fshoemake Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 I have heard if you use future floor polish on old decals it will keep them from falling apart while soaking and make them plyable.Has anyone done this before?.I have the origional CHIPS Kawasaki motorcycle and i would love to use the origional decals.Thanks for you help in advance
peteski Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 I would not use Future. It is water soluble, and so is the glue on the backing paper. It is safer to spray them with a solvent-based clear lacquer. Or better yet, use Microscale Liquid Decal Film (this is actually the same film that is already on the decal sheet).
Snake45 Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 2 hours ago, peteski said: Microscale Liquid Decal Film This, or their similar product Superfilm (might be the same stuff with a different name). Ask for them by name. Accept no substitutes.
ksnow Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 You apply the decal film to the sheet before soaking the decals? That would be very helpful with my older kits.
Snake45 Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 47 minutes ago, ksnow said: You apply the decal film to the sheet before soaking the decals? Absolutely. And do it before you CUT them off the backing sheet, too, or you'll wish you had.
ksnow Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 Hmm, I'll have to find some of that stuff. The gold pin stripes are giving me a fit on this 25 year old AMT trans am kit I am working on.
peteski Posted September 10, 2020 Posted September 10, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, ksnow said: You apply the decal film to the sheet before soaking the decals? That would be very helpful with my older kits. Yes, you are basically applying a new thin clear film over the old cracked decal film with images on it. Of course, you will then have to trim each image on the sheet, since the new clear film covers the entire sheet. I suppose you could get fancy and apply the liquid clear film carefully only over each image on the sheet, but I have never tried that. I just brush-paint the liquid over the entire sheet. I use multiple coats. I think last time I did that, I used 3 coats. Edited September 10, 2020 by peteski
fshoemake Posted September 11, 2020 Author Posted September 11, 2020 Thank you very much for the tip.I will be purchasing some of that.I knew I would get my answer on here
Snake45 Posted September 11, 2020 Posted September 11, 2020 I used to put the Superfilm on with a Q-tip, figuring a new one would be perfectly clean every time. But I found an even easier way. Now I just put a finger tip on the bottle top and turn the bottle over and then back again. This leaves a big drop of the stuff on my finger, which I then quickly smear on the decal sheet. I find ONE THICK coat works best--just get enough on that you can see it shiny and wet everywhere at the same time and you're good. It will dry so thin that you'll think it hasn't done anything, but you're good. Two or three coats not necessary.
Rodent Posted September 11, 2020 Posted September 11, 2020 I would also take a high quality scan of the decals before you try to apply them. CHP or Trans-Am decals have gold, so you won't be able to accurately reproduce them on an inkjet printer, but if you have a high quality scan you can probably find someone to print a new set for you.
Snake45 Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Rodent said: I would also take a high quality scan of the decals before you try to apply them. CHP or Trans-Am decals have gold, so you won't be able to accurately reproduce them on an inkjet printer, but if you have a high quality scan you can probably find someone to print a new set for you. Great idea! And stick a ruler in the scan so the new decals can be sized accurately.
STYRENE-SURFER Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 On 9/10/2020 at 4:13 PM, peteski said: Yes, you are basically applying a new thin clear film over the old cracked decal film with images on it. Of course, you will then have to trim each image on the sheet, since the new clear film covers the entire sheet. I suppose you could get fancy and apply the liquid clear film carefully only over each image on the sheet, but I have never tried that. I just brush-paint the liquid over the entire sheet. I use multiple coats. I think last time I did that, I used 3 coats. After applying that decal restorative, is it still possible to use decal setting solutions like Walthers solvaset or some other brands to get them to settle into nooks and crannies?
Snake45 Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 10 hours ago, STYRENE-SURFER said: After applying that decal restorative, is it still possible to use decal setting solutions like Walthers solvaset or some other brands to get them to settle into nooks and crannies? Yes. Done it many times.
NOBLNG Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 Could that stuff be airbrushed on... or just not worth the extra effort?
Snake45 Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 9 minutes ago, NOBLNG said: Could that stuff be airbrushed on... or just not worth the extra effort? I can't see any advantage in it. The Q-tip and finger methods are both fast, easy, don't waste any product, and produce perfect results. And you'd need to thin it to airbrush it, and I'm not sure how well that would work out, having never tried it.
ZTony8 Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 Spray some clear lacquer on the decals( NOT Tamiya). Testor Ultra Gloss is good for this.
peteski Posted September 13, 2020 Posted September 13, 2020 On 9/11/2020 at 10:08 PM, STYRENE-SURFER said: After applying that decal restorative, is it still possible to use decal setting solutions like Walthers solvaset or some other brands to get them to settle into nooks and crannies? Yes, as I understand that liquid decal film is the same stuff Microscale uses as the clear base for their own decals. It will be affected by decal setting solutions the same as any other decal.
NOBLNG Posted October 11, 2020 Posted October 11, 2020 Can the decal sheet be cleaned with something before applying the decal solution? I don’t think these are too bad but...
peteski Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 Greg, that decal (printed in Italy) is likely made by Cartograf (one of the top decal makers in the world). Those are high quality decals. Do you think they really have cracked clear film? Do you really need to seal them?
NOBLNG Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 7 hours ago, peteski said: Greg, that decal (printed in Italy) is likely made by Cartograf (one of the top decal makers in the world). Those are high quality decals. Do you think they really have cracked clear film? Do you really need to seal them? They don’t appear to be cracked, but they are very old and very thin. The tiny round one that goes on the rear speaker came apart while trying to position it. I‘ve got one shot at applying these, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. I assume that the Microscale liquid decal film is compatible? Thanks.
peteski Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 14 hours ago, NOBLNG said: They don’t appear to be cracked, but they are very old and very thin. The tiny round one that goes on the rear speaker came apart while trying to position it. I‘ve got one shot at applying these, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. I assume that the Microscale liquid decal film is compatible? Thanks. Yes, the MS Liquid Decal Film should work well. Obviously you can't wet them to get the surface clean, but maybe brush any debris off with a brush and some compressed air. If you are careful, you can even try to brush the film only over the images (instead of just covering the entire sheet). I would apply multiple layers (2 or 3). That film dries very thin. Test the film thickness on some unused image (like the legend lettering on the lower left).
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