I am not new to decaling, but I want to perfect my skills (like everyone…[:D]). I was just wondering how you guys apply your decals. Taking the advice of many articles/posts I’ve read, I give the model 1-2 coats of Future, let the final coat dry at least 48 hours, soak the decal in water for 5 seconds, place it on a paper towel, wait about 10 more seconds, apply Testor’s decal set to the area on the model, slide the decal on, and (if the decal is big enough to get a hold on it) slide bubbles out with a damp Q-tip. However, on one model my decals look like the have many itsy-bitsy bubbles, making them not blend in with the surface. I alos do spray a coat or two of Future after the decals have dried, but this still does not help. The only cause of this problem I can think of is that maybe, because one the model I’m having troulbe with decaling, since it has a flat paint job, maybe I’m not spraying enough coats of Future. However, I was afraid that spraying too many coats would fill the panel lines or cause other damage. I hope I’m making sense here. Please help me if you can.
I do mostly all your doing but I like to use a white glue/water mixture warmed. Seems to soften the decal better. The white glue may also help with clarity.[tup]
Your doing everything right, don’t change a thing! However what your seeing in the decal is air trapped underneath, it is simple to correct…read on. Simply pierce these air pockets with the tip of your hobby knife or small sewing needle. Next before sealing it with Future, put a little decal “Solvent Solution” over the decal once more and let it evaparate. This should make the bubbles disappear and decal snuggle down with to surface. The Solvent solutions I use are Testors brand as well as Micro-Scale, and Solva-Set for subborn decals. Once the air pockets are gone from the decal and your satisfied with them, proceed with the sealing them with Future and/or final flat or gloss coat depending on the finish on the real thing.