Help need tips for large decals

[caine440]

Hello All

I am going to be putting decals on a Dick Landy Dodge Dart soon and wanted to pick the collective brain power of the board for hints. I had to fight the last set of large decals I put on.

I do use a decal set and decal solvent but I am not sure if I am using them correctly as the last set wrinkled on me.

Any input would as always be greatly appreciated.

Thanks !

Edited September 27, 2009 by caine440

[jbwelda]

it might have been last time they wrinkled and instead of leaving them be, you went at them with a brush or something.

decal solvent (like microsol) melts the decal into the surface below it, almost to the point of becoming truly painted onto the surface. but in the process it really wrinkles up the decal and if you are around to witness it, the natural impulse is to grab a brush or something and "save" it. but youre actually going to tear it up and mess it up bad. you need to relocate somewhere: go to the bar, go ask your wife if there are any chores you can do AWAY from that room over there, etc. because if you hang around and stare at it long enough, youre gonna go over there and "save" it again so its best you just leave the area...for the evening preferably.

tomorrow when you re-enter the area hopefully the decal will have self leveled with only maybe a bit of touchup. i believe at this stage you can apply more microsol to smooth wrinkles etc. by the way the way it should be applied in the first place is to put the decal down maybe using microSET (not microSOL) and let it dry for a half hour or so, working out any air bubbles with a soft wide brush you use ONLY for decals. a bit of stiffness to the bristles usually doesnt hurt if youre careful. once the decal has dried a half hour or so i use a soft wide brush to apply a thick coat of microSOL and brush it down a bit...you can work with it for a minute or so before the decal begins to soften and frighten you. then put a final flow coat on it and now is the time you LEAVE THE ROOM.

try it, might work for you.

oh one other thing: dont ever soak decals in water. pass them through water and maybe let them sit for a second or two but then pull them and put them on a paper towel and sit for 30 secs or so. it will preserve the adhesive and make them a lot easier to work with. if the first dip doesnt loosen them in the first 30 secs, dip them again and wait and they will come loose.

[roadhawg]

This is my opinion.....JUST an opinion, and someone will tell me I'm wrong for sure, but if you're decaling a relatively flat, glossy surface, why would you need a decal solvent? That stuff is made to help decals conform to irregular surfaces, and if thats what you're doing, the above tips are excellent. But just decaling the sides of a car shouldn't even require a solvent. Cut the decal to fit, dip in water and place on a paper towel till it loosens up, wet the surface, apply and position the decal, gently "squeegy" out the bubbles with a paper towel....and let it dry. A HOT cloth towel will help it conform on minor curves.

Solvents will destroy some older kit decals. I only use it when absolutley necessary.

Hope this helps...good luck.

[jbwelda]

well like i mentioned solvent tends to "melt" the decal into the surface below it. so if you want a decal to look painted on, try solvent on it even on a flat (the flatter and smoother the better) surface. if on the other hand you want it to look like a, well, decal, then dont bother with the solvent. in my experience even when you clear coat over the decals you can see a big difference between the two techniques, the most obvious being when you solvent the decal it loses its hard edges and blends into the surface more.

but youre right about solvent not reacting properly on some decals so one must alway test and if it doesnt work, find some other technique. bad reactions go all the way from totally messing up the decal to just not working at all.

[caine440]

Thanks for the tips!

I have been using testors decal set and solvent, is it any good? Should I buy another brand?