put the water in to about half full, then add a few drops till I can see it swirling in the water, that's about all that's needed, mix it up and go. If you do get a thick sticky mix, and the decal throws on the brakes, just add a brush-load of water and it will free it up.

Curt

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