Decaling text one letter at a time ...

[Foxer]

I'm ready to add decals to a dragster build and have to add the city name one letter at a time to get what I want. This is this is nineteen separate, very small letters close together. I'm concerned about the wetness from one affecting the previous decal and floating it around. I don't wish to wait for one to dry before doing the next as that would take weeks!

At least the decals are Slixx and each letter is on it's own film .. very impressive.

So, just looking for some thoughts on procedure from some of you heavy decalers on how NOT to mess up whats already down as I go.

[sjordan2]

Why not create the whole thing on your computer and print it out to scale on decal paper?

[Foxer]

Why not create the whole thing on your computer and print it out to scale on decal paper?

I already tried that. But, the car is Sunoco Blue and the decals were way to transparent on such a dark color.

[Joseph]

Mike,

If you are not having to use a solvent solution in order for the decals to conform to an irregular surface, you can do this job easily. Use a setting solution cut by 50% with warm water for decal placement. Try to use the minimum amount of water to place the decal on the model. That will insure that the decal you are placing it next to will not unstick itself. Try only dipping the decal into the warm water solution for a second, then placing it on a clean surface, letting the decal lift from the backing in the bubble of water that it is sitting in. That way you are working with the minimum amount of water from the get go. After the decal is in place, wick the excess water away with an corner of small cloth or paper towel. I like to use a lint free cloth that is cut into small 2" X 2" pieces. The lint free cloth insures no tiny unwanted fuzz is trapped with the decal when it dries. After the water is wicked away, a hairdryer on a low setting is used to completely dry the decal in place. Let the decal cool a little bit, then move to the next decal. You'll figure it out quickly on how long it will take for each step. With that many letters, you might want to take a lot of breaks! I hope this helps.

Cheers!

Joseph

Edited May 15, 2010 by Joseph

[Exotics_Builder]

I did this once in the verly early nineties and it worked out fairly well. I used some decal paper and applied dry transfer lettering to it.

The lettering in this case was white. I used fine drawn pencil line on the decal paper where it would be out of range of the cut of the carrier. I then applied Microscale liquid decal film on top as well.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Exotics_Builder

[Foxer]

Thanks for all the recommendations and tips. I ended up just doing it all at once when I saw how good the Slixx decals are! I just dipped in water for 5 seconds applied as I normally do. The decals stuck well and stayed in place as adjoining ones were placed. I used very little water so I'm thinking a should put some setting solution on once everything's dry. Some are also a bit off center .. I must have been too concentrated on just getting them even, so maybe some solution will let me adjust the big one later.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Foxer

[Ddms]

The car looks great! Good job.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Ddms