Cloudy decals after drying

[Theo]

Any advice on what happened to these decals or how to fix? For reference, the script is white on a clear background. They went on without issue and were crystal clear after placement. The next morning they are clouded as shown. 
 

Thanks for any thoughts

Theo

[slusher]

My mistake 

Edited November 9, 2020 by slusher

[GoodbuildNY]

There’s a name for when they appear like that but for the life of me I can’t remember the term at this moment. Hopefully someone else on here can help with my senior moment but either way, it looks like they didn’t adhere well to the paint finish. I’d take a sharp blade or something with a very sharp tiny tip and lightly puncture through the decal in random spots. Then I would apply decal settings solution over the decals. This should allow for the solution to get under the decal and allow any air trapped to get out. Gently apply pressure with a Q tip ( I lay it on its side and roll it towards where I want to work the air out ) and work any air towards the punctures in the decal. When the decal appears clear again and there’s no sign of air under the decal hit the decal with a hair dryer to help it finish settling down. You may have to repeat the process but it works very well for me when I’ve got similar decal issues . Hopefully this helps

[Can-Con]

IIRC, it's called "silvering".

[GoodbuildNY]

14 hours ago, Can-Con said:

IIRC, it's called "silvering".

Yes!!! Thank you 

 

[smallblockhero]

doesnt micro sol and micro set fix the silvering issue? ive used it on a few 1/32 resin slot cars with cheap decals and it worked beautifully

 

[Dave Van]

Two possible reasons:

!. Silvering. This is were air gets trapped under the film and thus shows up in a silver like color. This can be caused by a few different things., Rough surface the decal applied to. Decals need a good glossy surface.  A second issue can be application. The decal needs to be applied in a way that the air is removed. Slide decal from paper directly to surface. Use a folded paper towel and push the glue and air out from under the film. Often a decal setting solution is needed. I use Walthers Solvaset.  You may be able to fix by using the tip of a new #11 blade to make tiny cuts in the film.....apply Solvaset over decal and work it into the decal. 

2. Glue is or has gone bad.  Cheap decal paper has glue that is brown and shows' after it dries. The glue can also go bad when espoused to moisture, heat, light or just age. No easy fix here. 

I have been making decals since I was about 10 years old.  This is my own experience.  Thanks

[peteski]

Model looks to have glossy finish, so I would be surprised that the decal would have silvered.  From how I understand decals to work the water-soluble "glue" (mainly dextrose), is there just to hold the decal images in place and release them when it dissolves in water. Not much of it remains on the decal film once the decal is applied to the model. Heck, some modelers let the decal image float off the backing film and fish the decal out of water, then apply it to the model. Not much glue remains then.  The decal film itself clings to the model surface.

If that was my model, I would try to pick at the edge of the decal ans see how  well adhered it is to the model. Maybe it is just sitting on the surface?  if it is, I woudl pick it off the model, then apply a puddle of decal setting solution on the model, and place the decal back. That might "melt" it into the paint.  But proceed with caution.

[Dave Van]

You can get silvering with world class glossy paint. If glue is old and does not seal you ge tit. I decal carrier film is old and stiff you get it. Solvaset MAY help with all these issues. 

[935k3]

Using Future under the decal can glue and help the decal stick. After drying excess Future can be removed with ammonia.

[Theo]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the input. So here is what happened. 

The initial decal placement was over a gloss finish done without any setting solution.  Decals seemed to go on without any problems and were crystal clear.  Next morning they looked as I showed.  Decals were firmly in place.

First I tried putting MicroSet over top of the decals hoping they might settle and clear, no go with this.  Then tried MicroSol also without improvement.  Then thought I would try to put pinholes as suggested and trying setting solution again, but alas tore them beyond recovery with this maneuver. So I pulled them off with masking tape.  When I looked at the removed decals which came off mostly intact (other than the tears I created) the clear areas were very yellowed. So in the end I think the issue was old/bad adhesive.  

 

thanks again for the feedback.

Theo