Hi all
Just a quick q: how do you make decals look like their painted and not mere stickers ???[;)]
Tom, there are some great technique links around, I am sure one of the guys will point you in the right direction.
This works for me:
after the paint has cured, lay down a coat of gloss, like future or wahtever you prefer. Once dried, I apply the decals with Micro Sol. The solution softens up the decals and allows them to adhere to the panels lines and molding features of your kit. Finally, after a day or so of drying, I apply a coat of clear flat or gloss depending upon what the subject calls for. This is a simplified way of doing it. You might want to check WWW.AIRCRAFTRESOURCECENTER.COM they have a “Thechnique” section with some great pointers!
Hope this helps.
Ray
im probably missing out on alot of other things , this is how i do it
start with some nice high quality decals
cut the decal out as small as possible (with a pair of fine scissors. the cutting makes the edge curl down and not reflect light)
make sure that you have a clean surface
get yourself some setting solution
setting solution the surface
decal the plane
remove air bubbles
setting solution the decal someore
i think there was an OLD issue of FSM that talked more on this subject…
again, there are more experienced/better modelers than me out here
You need to have a smooth, glossy finish to begin - most of us use either Future floor polish or a clear gloss coat as a preparation to decals. Once that gloss coat has been established apply your decals and don’t forget to use some setting solution. I use a combination of Micro-Set followed by Micro-Sol to help the decal conform to the model’s surface. Let this dry at least 24 hours then seal the decal with another coat of Future. Do not use solvent based clear coats at this point like Testors dull coat as these may destroy the decal. After this coat of Future has cured (24 hours minimum) then you can proceed with weathering effects followed by a final topcoat. I use Polly Scale Clear Flat as the safest topcoat.
Like Ray, I kinda like the “gloss - decal - gloss/dull” technique… stumbled upon it after many years of frustration. After glossing, the SLICK surface makes a better contact point for the decal and also eliminates most of the bubbling problem, then the overcoat covers and protects the decal itself (no more peeling decals years later), making them appear to be PART of the finish instead of just ON the finish.
Trial & Error experimentation is the breeding ground for idea’s and solutions. I know there had to be at least 25 or 30 model cars that paid the ultimate sacrifice while I was cultivating the Finish I was looking for. Basically, the same principles apply to aircraft.
Good luck and have a good time!
Take care,
Frank
Like Swanny and oldhooker, I also use the gloss-decal-gloss-flat technique. You’ll want to stay away from clears that are kinda yellow-ish in the bottle or tin because they tend to yellow even more over time. My favorite is Krylon Krystal Klear. One or two light coats gives a surface that’s smooth enough to apply decals to. Then I use Solvaset to apply the decals. This stuff is so good that with some decals like TwoBobs, I can apply directly to the flat paint and not get any silvering. One more word about clears. They tend to darken the color coat considerably so add some white to “scale it down” a bit.
I have been attempting to eliminate decals all together, Someof the decals I have used as patterns, cut out the different colors and apply them to the surfface as you do when appying them then paint the area that not covered by the decal. a good example of this is the Star and Bar decal. But thats a bit more dificult to do in order to get that finish you want.
on the same topic, do you need to use future even if your paint job is already high gloss?
No you don’t. The clear gloss is just the extra step required when you paint with flats. Though after the decals are dry you may still want to use the gloss coat because it hides the decal film better than just overcoating with flat.
I sure liked the old Xtracolor idea of having traditionally flat colors, like all the RKM hues, produced in gloss enamel, eliminating a step you knew was enevitable, so why not take away a realism-robbing coat of gloss (the undercoat) before decaling? Well, the problem with Xtracolor, at least in my experience, is that though their idea was brilliantly simple, the execution was bad. If the weather was the least bit humid (which it usually is here in NYC and in my hometown of Houston), the colors simply would not cure. They remained sticky forever. I wish someone would go back and do this again using acrylics, giving us RAF and RLM colors, as well as FS flats, in glossy. It really does make a marked difference, removing that one coat of clear varnish (which is what it is), because to get really flat paint to turn shiny enough to decal, you need a pretty thick coat of clear, filling in finely engraved detail by the time the process is finished.