So I have been working on a Twin Otter model by Revell.
I had put it aside to work on another model and it sat on a shelf for about a month or two. Last night I finaly got around to masking and painting the finishing touches. Almost done now for the decals!
I pull the decal sheet out which had been stored in a box with some other decal sheets and bits from other models. Much to my dismay the entire sheet had been destroyed. All but the largest of decals were either gone or reduced to tiny fragments.
I am pretty sure it did not get wet, did I mention I stored it in a box with other decals? The other decals were fine like new. Just this one sheet oblitherated.
I work out in a shed but it is conditioned and the humidty is kept at reasonable levels certainly no more than 80% at the peak. Did I mention the other decals were fine?
The only thing I can think of is maybe some bugs ate the decals??
Weird. I keep my extra or leftover decals in Ziploc bags, and if I have one to spare, I’ll throw one of those little desiccant packs in there like you find in the packaging of some things you buy, like electronics or whatnot. Your shed sounds about the same as my office. In the summer here it gets to be 80-85F, and I’m in Northern Colorado, which is usually pretty dry (except for this week).
Don Stauffer has great advice about making a scan of your decal sheet just in case something like this happens. I was fortunate to finally pick up a new printer-copier-scanner on sale at Wally World about a month ago. I might get into that habit. Sorry to hear of your luck.
I always put spare decals in ziplock baggies. Heck I do it with new decals (for extra caution) after I open a new kit for I could never stop myself from fondling a new kit. If you don’t get any luck with revel, check around for aftermarket decals. You might get lucky finding the same decals.
You can print them using decal paper in a home printer. Not ideal, but it’s doable. The other option is to find someone online that does custom decals. JT Graphics, JBOT (if he’s still in business) or BillBozo come to mind. These guys have the high-end printers for good quality decal printing. They’d probably print a sheet for you if you sent them the scan. For a charge, of course.
No. Scan your decals so you can make your own. You can buy decal paper to make your own. They come n two kinds - inkjet and laser. Use whatever printer type you have and use the correct decal paper to print out. MicroMark has " Try out decal paper kits. It includes a decal sealer you spray on the decal paper to seal in the images before using them as decals.
Note that decal paper also comes in clear and white. If there are any white printed areas on the original decals, you’ll need the white backing, as your average home printer won’t print white. This means that you’ll have to be exceptionally careful in cutting/trimming before applying.
Just had decals from a kit explode on me when I tried to use them. First one is totaled- I’ll have to make a substitute for that. But immediately applied MicroScale decal film to the rest. They are working okay.
The one I lost is one of four for wings, and I scanned the other three. I’ll use one of the three identical images as a master for an inkjet replacement.
Most decals when they get old will fracture into a bazillion pieces regardless how safe they were stored. When dealing with old decals I usually take one from the sheet and see how that one will work. If it fractures then I brush on MicroScale decal film saver. This stuff works about 99% of the time. You just need to trim each decal as the sheet becomes one solid decal once the film is applied.
I have Micro Scale decals well over 30 years old and work just fine. I find the kit supplied decals to be the ones with the fracturing issue.