Decals on wood

[Gern]

Hi guys. Hope someone can help. I've already finished one kit for Peter's non-injection GB but I have another in progress.

It's a wooden kit which I'd like to put decals on, but I don't want to risk having to repaint the kit if I get it wrong. I don't think a coat of varnish will be enough to create a smooth surface on the wood (it has been sprayed with Stynylrez but it is still rough to the touch), so could anyone suggest a suitable method or recommend a setting solution? Or would you advise against it. Unfortunately, the laser cut parts for the kit had already been removed from the fret so I don't have any spare to practise on.

PS If only I'd thought ahead and tried on somewhere that wouldn't be seen! Doohhh!

[Ian M]

I would have thought that if the prep work; sanding, filling, sanding a few times and then prime, repeat as needed.
If you want to see the wood. skip the primer and use a sanding stopper after sanding as it will fill the tiny air spaces in the wood. Once sanded smooth varnish (and sand as needed).

And people wonder why plastic models became so popular...

[Gern]

I would have thought that if the prep work; sanding, filling, sanding a few times and then prime, repeat as needed.
If you want to see the wood. skip the primer and use a sanding stopper after sanding as it will fill the tiny air spaces in the wood. Once sanded smooth varnish (and sand as needed).

I just wanted a quick, easy build of a laser cut model. It's going to look like a toy whatever I do, so I never gave the idea of sanding, filling, sanding, varnishing, sanding ad infinitum a thought. The kit would not benefit from such attention, but it is worth a bit of effort to try and improve its basic looks, so I threw a bit of paint at it. Then I thought it would be nice to have perhaps a serial number and a couple of badges scrounged from my spare decals box. No worries if that won't work, I'm happy with the results so far.

You're right though. If you want accuracy and detail, plastic is so much easier .....

[Andy T]

I'd be surprised if you couldn't get decals to conform to the woodgrain, after all, they can be made to go over some pretty lumpy detail on a plastic model.

I generally use micro set and then micro sol.

[flyjoe180]

Never put decals on to bare wood, but I have on painted wood. Could prep the area with a thin coat of PVA, to create a smoother surface, but you'd need to varnish the entire model afterwards to match the PVA areas. When I put the decals on my cable car I used plain old Humbrol Decalfix.

Is this for the train model?

[Gern]

Is this for the train model?

It is for a train, but not the one I posted pictures of a couple of weeks ago. I'll be posting some progress pics of the second one hopefully tonight. I like the idea of a coat of PVA - should I thin it just a little to help with levelling? - that should fill the grain of the wood and give me a fighting chance of avoiding silvering. I intend to gloss varnish the whole thing once it's finished anyway.

[flyjoe180]

Sounds interesting! Yes, try diluting the PVA. You might need a few applications depending on the type of wood.