What's the best way to apply decals from start to finish?

[schwack]

Hi all,

First, thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to read my recent questions and offer great advice and tips. It has helped me as a novice model builder a great deal. This time, the subject I am very interested in is decal application. I have done several models so far using Micro Set and Micro Sol for decal application, but many times I've torn decals, had too many wrinkles, or something else will go wrong. I was wondering what you guys consider best practices for decal application? Including pre-prep (apply clear coat to the body before adding decals)? Should I wax and polish the body before applying the decals? Water slide decals, should I be using warm or room temp water to soak the decals in? Is there a tool or suggestion you might have for moving or adjusting decals once they are on the body? The Micro Sol helps with that some. And last, what about post application? Do you wait a couple days to let the micro set and micro sol dry out, then do you apply clear coats? If so, how many? And do you wax / polish again or not? I realize these are a lot of questions, so thank you in advance for helping me understand anything about the fundamentals and good practices of decal application. For me, decals have been one of the toughest things to do on the builds. I find myself questioning if I'm even doing it right.

Any advice would be great! Thanks guys!

[mnwildpunk]

I don't know all the ins and outs of decal application but one thing that really helped me was to moisten the body where you plan to apply it that way it gives you a little more time to position it. Then I take a piece of plastic or something I can use as a squegee. I start from the center and work my way outward. Just be very gentle

[Swamp Dog]

like Dave said wet the surface you want to put the decal at..i use a brush to smooth it out then i pat it with a paper towel..also put a drop or 2 of dish liquid in the warm water..it will help them slide..

[935k3]

Try using a very hot damp cloth to pressed over the decals to get them to conform it works better and and its instant, with no wrinkles. Use a hot damp Q-tip for smaller areas. Also if you have trouble getting them to stick use a Q-tip and apply Future under the decal, excess Future can be cleaned up with ammonia.

[schwack]

Thanks for these answers! Its a helpful start! What about pre and post? Do I polish and wax the body before applying the decals? Do I clear coat after? Can I then polish and wax again or will that ruin it?

[Chillyb1]

Thanks for these answers! Its a helpful start! What about pre and post? Do I polish and wax the body before applying the decals? Do I clear coat after? Can I then polish and wax again or will that ruin it?

Make sure your target surface is glossy and smooth. Don't use Microset and Microsol with all decals, just the ones that need to conform to some curve or panel line or other irregularity. You DO NOT want to wax before decal application. You should polish the paint beforehand if needed. When you apply clear coat is entirely up to you. If the paint needs clear, then spray it on. There are a lot of paint colors in the Tamiya TS series that really don't need clear to be super glossy. You should leave a couple of days for the decals to dry, and any MIcrosol or MIcroset to evaporate, before you do anything more. If you choose to clear over the decals, then a couple of days should be enough to shoot clear. (There is a raging storm of controversy, in a teacup no less, about whether to clear over decals: the two ultra positions are 1) NEVER EVER clear over decals and, 2) ALWAYS clear over decals. The choice is yours and yours alone, so don't let the mullahs get you down.) You DO NOT want to polish decals that are not sealed in clear; there is too much risk of damage to all that hard work. Lots of people wax over bare decals, and I have done so, but it is always nerve wracking.

What else? It is better to use warm water. Leave the decals in the water for a very short period of a second or three, then let it sit until it is ready to slide off the backing paper. Decal quality varies widely and some take forever and need to be resoaked (and sworn at if that's your style, I know it is mine) before they will release. Buy yourself some Microscale Liquid Decal Film and you'll be glad you did. You brush it on decals that are fragile, old, likely to break up, and it makes them whole again through some miraculous transmogrification that we modelers will never understand. Also get yourself a hair dryer if you don't already have one in the household. They work extraordinarily well when trying to get large decals to conform to the model surface (this hint is particularly aimed at those among us who use a lot of carbon fiber decals, which often cover large surfaces in one go). Never, ever, ever use a cotton swab when applying decals. And don't ask why not, just don't do it.

[schwack]

Thank you for this Chillyb1! That's the information I was looking for as well. This gives me a lot more to work with. Thanks again!