what are dry transfers?

Stickers.Kinda like kids stickers that they stick to the wall about 5 minutes before mom blows her lid

I gather theyre quite a bit thinner, but the general rule is they dont require water to be removed from the backing to be transferred to the model.

Not quite Mikey,

Waterless they are, but my understanding of "dry transfers" is that they are the "rub-down" type.  They come on a clear plastic backing, the individual design is placed over the location and then the backing is rubbed with a stylus or suitable implement to separate the transfer from the backing.

You got it Phil.

Sort of like the fake rub-on tatoos that kids play with, I think.

modeler#1

Hi everyone,

what are dry transfers? Im in the dark here.

thanks,

Dry transfers (aka rub-ons) are self-adhesive ink images. Created by a printing process onto a backing material, they are applied without the use of water or other solvent. Typically the top is the clear, semi-rigid carrier film which holds the transfer prior to application; next is the ink layer (with as much as six different colors); finally the ink image is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

To apply, the image is placed in the desired location with the backing side up. Then it is applied by burnishing the backing with a stylus (or a blunt stick). The combination of heat and pressure causes the contact side to stick; when the backing is removed, the image remains.

One very handy trick: apply more than one of layer.

They also require a sealer coat, and it's worth testing compatibility of what you use on a scrap before dissolving the transfer all over the model.

Transfers can be a good thing though. They are not messy, and they are really handy for putting down a string of type quickly without creating a lake full of little letters floating around.

The model railroader guys were the first, I believe, to start using these things, and the model railroad section of a hobby shop may be the best place to look for them.  There are sets of various fonts, colors and sizes.  They allow you to create your own numbers- say registration numbers on aircraft, or words and logos.

They used to be available in art supply stores in days before computer graphics, but in business settings now, folks just use graphics software to create labeling for artwork, so they are disappearing from the art supply stores.

There are a number if places that produce custom ones for modeling applications, but they are newer and less common than decals, so they are harder to find in hobby shops (other than stuff specifically for railroads).

Everyone has described dry transfers quite well, and as far as a source try Archer Transfers. They carry a line of decals and transfers that covers just about every application from resin weld beads to eyeball decals. Also in their line they have uniform markings.

can you guys simplify what you are saying please?

Go to the Archer transfers site and it explains the differences between dry transfers and water slide decals. here is a link http://www.archertransfers.com/

Yesterday, after reading this thread, when I was finished with all the forums I decided to google dry transfers. I was amazed at what is out there.  There are both places that do custom DT to your artwork, and places with stock offerings applicable to modelers.

As someone suggested, I ended up ordering a couple of sets from Archer Transfers, generic sets of lettering and of numbers.  That will solve a problem I have coming up with white registration numbers for an old airliner.

Don, you won't regret ordering those dry transfers from Archer.  I used those on my Panzer IV with Zimmerit for the first time and it worked out just perfectly.  No silvering at all.  I used pencil... sharpened every time for a decal. 

Be sure to use some kind of tape to hold to decals in place.  I used Tamiya masking tape.  You can not move the decal after you have started rubbing it against the model.

Not Archer, but years ago Letraset were a company that produced a series of letter sheets & eventually they also produced a fairly wide range of marking sheets, RAF, Luftwaffe, USAAF, Regia Aeronautica etc. I used quite a few of them, still got some but not sure how they'd go after all this time, also not sure how they'd go under Future or matt varnish. They went down best straight onto a matt finish, no need to put on a gloss finish, in fact best not to. I used to use a ball point pen (Biro?) for rubbing them down, it seemed to work fine.

Steve.

i was relly perplexed about dry transfers , till i was forced to use it, the rules is to use on matt surfaces and with enamels coats work good even when the upper coat is high thinned.

the write writted are dry transfers, after i put on two gloss coats for normal decals and after the final matt coat.

recently i search for it to replace a number on a plane but unfortunately here architects don't use nothing out cad drawings

I've ordered a set of dry transfer stencils for an upcoming 1/32 build of a NMF P-47.  All the comments here on applying them only over a matt finish are somewhat worrying... especially as some quick research seemed to indicated dry transfer was preferred for NMF due to how well any excess carrier film shows up on the metallic surface and the problems they have with setting solutions.  Dry transfers avoid these issues.  

Are there any special processes or techniques to use when applying a rub-on dry transfer to a shiny NMF topcoat?

I just experimented by myself for the use i needed, but not on nmf surfaces.  Just use a nmf surface to test it directly, before to use on final model. Try the various situations you can encounter.