How to put decals on.

1) put on a gloss coat
2) put on decals. For better adhesion, use setting solution or Future
3) put on a final coat to seal the whole

Et voila! Less silvering and the decals won't fall of.

thanks very much

Leaving decals too long in the water can also cause them to stick poorly.

As soon as they start to slide on the paper, take em out of the water and apply em.

Thx nick31, I didn't know that one.

I've had the best luck by placing the decal in warm water until the backing becomes completly saturated with water (about a minute at the most). I then place the decal on a paper towel for a minute or two (the water in the backing paper will continute to loosen the decal). I then apply Micro Sol to the decal and let it set for another minute or so and then apply the decal with tweezers to hold the backing paper and a good pointed paint brush. And make sure the surface you're applying the decal to is wet (water/white glue or Micro Sol.

And I always apply a gloss coat to the surface prior to decaling (although I have gotten away with a semi-gloss surface a time or two)

A quicker way of moistening decals is to use scalding hot lava water instead of warm water............................................................. But...you might want to use tweezers.

Originally posted by gigalyncon A quicker way of moistening decals is to use scalding hot lava water instead of warm water............................................................. But...you might want to use tweezers. Boxstock, if you use the warm water from the Pickering nuclear powerplant, you can see the decals in the dark! Reply Edit Anonymous Member since November 2005 Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 9:08 PM No, seriously..... hot water dissolves the solvent faster. Or you could just hold the decal sheet behind a jet engine....... whatever suits your hobbying needs best. CANADA KICKS !!!!!!!!!! Reply Edit Anonymous Member since November 2005 Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 4:28 PM I find that the water from the tap works well but cools quickly. It still works but just takes longer. However I use a coffee cup warmer that plugs in the wall. Keeps the water in the cup warm for as long as I need. Reply Edit mfsob Member since March 2005 From: West Virginia, USA Posted by mfsob on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 10:01 PM My only issue with the gloss coat/decal/dull coat routine - I'm talking naval ships here - is that I've tried to get away with just gloss coating the area where the decal will go as opposed to the whole hull, say. In 1/700 scale, so far I seem to have gotten away with it, BUT - my current project is a Perry class frigate, and the flight deck decal and warning circles/squares all over the deck are scaring me. Should I break down and get a rattle can of gloss AND a rattle can of flat coat and do the whole thing? Reply Sasarchiver Member since June 2005 From: Dundee, Scotland. Posted by Sasarchiver on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 10:28 PM im in same sort of position. just finished putting decals on and there very shiny were rest of plane is matt. i read that u apply a gloss coat on finish, can u use clear matt?? ive not used the clear gloss/matt before so i dont know what they dry like. sasarchiver Reply Borg R3-MC0 Member since September 2004 From: Utereg Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Friday, September 9, 2005 2:04 AM mfsob and sasarchiver: I alway cover the whole model with gloss, then decal and seal with a flatt finish. This way the decal are on a smooth surface, so there is no silvering. Since the whole of the model is gloss, it will al look the same after the flat coat. However, I have never used ratlle cans (I use an airbrush) so I am not sure if rattle cans will give the desired result. Reply Sasarchiver Member since June 2005 From: Dundee, Scotland. Posted by Sasarchiver on Friday, September 9, 2005 3:39 PM hey RemcoGrob thanks for ur reply. I know what ur saying about the coat of gloss after paint finish, then put decals on then airspray the whole thing matt to finish it. Ill remmeber that for the next time. But i havent glossed it and my decals are on, can i spray with flat matt? and obviously i spray the whole thing. kind regards gordon J PS when mixing matt paint with thinners, is there a special ratio or just as normal, usually for me 1:1. Reply Swanny Member since February 2003 From: Sandusky Ohio, USA Posted by Swanny on Friday, September 9, 2005 6:12 PM sasarchiver, you should stop at your local Tesco and pick up a bottle of Klear. Follow the link for applications .... http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html Swanny's Models Reply Borg R3-MC0 Member since September 2004 From: Utereg Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Saturday, September 10, 2005 1:39 AM Sasarchiver, if understand correctly you painted the model, put the decals on (no gloss coat) and want to know if you can put a matt coat on. I would say yes, you can put a matt coat on but since you didn't put a gloss coat underneath, you might get some silvering. The matt coat is still a good idead however, it will protect your decals from falling and blend the whole model in. Reply Sasarchiver Member since June 2005 From: Dundee, Scotland. Posted by Sasarchiver on Saturday, September 10, 2005 8:34 AM thanks for the reply guys. I didnt know that future was a floor polish lol i will try my local tesco through the week, thanks for that. Yea ive painted my model and applied decals. Just wasnt sure on how to finish it, as it wasnt till after that i realized i should have glossed it first, never mind :) Thanks again guys, just need to find out how/what future is for, and how/when to apply it.....thanks sasarchiver Reply Borg R3-MC0 Member since September 2004 From: Utereg Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:15 AM In the UK Future is often called/labeled johnsons Klear. Check swannysmodels.com for more info. Reply Sasarchiver Member since June 2005 From: Dundee, Scotland. Posted by Sasarchiver on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 12:20 PM yeah thnkx swanney, RemcoGrob, i got a 500ml bottle today :) ()johnsons Klear) Like the idea of adding a hint of paint/food coloring for canopies. Hint of green for my F22 should look nice. I need to read the link more u gave me with details on how to use it etc, thankx again....sasarchiver Reply JOIN OUR COMMUNITY! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login Register SEARCH FORUMS FREE NEWSLETTER SIGN UP By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy. FORUMS PRODUCT REVIEWS READER GALLERY HOW TO VIDEOS SHOP ABOUT US FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER SIGN UP By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy. 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