I’ve just tried my hand at making my own decals for the first time. And, I’m having a small problem. What’s causing the ink to disintegrate on these decals? I’ve tried three of them so far, and each has done this to some extent. I’m using Expert’s Choice decal film, coated with Microscale liquid decal film, printed on an HP printer. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Gary.
Did you spray decal bonder on after printing the decals?
Well Bob, I did spray them with the Microscale product which, after reading your link, seems to do the same thing. Perhaps I didn’t spray enough of that…
Could very well be…I don’t print my own decals but I have had issues with decals in very old kits coming apart in water and the Bonder seems to do the trick. From what you described, it sounds like the ink isn’t covered with the bonder. Maybe let it cure a bit longer.
Hope you get your decal issue resolved soon.
A little more info: I just tried one of the decals with a lot of color (red in this case) and the color is “washing” off the decal. It started to bleed a bit as it soaked (about 10 seconds in lukewarm water) and by the time it would actually slide off the paper, the color was about gone. Are homemade decals always this fragile? I appreciate any help with this new learning curve.
Gary
Your decals aren’t sealed well enough. Get a can of Krylon crystal clear acrylic spray. Apply 3 or 4 light coats, letting it dry between coats, until the decal sheet appears glassy and shiny. Now you’re ready for dunkin’ in water.
I would say first things first, as dumd as it sounds, make sure you have the right paper for your printer. I have an HP printer and have made my own decals, the first time I tried it failed, the ink never dried. I figured out why when I realised I had decal paper for a laser printer in my ink jet printer. After that, I got the right paper, and tried again with success.
I used experts choice decal paper, did not put anything on it before printing. I printed them, let them them dry for a day then brushed microscale liquid decal film. Worked like a charm.
A couple I did for testing:
Thanks to all for the advice! Yes, I am using InkJet paper, so I’m OK there. After printing Friday evening, I airbrushed the Microscale decal film on the sheets. I wasn’t sure how much to use so it’s very possible that they aren’t sealed well enough. I just brushed on some of the Microscale decal film, and I’ll give it a while to dry before trying another decal. Which brings up this question; how long should the film dry before trying to apply again? Thanks!
Gary
I haven’t used the Microscale film, but have made lots of decals on an inkjet printer using the Testors decal clear spray, the clear Krylon mentioned above should be about the same.
I always let the decals dry for at least an hour becore clear coating, then just mist the first two coats of clear, about 5 minutes apart, then put a heavier coat as needed to make sure I had complete coverage. The only times I had problems with ink running was when I didn’t let the sheet dry well before clear coating, and red seemed to be the most likely to run.
Same here - I’ve made many decals using inkjet papers and the Testor’s decal spray. I’ve always just used one good heavy coat and let it dry for a couple of hours. Never had any bleeding or fading problems. My guess would also be that you’re not getting them coated completely. Good luck!
Ditto what the others are saying about Testor’s Decal bonder… I’ve been using that exclusively and haven’t had any problems with it… But I always do two or three coats… One isn’t enough… But I’ll swear by the stuff…
It also works wonders saving old decals…
I use the microscale products and they work well. After letting the print dry for an hour or so I spray (airbrush) a thin coat over the decal area, let dry about 20 min, then another thin coat. I then with a soft brush apply a thick (almost puddle) coat over that and let dry overnight. I have had no problem with running, just be sure you cover well with airbrush or puddling will cause runs. Here is an example of my decals. Both the Nose art and the splotching are experts choice decals with microscale film.
James
sometimes cutting too close to the image can cause bleeding issues as well.
I know some who will seal the decal after cutting them out as it can leave a less sharp edge to the decal.
Thanks for all the replies! I want to post a bit of an update. Sunday morning, I brushed more of the Microscale decal film onto a few of my decals. I believe that my airbrushed coats were just not heavy enough. Sure enough, I had much better results last night. The home-made decals seemed to take longer to set and a couple did require extra decal set and a little more encouragement. I also noticed that warmer water worked better for soaking them(now, to just keep it warm without repeated trips to the sink, lol). I brushed another coat of decal film on the decals for the starboard side and I’ll apply them tonight. I have to say that it’s very exciting to see the decals that I designed and my son created on Autocad actually on the airplane.
Man, this opens up a whole 'nother world of possibilties. I love how the Confederate markings look on the Mirage F1, and now my fevered brain is thinking ahead to another “what if” project. How about a modern-day Republic of Texas Air Force fighter? Perhaps an F4 Phantom or, better still, maybe a Tornado or Jaguar? It seems like all is within reach now. Actually, this might be a good excuse to get another F-16 in the collection. Hobby Lobby has an Academy F-16 that’s less than $20. What’s the scoop on that kit? Is it worth buying? Thanks again for all your advice and help!!!
Gary
Hi Gary:
I frequently make my own decals … I use both white and clear decal paper and get it from MicroMark … here’s their ‘go to’ page for decaling: http://www.micromark.com/Painting-Decaling-Weathering.html
I print on an HP inkjet printer - make sure you get the proper paper for your printer … there is a difference between the laser and an inklet printer and the same is true of decal paper …
I let the sheets dry for a few hours, and then use Testors GlossCote to spray them ( I still have a goodly amount of the Testors product on hand), but have also used the Krylon Crystal Clear product with good results as well …
I mist the 1st coat, then do a heavier mist coat for the 2nd … holding the decal sheet up to a light source at an angle will show me if I’ve covered the sheet completely … if not, i spray again and then let that dry overnight …
I use cool water to put my decals in and wait probably 30 - 45 seconds before trying to slide them off their backing … I also use the MicroScale system - MicroSol and MicroSet as well … every once in awhile, if I have something that won’t go down over rivets or somesuch, I’ll use Walthers Solvaset … it’s much stronger, so test it first and use it sparingly …
That’s what works well for me …
pepper
PS Read your profile … I live just to the northeast of Dallas and keep the 9 mm makers happy 
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