Applying decals..

[wonwinglo]

5thelement,we have all made similar mistakes but as you say sometimes the instructions do not make it very clear,yes always lock the decals between more Johnsons.

Best matt varnish that I have used came from a DIY shop,cannot remember the name now ? make sure that you give it a good stir to mix the pumice sediment in the bottom of the tin.

[Guest]

Thanks

I just finished putting the first few decals into the plane itself and eveything went okay I've finished the decals on the underside of the plane, and i've put the crosses on the top of the wings and also put the numbers on the sides. I'll do some more once these have had a while to completely dry/stick

It's great seeing it coming to life now

Here's a quick shot of the bottom side



Is the diluted vinegar essential? to me these allready look not too bad, and if im being honest im a bit apprehensive about putting vinegar onto them lol

[wonwinglo]

Looking good,only use diluted vinegar if there is any problem in going over a curvature where the decal needs to be softened to take the form ie rivets,corrugated surfaces etc,in this case it appears not to be necessary as the decal has gone on fine,different decal manufacturers have differing types of membrane.

[Guest]

Thanks, well, 90% of the decals are now applied

Everything went on pretty much okay, even the spinner! (although it seems a little short to totally reach one edge, unless its supposed to be like that, eitherway, its on without being ruined and looks not bad)

The only problem i have is some slight silvering on some of them, which is a little disapointing, but i guess im just glad i havn't ripped/torn/messed any up!

Not entirely sure what caused silvering, maybe a poor/rough paintjob? lol not sure

Would the vinegar/water help at all in that aspect no?

[Guest]

The silvering is caused by a lack of adhesion of the decal to the surface which is probably as a result of the surface not being smooth enough. The vinegar treatment might help but only if you have not done anything else after applying the decal. If you are not happy give it a go but you could also just accept it as something to learn from and know what to look out for next time.

The trick is first of all getting a nice smooth paint job then applying the Johnsons to give the gloss surface.

You also have to remember that sometimes the quality of the decal leaves a bit to be desired and some of them will never give a perfect result.

As long as you have not done anything else since applying the decal you should have nothing to loose by trying the vinegar solution which may help the decal to soften and conform to the rivets or panel lines.

[Guest]

Thanks again, im not too unhappy about it, it only affects some of them and even then, it's not all that bad. Without this forum and everyones help i would of made a proper mess of it, i wouldn't of even varnished it b4 applying the decals lol so thanks its looking better than it would of done.

I havn't done anything to the decals since applying them so i might give the diluted vinegar solution a try on some of the less noticeable ones first and see if it improves them much.

Should i expect to see them wrinkling or anything? i've read that microsol does that when you apply it.

[wonwinglo]

When you apply the vinigar it will slightly wrinkle a bit as it softens the decal,dab with a lint free cloth the best that you can to keep the edges down,when everything dries out they will shrink out again taking on the contours of the surface,just go carefully as you are doing.

[Guest]

Thanks, will let you know how i get on.

I picked up a frame today to make a simple diorama base (made by a company aptly named "Wings Art" lol) also picked up a bag of javis scatter grass.

Had a good look for matt varnish again and couldn't find any, plenty gloss and satin ones though! i did see little tins of revell (no 2 i think?) matt clear, but i think i'd rather have a spray can to get a more even/uniform finish.

Anyways, time to go mix some vinegar with water!

[Guest]

Well i've applied some but im not too convinced it really done anything lol i think it did on a couple, but i never noticed much happening with the others.

Thats all the decals applied aswell now so i'll give them a while to completely dry, then give the whole thing a final coat of Klear, then i need to get my hands on some matt varnish to finish it off.

Will putting matt varnish over the cockpit windows, mess it up?

[Guest]

that they are dry

[Guest]

Do not put matt varnish onto the windows they will cloud up! If you want them to lok like glass give them a coat of clear otherwise just mask them before applying the varnish! You will find that the vinegar will have no effect on a set/ dried decal the silvering that you mentioned is as Bunkerbarge says the surface was not smooth / glossy enough for the decal to adhere properly softening the decal will not help remove the air from underneath only a wetting agent could do that and again only if the surface was very smooth !!! but hey we learn something new each day and we have all done the same dont let it put you off as the next one will be even better:dan1:

[Guest]

Yeah im sure thats the reason for the silvering, ie, not a very smooth paint job. Would it be wise in future to thin the paint a little? (and also get some better brushes!) i'll need to practice painting a bit more eitherway.

Regarding the windows on the canopy, it's allready been given a coat of Klear (including the painted frames) so if im spraying it matt im gonna have to mask those up again....that should be fun....not!

[Guest]

The best would be to spray the paint by using either spray tins or an air brush but if you want to use normal brushes then make sure the paint is well mixed and not from an old tin. Read through the Back to Basics tutorial on painting for some ideas. You shouldn't need to thin down paint to brush it but take care if it is old and getting a bit past it.

Spray tins are a good start to get you into spraying without any fuss and mess and are a good intermediate stage before investing in an air brush. Tamiya do a range of spray acrylics which I have just used to spray my Revel U-Boat which came out with a very nice finish.

Things like masking windows are something that you will gain experience with after experimentation and you can either leave the windows off and fill the cockpit area with tissue or leave the masking on the windows until all painting operations have been completed.

When I made planes the canopy was the very last thing I fitted as there was always a danger of it getting marred by glue. paint, fingers etc and you want the window to be perfect when you finish it.

[Guest]

As much as i'd love an airbrush, the price of a compressor really puts me off lol it's something i'll consider if i get more into the hobby though.

I have thought about spray cans, but do you get the same range of colours? and how would you match them with the colours the kit tells you? they'd definately give a much better finish than brushing though. I just couldn't seem to avoid ugly brush strokes

I've the left canopy off so far aswell, so it's been in a safe place waiting to be put on.

I know i've asked this before, and everyones probably sick of me mentioning it, but can anyone recomend a matt varnish spray that a model shop/craft shop should have? is there specific varnishes for enamel paints or will any do? just dont want to ruin it all on the last step!

Cheers

[Guest]

Ronseal matt varnish comes in big containers and will last for ever plus it isnt dead matt it has a very slight sheen so it brings a model to life