Sorry I know this has probably been covered before but I am looking for some advice that is more specific to my current model build.
I’m building a UH-1D (those viewing the Helicopter sub-forum probably already know this) and the main body is sprayed with Humbrol #155 matt OD.
I’ve got to the stage (just about) where I’m thinking of applying decals.
However I have some concerns about doing so, especially as I’ve just purchased some very good decals that I don’t want to mess up.
I understand the concept of applying decals over a gloss surface. However I don’t currently have a spray can of gloss varnish, and I don’t have an airbrush to apply Future (or similar products) with. I am considering masking the area a decal is going onto with masking tape and then applying Future with a brush to that area, removing the masking tape, and then applying the decal.
Would I run into any problems doing that? Would I be better off spraying the entire model with an gloss varnish such as one by Humbrol (#35 looks like the one I’d buy), applying the decals and then respraying the entire model with a matt varnish?
How do I stop parts of the decal, such as the centre of a circle decal, showing the clear film - in the past I’ve applied decals (and painted around the edges to disguise the clear film) but I could always see that the clear film is visible in parts where the decal isn’t printed.
Hey Raven - The answer to question #2 is… answered in question #1. You need a super-smooth surface . Decal film “showing” is (to over-simplify things here) air pockets that are produced by matt paint. So… to avoid this, you really do need a gloss coat of some sort. I prefer Future myself as it doesn’t stink up the house, and it’s cheap! I wouldn’t recommend spot-applying the Future though, as I find it often darkens the matt paint that is underneath. So you’d avoid the decal-silvering, but you’d have a dark patch around it. Also, I almost always apply my Future with a good paintbrush rather than airbrush - the stuff self-levels, right!
I have never noticed future darkening my flat paints, so I brush it on spots that will have decals. The only finish I have noticed an adverse effect on is Alclad, and that effect is so slight I don’t worry about it.
I’m not too keen on painting the entire model by brush due to the possibility of putting on too thick a coat (one of the reasons I used a spray paint to put the base coat on), but looking at the cost of a spray can of gloss varnish (£5+) and considering I have a bottle of Future (albeit from 1997) perhaps brushing it on the whole model might be the best route.
Just need a larger brush, I’ve ordered an Italeri size 6 brush from an ebay seller today as I currently only have a couple of Game Workshop detail brushes, hopefully a size 6 will be large enough.
If I do only apply it to a specific area only and it does darken that area I can always just paint the rest of the model with Future - right?
lol, pretty much. I’ve seen the darkening happen a lot on my Tamiya Acrylics, maybe they’re more sensitive than other paint?
The bottle of Future that I’m using is, well, “of a similar vintage”, probably 98 or 99. I’ve got a good angled brush that is probably no more that 1/2 inch across. I just work in small sections, every stroke in the same direction as long as possible, no going back over the brush stroke (unless I’ve loaded too much on the brush & see a “run”) I often have to make a second application because I do use thin coats to avoid the chance of having too thick a layer that could run.
Yes it is a problem. I have a very limited budget. I will buy the matt varnish (flat clear or whatever you wish to call it) anyway, but if I can save £5 by using something I already have to hand then that’s £5 I can spend on other tools/materials that I don’t have and might require.
Well - a word of warning here. If you apply a spot of future and it darkens the paint, you probably won’t be able to remove the darker spot by recoating. At least this worked this way for me, when I applied our local Future equivalent over airbrushed matt Humbrol. To avoid it, I’d spray the whole model with water, to make it slightly wet, and then apply Future with a brush, or airbrush Future on the model. Adding just a tiny little bit of soap or dishwashing liquid helps to do it, too. Hope it helps, have a nice day
Just out of interest when airbrushing Future do you have to thin it at all, if so what do you use?
I’ve just been looking around for a very basic inexpensive airbrush/spray gun and come across this that I might buy for doing gloss layer ready for decal application -
I thin it just a little with water, and I add a really small amount of dishwashing liquid to it, to improve the flow. I tried many things to remove my “darken effect” but it seems to be very stubborn, so watch out not to let it happen. Good luck with your projects and have a nice day