How to applie decal?

Decals will also slide easier and be less susceptible to tearing if you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to your water.

Even after the model is applies with the decal it mit need weather, but do I applied weather on the decal, or will it just ruined it.

I hear you don't always rely on decal all the time, you can make you own with just paint for instand by using stips of tape, you can aplie stripes on your model, I use this technique on my P-51 Mustang since I lost all its decal.

It may also help to put a coat of future on the model after the decals are in place to seal them to the model. After that is cured you should be able to add a dull coat if you want.

I heard that furture(when drying sorta acts like a weak glue) can be brushed on where you want the decal to go and it will help pull the decal on the model and around the raised/engraved details. It also helps the decal to stay on th emodel.

I haven't had the chance to try it yet, but I will see how it works on my 1/35 willy's jeep(85% done) and my P-51D(55% done). I have used future to seal decals..but never to set the decal...so Ill see how it does

Yes, I know that technique, I should use it more often (or always), at first I thought the water dries and becomes the glue but when I was appling decals on my Liberty "aires" (which has a very impressive decal on the plane nose) but even after a day of curing some of the decals just fall off like leaves in autum (you get the idea), this was cause by the old technique.

I do use another method of appling decals, its just soack the decal for ten second in hot water then remove off paper, I use tweeser to install it on place then a brush to remove air bubble and to applie, I did this on my scumb and it work much better.

I'll use your technique on the black hawk (which has alot of small decals) and tell the result.

Thanks alot!

T-rex wrote:

I just drop it in water and wait until it comes off, but it always gets rip or sometimes dosen't stick even after days of curering, how do you do decal?

Yep - as Ruddratt says, it sounds like you're leaving it in the water way too long. Waiting till it comes off ensures two things - (1) That it will destroy itself or fold in on itself when you pick it up. (2) that all the glue on the decal (which is meant to hold it on the model) is soaked away. 

The basic steps are as follows (without referring to setting solutions):

• Cut out the individual decal that you are applying.
• Dip the decal in water and put aside. You should be able to see the backing paper darken a little as the water soaks through. With a little practice you will learn to recognise when the decal is ready to apply (ie, when it's uniformly soaked through) by watching this process    
• Test to see if the decal slides freely on the backing paper. If it doesn't, then (depending on the size of the decal) use a paintbrush to apply a litttle more water to the edge of the design and let it sit for about 10 seconds or so and test again.
• Pick up the decal/backing sheet and place over the spot on your model where the decal will be applied, checking that the orientation etc. is correct.
• Now here's the tricky bit... Hold the decal in place using a soft paintbrush (don't use your fingers - you may end up with decalled fingers or leave a fingerprint impression on the decal itself) and slide the backing paper out from under it. 
• Your decal should now be on the model either at or very close to its final position. If you find you need to reposition the decal, prod it gently with a wet (with water) paintbrush. If you find it doesn't slide freely, apply a bit of water to the edge of the decal with your paintbrush. With a  bit of practice, you will learn how to gently lift the edge of the decal and flow a little water underneath, allowing you to float it into position.
• Once the decal is in its final position, use the corner of a paper towel to wick any excess water away. You can then very gently press it flat to squeeze out any remaining water trapped between the decal and the model.

If I'm interpreting your technique correctly, it sounds like you're leaving it in the water for way too long and it's losing its adhesive. I dip mine in warm water until the paper backing is saturated (only takes a few seconds), then take it out and wait until it slides around freely on the paper. Some setting solution is brushed onto the model where the decal is to be applied. I then slide the decal onto the model, position it with a damp q-tip, then in a rolling-pin motion gently roll the q-tip over the decal to flatten it out. Once I am satisfied it's located properly, I brush a little micro-sol over top of it and let it set overnight. Of course, this is all done over a well-cured gloss coat of Future. Hope that helps.