how to make decals

There is already a thread on this in this forum- look further down the page.

Guess I'am blind as I did not see anything that addresses any of the three questions, but thanks for the info.

You can start here.... Make Your Own Decals 101

After that, read the threads to get more details/tips on the steps.  Everything you need  is scattered all over the Decaling forum.

Do us a favor; once you figure it out, and I hope you do, please post how you did it.  Just in case others are wondering the same thing you are.  Good luck bud!

Also, this is a good source for water-slide-decal paper.

First thank you for the link, and then I like your optimism. Well I will research it and will see what happens. I would only be to happy to post my findings to help others. This is why I love this forum, so others can learn. thanks again. 

I can help you with the graphics side of the house.  Please don' hesitate to ask for help.  I will do what I can.

One day maybe I'll tackle decals myself.  Right now I am just supper exited about building.

Okay, fair enough- that other thread basically only covered decal paper, which you specifically did not ask about.

So, will cover items two and three.

You need a computer and inkjet printer for inkjet decals- I'll let someone else cover Alps printing, which is becoming rarer and rarer.  Almost any inkjet printer can be used. You need some sort of graphics software.  If you are using Windows, a simple paint program comes with the OS, which is basic but can be used for simple decals.  Regular paint programs do not resize very precisely, but it can be done pretty well with some trial and error.  CAD programs allow precise resizing, and rescaling by scale (paint programs do too, manually, but with use of some math). Cheaper CAD programs may have less colors, and fewer fonts, also fewer graphics tricks like drop shadows, gradient fills, etc.

Adobe photoshop elements is a popular graphics program with decal makers- I use Paint Shop Pro myself.  Both still under a hundred bucks.

I have scanned and resized decals to a new size several times.

One big gotcha is that inkjet decals work fine for darker colors. If the decals have white or very light tones, and are to be applied over dark colors, you have a problem.  You must then use white decal paper.  This means you must cut out the decals precisely, or you will get white borders around them. I have had some success with setting background color in the graphics program to the paint color the decals will be applied over.  This works well with black, but with other dark colors you may have a color matching problem.  Computer systems can be color calibrated, but it is a lot of work, and some expense.  I have not calibrated mine, and have a lot of problems matching common paint colors other than black and yellow.

1. Can anyone give me a link to read up on how to make my own decals?

Don't have a link, but I did it by printing them on an inkjet printer.  Using white or clear decal paper, available at Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon applies) just make your artwork a bitmap using MS Paint.  Once they've printed, spray them with Testor's Decal Bonder. Tis is a must.. The ink will wash ff if you don't..

2. What type of equipment and or software is needed?

Just a computer and inkjet printer.

3. Is there a way to make copies of decal sheets that are 1/48 scale and reduce them down to 1/72, if so , how?

Yes... Take them to Copyworks or Kinko's and have them copied at  66.67% of the original on a color copier... Or do it yourself if you have a printer/copier...

thank you that is helpful, now to get into making decals.

As far as software you don't have to buy expensive Adobe and Microsoft products:

Gimp is a free replacement for Photoshop (photo editing)  http://www.gimp.org/

Inkscape is a free replacement for Illustrator (Vector graphics) http://inkscape.org/

BTW, you can also use the free OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office.  http://www.openoffice.org/

 Some folks that have been trained to use the expensive products don't like these because they have to re-learn, but if you aren't fluent yet (or don't mind unlearning), these free products are all mature and as fully capable as the costly software.

Ok Dave, Thanks for the info, Im not into any of them yet so I won't need to unlearn. Very hepful and I appreciate your time and response.

Richard

An old thread! But perhaps this will revive it.

Since becoming a born-again adult modeller, I've been using DIY decals because I've wanted to build models of particular aircraft (and a ship) that I am familiar with, and I've been pleased with the results. But today I ran into a snag.

I nearing the final steps in completing a 1/72 Italeri UH-34 D Seahorse helicopter like the one that took me into combat in Vietnam. I printed yellow stripes, separated by a wider, black stripe, to apply to the main rotor blades. Previously, I made single yellow stripes for the tail rotor, with few problems, but today….

I had great difficulty transferring the decals to the rotor without damaging them. It's not a huge problem, because I am hoping to produce some realistic weathering and aging, and the new decals do look weathered and aged! But what if I want clean-looking decals? 

I used exactly the same technique in making them as my previous decals:

• I printed them on white Experts-Choice decal film.

• I applied three coats of Mr. Hobby Topcoat spray, and allowed the decals to dry for 48 hours.

• I soaked the decals for 30 seconds in in clean room-temperature tap water; I live in Vancouver, and our tap water is exceptionally pure. That didn't work, so I soaked the next one for a full minute. However, unlike earlier efforts, these decals almost refused to slide off the backing paper. Despite taking what I thought was great care, they wrinkled and and flakes of both the yellow and black ink came off. I was finally able to use fine-tipped tweezers to lift a corner of the decals and pull them away from the backing paper, then apply them, using liberal applications of Mark Fit solution and drying them with microfibre cloth. 

It seems that using a sharp Exacto blade and scissors to trim the decals actually welded the decal film and the backing paper together so that water could not easily reach the adhesive. 

I finally had somewhat better success by soaking the decals in very hot hot tap water. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've wondered if Microscale Industries Micro Liquid Decal Film would help, although I don't see how it would help the apparent "welding" of the decals to the backing paper, and I'm concerned that they might become too stiff to adhere tightly to surface irregularities. 

Over to you.

Bob

I don't think your cutting them welded them together.

I am not familiar with that paper.

I let the ink dry at least 4-5 days.

1 coat of fix should do it.

My printer does a better job with a cold printer than and hot one.

I regularly do mine the very same way GMorrison described.

The one addition I'd mention is that -- depending on how your printer functions -- it may serve you well to tape the sides down as well as the leading edge.

On my HPs, pretty much all have been prone to catch or snag on the sides of the decal paper, causing smears...or worse.

@grebale: As I mentioned above, I had a lot of trouble getting some small DIY decals to release from the backing paper. Have you ever had that sort of trouble? Overall, the DIY decals I've made have worked quite well, but none have released easily. A couple of days ago I used a decal that came with the Italeri UH-34 D Seahorse helicopter I'm building, and it worked like a charm, much easier to apply than my DIY decals.

Bob

Bob,

I am sure the problem you have is your decal paper.

Try cutting a piece of paper with scissors and dropping it in the water. If that doesn't release the film, you'll know why.

You should buy a fresh pack of paper from Micro mark and I think that will do it.

Bobstamp

@grebale: As I mentioned above, I had a lot of trouble getting some small DIY decals to release from the backing paper. Have you ever had that sort of trouble?

Bob, the only time I've had that specific problem is when a clear sealer was applied to already-cut decals. Obviously the sealer wicked into the backing paper at the edge, acting just like glue.

For certain brands of manufacturer's decals that have trouble releasing from their backing, using warm or tap-hot water is often suggested as a help. If you haven't already tried that, it might be worth a shot.

If none of the above seems to apply, then GMorrison's advice is sound. The paper might be a 'bad batch' or in some way contaminated. A fresh stock might be in order.

Good luck.

BTW, I'll throw this in for info's sake: I have been a decades-long user of Experts Choice paper and have always been well-pleased with the results. Recently...with stocks running low and none to be had from the usual vendors, and a deadline looming...I ordered a highly-reviewed brand from Amazon, called Kodiak. It was superb! Even a smoother and more professional-looking result with my HP printer, with less of the curling I've typically found with the Experts and Micro-Mark brands.

I'd still have no hesitation about using Experts Choice...but Kodiak would now be my preference, given a choice.

Thank you, gentlemen.

The decal sheets I'm using are about five months old. They've been stored upright in a filing cabinet. We've had fairly high humidity lately, but "high humidity" in Vancouver is nothing like I've experienced in Ottawa and in Missouri.

I don't think that the clear spray is a problem. The particular decals I had a problem with were not closely trimmed to begin with, and I trimmed them close only after spraying them with Mr. Hobby Top Coat spray.

Perhaps I used too much spray — about 9 light passes. And perhaps I didn't let them dry long enough (just 48 hours instead of several days), but they did spend several hours in my spray box with a low-wattage light bulb to help drying.

When my first efforts with this last batch of decals went badly, I tried using hot tap water. It was better, but still not great. 

Next step: Less Top Coat but longer drying time, and water as hot as I can stand. But that can be tricky: one decal I tried floated right off the backing paper and was ruined when I tried to apply it.

I will try to find that Kodiak product. It sounds like a better product.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Bob 

It's the paper. Additional info there confirms it, to me.

Get the other stuff, and report back. I'd be curious to here.

Bill

I'll expand the resizing procedure to cover any resizing/rescaling.  The amount you need to increase or decrease the size is the ratio of the two scales.  So, you make a fraction of the two scales- that is, writing one scale on top, over a line and the other under the line.  That is the question- which is the denominator and which is the numerator.  Here is a simple rule.

In making 1:48 into 1:72, are you making the decals smaller or larger.  Obviously 1:72 is smaller than 1:48, so the ratio must be less than 1.  The only way that happens is to divide 48 by 72, yielding 0.666.  So you rescale by 66 or 67 %.  Most photo editor software allows you to rescale by percent.

But suppose you are trying to make 1:72 decals into 1:48 scale.  Here you are trying to make them bigger.  So the ratio must be bigger than one.  The only way this happens is if the top number is larger than the bottom (numerator larger than denominator).  So 72 needs to be on the top and 48 on the bottom, or 1.5 (150 %).

This works for any two scales- if going bigger, divide the bigger number by the smaller on- if going smaller divide the smaller number by the bigger one.

gregbale

Home»FineScale Modeler»Forums»Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials»Decaling New Reply Fill out the form below to create a new reply. gregbale wrote the following post one year ago: Bobstamp @grebale: As I mentioned above, I had a lot of trouble getting some small DIY decals to release from the backing paper. Have you ever had that sort of trouble? Bob, the only time I've had that specific problem is when a clear sealer was applied to already-cut decals. Obviously the sealer wicked into the backing paper at the edge, acting just like glue.

Greg had it right!

I printed the decals on my inkjet paper using Kodiak brand decal sheets. I sprayed the with 3 light coats of Tamiya TS-13 clear spray and let them dry thoroughly. But when I tried to apply them I couldn’t get the decals to slide off the backing paper. 

I use a spray box on my apartment balcony to spray decals and model parts. Before I sprayed those problematic decals, I had tacked down one side of the small sheet — it was only a small rectangle about 1” X 3” — with a short piece of scotch tape because the pressure of the spray sometimes moves what I’m spraying. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was not only spraying the top of the decal sheet, but “overspray” was going underneath the decal sheet and making the backing waterproof, which made it impossible for water to get to the adhesive of the decal no matter how long I soaked it.

Last week, I tried again, but sealed the decal sheet to the bottom of the spray box with tape on all four sides, let the spray dry for about two days, and sat down to apply the decals again. Voila! Those decals slid off the backing paper with ease after only a couple seconds of immersion. 

Note to self: Do NOT spray the edges or the back of decal sheets!

Bob

The biggest problem with clear coating is the ink drying time.  Wait, wait, wait.  I find most epson inks require about three days drying time!

rocketman2000

The biggest problem with clear coating is the ink drying time.  Wait, wait, wait.  I find most epson inks require about three days drying time!

I use an HP Officejet printer and usually let the ink dry for an hour or two before spraying. Seems to work fine.

Bob

HP Color Laserjet and Sunnyscopa water-slide decal paper for laser printers here.  No drying time, and no clear-coating needed.