Ok, this happened yesterday and there isnt a spare set avialable I was planning on finishing this kit for the Lafayette LA contest this weekend but this may no longer be the case…
I spilled water on my Roco AH1G Cobra decal sheet yesterday, I just spent the last six or seven weeks with them taped to my war room window getting all nice and bleached out *(they were ORANGE before the bleaching, now theya re a nice, crisp, well not so crisp anymore, white and black). and I go and spill water on them. Got as much of it sopped off as I could, but I havent tried any yet.
Ill overcoat with decal film and cut individually and HOPE they come back off, then do a wet install with Future (planned on that anyway). Ever have succes after this happening?
Even if you manage to soak the decal off the backing paper, you may have a problem with the decal sticking to the model. Remember that the water not only releases the decal from the paper but activates the glue that allows the model to stick to the model - Once its been activated and dries, it won’t activate again (the majority of the time, you just can’t get the decal off the backing paper). Try this: cut the decals out as you normally would, but instead of soaking them with water, soak them in a 50/50 mixture of water and white glue (Elmer’s etc). If they do release (and no guarantees on that), apply them as you normally would and blot off the excessive water followed by the normal decal setting solution you use. I’ve used this method where I have splashed water on a decal sheet (water only effecting 20% or less of the sheet).
An alternative to the 50/50 glue/water is to use Future. Paint a small thin puddle of Future where the decal is to rest. Apply the decal and pat it down into the Future with a flat brush
It depends on how quick you were and how much the water penetrated. I have done this myself in the past, (more than once!) and been lucky enough to save the sheet by acting quickly with some very absorbent paper towel.
When you come to use them, try to release one of the smaller ones in the normal way. If it works, the chances are they all will, though you will need to exercise extra care and may need to pay more attention to setting solutions. Good luck.