Mooneyzs Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 ok I have a general question on some decals that look like they have started to yellow a little bit or more so kind of an off white color. What is the best way to care for them is there something that I should spray on them so nothing happens to them and when applied will they still have that yellow look if over a white surface?? Do you think that it is possible to scan them on a high resolution scanner and reprint them on a decal sheet with an inkjet or laser printer? I have seen somewhere on this site where guys are making their own decals?? Let me know if you have had any experience with this and what you did. Or if you have any advice on what to do. Thanks in advance for the help guys. Its a kit that I really want to be able to use the decals bad for the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Chris, what I've done to "deyellow" decals is to put them in direct sunlight for a few days. The ultraviolet rays of the sun is what does the trick. Maybe you could put them in your window sill, or better yet, on the dash of your car where it can get mighty toasty. Give it a shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 (edited) Another thing you might want to do after the yellowing is gone, and to ensure against brittle decals------go to your LHS and pick up something called Microscale Liquid Decal Film. This is excellent stuff to "toughen up" the decals, especially if they've been around awhile. You brush it on with a heavy brush, let it set for about 20 minutes or so, then cut them like normal and set them in water to use. HTH! Edited February 19, 2010 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Like Bill says, sunlight supposedly helps bleach out the yellow, tho I have never tried this myself. If you do put it in a window, or even tape it to a window, just be sure to avoid condensation inside the glass. That could ruin your decals. Put them in a Zip-Loc bag. Better yet, Bill's 'dashboard' tip sounds neat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneyzs Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 Bill & Spider.... Thank you guys for the awesome tip. I will definitely be putting the decals on the dash of the car tomorrow and let it sit in the sun all day.... then sunday and maybe even monday. And Bill as far as the Microscale Liquid Decal film goes... I do use their Micro Sol and Micro Set product but on this Liquid Decal film, you just put it on the decals before you are actually going to put on the model correct?? Not a few days before or anything. I just wanna make sure since I have never used it. I will have to head over to one of the LHS that I go to here and pick some of that up. I can't thank you guys enough for the Tip on what to do. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneyzs Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 Not saying the dashboard treatment wouldn't work, but I would wonder if the window tint on most car windows wouldn't reduce the effectiveness. I'd give it a shot, but if you're not happy after it's in the car, give it one last chance behind a clear house window before giving up. True on the window tint but since I will be putting on the dash, that is the only window that isn't tinted in my car. The other question would be is what would happen if you were to put them in direct sunlight and not behind a window. I know being behind the window it would get much warmer for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
935k3 Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 True on the window tint but since I will be putting on the dash, that is the only window that isn't tinted in my car. The other question would be is what would happen if you were to put them in direct sunlight and not behind a window. I know being behind the window it would get much warmer for sure. I have taped them directly to the window, usually about 3 days is enough. I have never lived in a house where the windows got wet enough especially on sunny days. It's acid in the backing paper that yellows them. The yellowing will come back if not used soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneyzs Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 I have taped them directly to the window, usually about 3 days is enough. I have never lived in a house where the windows got wet enough especially on sunny days. It's acid in the backing paper that yellows them. The yellowing will come back if not used soon enough. How long do you think you have before they would yellow again. Can you do this trick more than once or would it be bette for me to wait to do the window trick until I am about to build the kit, when I am actually done with the paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
935k3 Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 How long do you think you have before they would yellow again. Can you do this trick more than once or would it be bette for me to wait to do the window trick until I am about to build the kit, when I am actually done with the paint? I don't know but if there are other colors they might fade. I would do them in prep for building the kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vsrn Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 ok I have a general question on some decals that look like they have started to yellow a little bit or more so kind of an off white color. What is the best way to care for them is there something that I should spray on them so nothing happens to them and when applied will they still have that yellow look if over a white surface?? Do you think that it is possible to scan them on a high resolution scanner and reprint them on a decal sheet with an inkjet or laser printer? I have seen somewhere on this site where guys are making their own decals?? Let me know if you have had any experience with this and what you did. Or if you have any advice on what to do. Thanks in advance for the help guys. Its a kit that I really want to be able to use the decals bad for the car. My experience with scanning existing sheets and trying to print decals from the scan is mixed. At the very least, the scan will need to be cleaned up in Photoshop to remove the yellowed clear around the image. Sometimes, it takes a LOT more work to clean things up to the point that the scan is at least usable. When you are dealing with an old sheet that is difficult to replace, I always recommend that you get a decal maker to take the scan and redraw it, usually in a vector program like Illustrator or Corel Draw. The printed decals will be clearly superior to just printing the scan. The bonus is that the colors can be corrected or changed easily, and you can change size also. If you are making a scan of a decal sheet, save the file as a .TIF file. This ends up being a bigger file, but the image is not compressed, so you get the maximum image quality. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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