applying decals

My techinque is similar to Custom 56 F-100 but not nearly so careful.

Firstly make sure the place where the decal is to go is clean and  smooth, aircraft guys decal over gloss for a reason and matt spray afterwards to remove the gloss. Cut the decal carrier as close to the body of the decal as possible. Place in water (I use as it comes out of the tap). Whilst it is soaking I apply a decal solution (MicroSol) to the area where the decal will go. I try to keep the decal on its backing paper but sometimes it floats off (and if it starts to curl over itself when its lifted out of the water get it back into the water pronto and over the backing paper and lift out together)! I use tweezers to hold the decal. I dab the decal against a piece of cloth (and have been known to use the back of my hand) to remove surlus water and place over its final resting place. Now you may need to have tweezers or the back of you hobby knife in the other hand so you can slide the backing paper from under it. Now its resting on the decal softener I smooth it down with a soft clean brush (Always use a brush that hasn't been used for painting otherwise some of the fine paint particles you didn't know were in it could end up in the softened decal paint surace and you'll never get them out, it only takes 1 or 2 black specs to be blindingly obvious on a white decal). I then apply the decal softener (MicroSet - I hope I have these 2 names around the right way as they are meant to do slightly different things, one actually softens the decal, the other makes a better sticking surface and removes more water I think) and gently tease it down with the brush, slowly squeezing out surplus softener. The softener will make the decal snuggle down onto the surface and follow surface contours. It will also stop virtually all "silvering". Sometimes it needs a little help say with a particular compound curve and then I gently blow hot air from a hair drier over it (or if no hair drier I've held the model in front of a heater and even under an oven element !! - but v v v carefully!!!!) You can ses I've departed from the purist path and here goes an even larger divergence - if the decal is particularly stubbon eg it may be a bit thick or the curve particularly severe I will use my finger tip (and plenty more decal softener to act as a lubricant) to rub the decal down and more heat but the secret is heaps of decal softener. Once the decal is dry I always gently wash the model, more dabbing it with a wet tissue to remove any surplus dried decal softener. And that is it. In 30 years of modelling I have only ever had one failure. Most of my modelling is in 1/43rd so the decals are generally quite small and more delicate than say a 1/12th but this technique works well for me. Quality decals eg by Studio 27, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Cartograph etc also make it easier. But really I think its patience and practise and finding something that works for you. But HeavyArt is right for total confidence seal them after they are dry with a coat of gloss.

HeavyArty wrote:

The key to keeping them on the model is to seal them after they have dried.  A good cote of future or clear gloss will keep them on the model indefinitely.  I have models that the decals were applied almost 20 years ago and they are still in place.

 

Yup, that will do a great job KEEPING them on.  To APPLY them though, here is what I do.  First I cut the decal out as close to it as possible leaving on an extra section so that I can hold the decal with my modeling tweezers.  Then I submerge the decal into some luke warm water that I have in a small plate (I keep the water warm with a portable coffee cup warmer in the low heat position).  I leave the decal in that position for 30 seconds.  While it is soaking I apply some MicroSol to the surface that the decal is going on to.  Using the tweezers that I left holding onto the decal, I remove the decal from the water after the set time and dab some more MicroSol onto the decal itself.  I then hold the decal next to the surface it is going onto and use a Micro brush to slide the decal off of the backing onto the surface and let it settle down and then dab off any extra.  I havn't been doing this long, but it has worked to put some REALLY small decals onto a ejection seat and a control screen of a fighter plane.  Maybe someone who has more experience can chime in and teach us both something! Hope this helps until then! 

The key to keeping them on the model is to seal them after they have dried.  A good cote of future or clear gloss will keep them on the model indefinitely.  I have models that the decals were applied almost 20 years ago and they are still in place.