I’m on the fly here, but I need to post this. I have an MH-60 blackhawk going to MMSI in less than a week. I ordered Cobra company decals for it, because the originals are totally the wrong color. Problem: The decals might not get here in time. I’m contemplating applying the junk decals for the show, and then afterwards, stripping JUST THE DECALS and then applying the new ones. I’m considering using future for my gloss-coat, but is there anythign that will remove the decals while leaving the future intact? My plan: Primer, basecoat of model-master acrylics. future sealer. decals, Polly-s acrylic flat coat. Any ideas? Sporry if this isn’t fully clear, I’m on the run. thanks for any help! I need it!
This is a great example of a disaster just waiting to happen.
Bottom line–don’t rush the build. In order to get any sort of good, contest-quality finish on the decals–whether aftermarket or kit–you’re going to have to “go full in” and apply them properly. Once they’re on, there’s nothing that I know of that will reliably strip JUST the decals and NOT ruin or discolor the coat beneath–ESPECIALLY Future, which can be very temperamental.
Chalk it up to bad planning, leave it home to get done later, and don’t risk ruining it.
I’ve had some luck with using tape to pull decals off, even those that have been sealed with a flat coat… The trick is to apply the tape to the decals and not the finish… You can’t just lay the tape down over the decal and pull it off… Wrap it (Masking tape, BTW, not the low-tack modeling masking tape either) around your finger-tip for larger areas, then wrap it around smalle tools, like the end of a brush for pulling up bit’s & pieces. You’ll likely still have to go in VERY gently with a NEW razor knife-blade too… Sometimes you can “shave” a decal off…
Better test it on a hangar queen if you’re going for contest builds though…
I’d also forego using Future to gloss coat (or any other gloss coat for that matter) for application if this’s your plan… A satin/semi-gloss decal application coat is smooth enough, and wouldn’t be damaged as easily… Just be sure to check for silvering and fix it, and also trim as close as you can to decal ink, leaving as little clear carrier film as humanly possible, even if you have to cut the decals apart here & there… A new blade on a mirror or a piece of glass is the best surface for this operation, NOT a scissors or blade against a cutting mat.
Yeah, I tried to order the decals earlier but never got around to it. Bummer for me. I thought about stripping EVERYTHING off afterward, but I’ve never had good results stripping paint. I’m toying with the idea of using my current decals to just paint the essential markings, leaving out the stencils. It’s a 160th SOAR blackhawk so I can probably get away with it… then I can polish and overpaint those markings for decal application. I’ll also give your tape idea a whirl though, Hans. I’ve actually done similar things before with pulling up both paint and decal for a chipped finish. Didn;t work well, but it might work with care. Thanks for the suggestions though guys. and warnings about future! [Y]
I had clearcoated some decals once and I didn’t like 'em, so my take on this was to use a glass fibre pen, if you know what I’m talking about. It’s a pen-like device and it’s tip is made up of glass fibre pack. Using this you can strip paint on small areas layer by layer, like with an eraser, or strip decals without bothering the paint too much. In Europe you can buy it in electronics supply stores, they are sometimes used for clearing printed circuit boards. Hope it helps, have a nice day
Paweł
You can a get those Pens from arts-supply stores.
Rotring, Faber Castell, etc included them in our drafting kits we had to use at school for technical drawing classes.
0.25mm and smaller ink-pens work well for panel-lining. 