Do decals "degrade" in box over time?

Don Stauffer

Since I never know exactly how old a kit is, and some decals age quicker than others, I always scan them into my computer when I start building a kit.  That way I can try inkjet printing any that I cannot restore.

To test for brittleness, I try a decal I will not use.  Most times the trademark and the kit ID number are actually decals, and not needed for the build.  If that test fails, I get out my bottle of decal film and treat the sheet.  Yellowed decals can sometimes be bleeched in sunlight.

 

 

Or buy Aftermarket decals. Sometimes you can find duplicates of them via another decal company.

Since I never know exactly how old a kit is, and some decals age quicker than others, I always scan them into my computer when I start building a kit.  That way I can try inkjet printing any that I cannot restore.

To test for brittleness, I try a decal I will not use.  Most times the trademark and the kit ID number are actually decals, and not needed for the build.  If that test fails, I get out my bottle of decal film and treat the sheet.  Yellowed decals can sometimes be bleeched in sunlight.

thanks all - great info.  Yea I'm finding that these decals are super, super fragile and many of the smaller ones are just disintegrating, unfortunately.  The larger pieces appear to be OK but anything small just breaks apart with any manipulation.  Guess I need some aftermarket!

Hi!

I have a lot of kits in my stash, some several decades old.  I also have some microscale sheets that were purchased when Carter was president. I have found 30 year old decals that worked fine, and five year old decals which disintegrated when I tried to use them.  It seems to depend on the quality of the decals when first printed.  I do store my kits and decals in a dry basement closet where the temerature is fairly constant.  Several things come to mind.  I have scanned old decals and printed new ones, covered the old decal with liquid decal film (microscale), "bleached" yellowed decals on my workshop window, all with fairly good success.  I guess the bottom line on old decals is that unless there are visable cracks and yellowing, you just don't know until you try them.  Printing decals is fairly easy and there are decal papers for both inkjet and lazer printers.  If in doubt scan to copy and print new ones.  That works for me.

Have fun.....

stikpusher

Inks will also shift colors, with “yellowing” of whites frequently occurring. Some brands of decals are more prone to this than others.

Hasegawa <cough>

Absolutely, yes they can degrade. Degeradation can occur in a number of ways.

The decals may yellow, which can be rectified by leaving them in a sunny window for several days/weeks to sun-bleach the yellowness. 

The carrier film may become brittle and you may find that the decals break up on contact with water.  If in doubt, you can coat your decals with a fixative like Microscale Liquid Decal Film (usually brushed on) or a spray product like Testors decal bonder. If you use the spray, it effectively turns the entire sheet into one big decal, so you need to trim closely around each item when cutting from the sheet.

Another possible problem is that the glue may degrade and lose its effectiveness, resulting in the decals lifting at the edges or in some cases, falling off after drying. You can apply a very thin solution of white glue mixed with water to the location where you're applying the decal or use a commercial product like Gunze's "Mr Mark Setter" a decal setting solution which contains a small amount of adhesive to help the decals stick.

Yes some decals can and will degrade over time. Heat and humidity being the two main causes. Decals can become brittle or become bonded to their backing paper. Inks will also shift colors, with “yellowing” of whites frequently occurring. Some brands of decals are more prone to this than others. If your models are stored in an area that is frequented by silverfish, such as in a garage, they can attack and eat the paper of your decals and instruction sheets.