DIY Decals

[tramcar trev]

As those following the saga of the Bachmann Tram will know I'm at the line work stage and have had a good fiddle with printing DIY Decals. Ok it stands to reason that the material itself is quite transparent and so one has to rely on the opacity of the ink to produce colours that will not show the substrate colour through.....
I'm useing an old canon inkjet that is actually new but only has 4 colours.... So I tried an orange decal over green and its a fizzer.... so then looked at what printer settings I had to play with and gentlemen (and ladies) the secret lies in the saturation control. I was using the highest quality output then upped the saturation control to maximum and the results did impress me. Of course every printer is different I guess but for a canon s330 set saturation to max and print quality to high....
Anyway I didnt like the orange so Im going for elegant black but useing thinner lines.....
I'm using INCALS brand material via Ebay and I'm impressed with the product to be honest; excellent value for money....
Sorry for the ordinary pic, it lost a lot in being scanned from the CAD package I use to do the drawings.... But you get the jist.....

 

[Glengrant]

I'm always on the lookout for how to do decals so I thought I'd just try your INCALS on the net. Hey, didn't find anything to do with decals, but there seems to be a heck of a lot of massage parlours, mostly around Manchester and Sheffield it seems.

 

[tramcar trev]

I'm always on the lookout for how to do decals so I thought I'd just try your INCALS on the net. Hey, didn't find anything to do with decals, but there seems to be a heck of a lot of massage parlours, mostly around Manchester and Sheffield it seems.

Hmmmmmmmm well I can see the nexus there.....
try this search:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&...erslide+decal+paper&_sacat=See-All-Categories
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20-Clear...Lots_Crafts&hash=item3cb126e690#ht_2988wt_980
some pics here:
http://www.gscalecentral.net/m148911

 

[tramcar trev]

One more tip.... this decal material does not seem to stick to humbrol matt paint.... All my hard work was in vain when the decals dried they just fell off....OK simple fix was to spray over the Humbrol matt with Clear matt acyrilic laquer (I used white knight) sticks to this like the proverbial to a blanket.... Then when the decals are dry another coat which hides the edges....
Yes there was an exchange of emails on my part somewhat acrimonious with the supplier who is going to be my friend again by sending me more material....

 

[jameshilton]

Trev - no transfer can adhere to matt paint. Generally speaking you always need to spray a gloss varnish on first, then transfers, then final finish (be it satin or matt).

I thought the tram looked great so hope you can achieve a good finish again

 

[ntpntpntp]

Yes, always use a gloss finish first and apply your decal. I usually then apply another thin gloss coat, and then follow with the desired satin or matt finish. It helps make the decal film disappear by "sandwiching" it between the gloss, without "silvering" (tiny air bubbles).

 

[jameshilton]

Another top tip to avoid silvering is to use the Microscale products 'Micro-set' and 'Micro-sol' as described on their instructions. 'Micro-set' is used to 'wet' the surface of the model prior to applying the transfer (just brushed on). 'Micro-sol' can be used to get decals to soften and settle over irregular surfaces. I also find it's useful to get rid of silvering on a dried but not sealed transfer. It really softens the backing of the transfer almost allowing it to dissappear - word of caution though, you need to be VERY delicate and careful in it's use as it makes the transfer very prone to creasing, folding and if you don't use a wet towel to press down, it will stick to the thing your dabbing it with!
Worth it in the end though

 

[ntpntpntp]

Agreed - I use the Microscale potions every time. I actually rather like the "vinegar" smell when I'm working on decals!

Must admit I don't know how effective Microscale stuff is on some of the thicker inkjet decal films, but certainly works wonders on proper screen printed decals and my home produced (ALPS Microdry printer) efforts.

 

[tramcar trev]

yep Ok I'v got some of the Micro set goo on order, couldn't find it locally..... Also discussions with the vendor suggest I ordered the wrong decal material, he says he has some that will ahere to "any" surface and is sending some gratis. Noted the remarks about the silvering too..... This never has happened to me in the past, but quite evident now, must be the DIY decal material....
This forum is so good; so much depth of knowledge....so little time to absorb it all

 

[jameshilton]

That's excellent service from the transfer vendor - I'd still suggest that you won't find transfers that adhere to matt finishes, there isn't the 'grab' in the glue, but I presume his replacement will be 'better' than the standard. Always worth doing the gloss varnish, as not only does it improve adhesion, as mentioned it also reduces silvering - especially when combined with decal setting/softening products.

Glad to have been of help - my 'transfer/decal' knowledge is gleaned from years working in 00 and HO scales - I repainted and renumbered a large range of Canadian and UK outline stock over a 15 year period

 

[tramcar trev]

I tried "testors" spray to "set" the ink... Going back to the white night acrylic,,, the testors cause the ink to bleed or transmogrify or whatever i.e. the black got a redish maroon tinge around the edges....

 

[jameshilton]

I think that can be the issue with some sprays, I'd always use an oil based spray rather than acrylic to 'set' the ink on these home produced transfers. Is the Testors acrylic or oil based?

 

[tramcar trev]

dosent actually say....."Fast Drying" is about all I can decipher so Id suspect a laquer base

 

[ntpntpntp]

James mentioned "cutting his decal teeth" so-to-speak on OO/HO models.

Most of my home produced stuff over the years has been for N-gauge. Here's a custom repaint I did back in 2004/2005, inspired by some photos I found on the net. Consider that the model is about 1 inch high, wheels to roof.

All the white lettering and graphics were done as DIY waterslide decals using my old Citizen Printiva printer which I bought second-hand especially to make decals. It has to be "fooled" into accepting an Alps white cartridge by changing the ID label (same Microdry printing technology, but officially the Printiva never supported printing in white). The tiny stock numbers are fully legible. I also printed the black roof bands as decals to save having to mask up and spray.

Microscale potions used to set the decals as recommended by James and I. Especially useful to bed the graphics over the windows etc., and also I used Microscale varnish.

The real thing...

I know I do go on a bit about this old ALPS printing technology but I've yet to find anything current to match its ability to print white and metallics for a typical "home hobbyist" like myself. It's just a shame the hardware is now definitely out of production.

 

[tramcar trev]

This has opened an entire new stream of possibilities for me..... I have decals to go on the gloss posts for Tram stops, will have some neat little "rivet counters are not to talk to the motorman whilst the car is in motion" signs AND now this looks good, just tried it and its so realistic... On the clear glass windows behind the driver I have the centre panel of glass etched with the TVET crest by the simple expedient of printing the decal in a very pale grey, cutting it out very carefully and applying to the plastic. May not stand up to much as I don't want to overspray with clear but it looks good now....
This is a worthwhile excercise for all.....

As to the exploits in N gauge, well that is just mind boggling....

 

[ntpntpntp]

It's damn hard on the eyes as well is N. Gauge especially when reach a certain age.

Yes, I've noticed my eyesight doesn't cope with N so well these days - probably why I'm playing with the G stuff and the N gauge collection is lanquishing in its boxes! It'll have to come out again next year as I think I may have a show invite (not taken the N layout out since 2009).