How to hide the surrounding clear film with a glossy finish.

Well,if there is a lot of border on a decal,I usually trim the the edges as close to the decal as possible.Also I think  you did this,but did you apply a gloss coat before applying the decal? Then a gloss on top of the decal.

But if the decal is already down,then it may be too late.

Tojo72

Well,if there is a lot of border on a decal,I usually trim the the edges as close to the decal as possible.Also I think  you did this,but did you apply a gloss coat before applying the decal? Then a gloss on top of the decal.

But if the decal is already down,then it may be too late.

 

Yeah, I applied a gloss coat before applying the decal. Why is it so easy to blend decal boarders with flat clear coat but not gloss clear coat?

When you say blend, do you mean a physical bump or a variation in color or sheen?

I just mean the clear film boarder of the decal. Normally a dullcoat makes this invisible, but gloss coats just don't seem to the trick.

JLKahn

Yeah, I applied a gloss coat before applying the decal. Why is it so easy to blend decal boarders with flat clear coat but not gloss clear coat?

This can also depend on the manufacturer of the decals.  I have found that Tamiya decals are notorious for being way too thick, which makes it more difficult to conceal the edges.  A brand I just tried recently is Furball Aero, and those are fantastic...nice and thin.  The Stars and Bars insignias, as well as the Marines insignias on my F-4B are HUGE, but they look painted on.  Unfortunately, they don't make decals for cars.

When you apply the decals, are you using any decal solvents?  My current, go-to method is to start with 3 applications of MicroSol, followed by 3 applications of Solvaset to get the decals as snuggled down to the surface as I can get them.  After that, especially for thicker decals, I found that AK's Intermediate Gauzy Agent Shine Enhancer does a pretty good job of hiding decal edges because it has a natural tendancy to form kind of a beveled edge around decals as it self-levels so the edges aren't nearly as obvious.

I second Tojo's tip. Regardless of the setting solutions, and whether a sealer coat is matte or gloss, trim away as much of the clear carrier film as is possible.  If you remove it, it can't show up to cause the problem.  I trim away as much carrier film as I can.

Hasegawa used to have the world's thickest decals that I remember.