Elmers glue and decals

When I built models back in the 70s, the decals were usually very thick but they stayed where you put them. Since I returned to modelling after a 30 year absence I've noticed that they're a lot less sticky than they used to be. They were hard to place as they didn't want to stick to the model (they seemed to prefer my tweezers), and some even fell off after they'd been treated with micro-sol and then clearcoated.

Last fall I tried using a little white glue in the water, and I don't think I'll ever decal again without it. Finally, they stay where I want them to.  

Adding Elmers works. What I did was to apply a small amount of diluted Elmers onto the model and placed the decal over it. Worked like a charm.  I like the Future idea too. I have not tried that but it sounds like a good idea.

Thanks for the help guys....

Adding a drop or two of Elmer's actually harkens back to the earlier days of modeling when the adhesives used by decal manufacturers were generally of much poorer quality, and particularly prone to breaking down (in the box, on retailers' shelves) with age and heat. Though I know there are modelers who still swear by it, it's pretty much unnecessary these days unless you're using really old decals.

(If you happen to run into decals where the adhesive has rubbed off or is otherwise ineffective, I've found that Future [or whatever it's called these days] is a more effective fix than white glue. Just my .)

I have never heard of adding Elmer's glue to decal water, I would not try it.  I do, however, always add a drop or two of dishwashing detergent to the decal water, to break up the surface tension so the water will spread out on the plastic surface and mimimize silvering.