how to stop decals disintegrating??

[Guest]

im near the end of my Honda Nastro Azzuro build (thread in the 'Under Construction' section)...annoyingly i'm hit with another decal problem...this is my 2nd project and again, it the decals that are giving my 99% of my headaches...

On the seat unit of the bike is a large decal that runs the entire the length of the panel. ive used microsol to soften the decal. as usual it wrinkled up like a plastic bag. it dried leaving tight creases in the decal, so i reapplied the microsol. when i returned to the decal the wrinkles has turned into cracks, so essentially the decal is ruined and again my 2nd model is spoilt due to either my poor technique or crappy quality tamiya decals...

any thoughts or suggestions?? i applied microset before sliding the decal into place..personally i think microset is rubbish..it simply prevent the decal from moving and then i have to very, very, very,very, gently tease the decal with a moisten brush to get it to move.

decals make or break race bike models and so far im really fed up with them..both of my projects have been let down by them..after all th trouble of prepping parts, buying bit and pieces..you know rest...

please help!!!!

thanks

si

[Guest]

Decals are tricky, especially because their quality varies so much. First the surface is very important, the smoother and shinier it is the easier it will be to apply the decals (I something polish the clear varnish coat, before applying the decals).

Be sure use warm water when moistening the decals and its backing paper, don't drown them or leave them in the water, just give them a short dip and let them rest on the edge of the water (I use a coffee saucer for dipping and resting) During resting, make sure that a fair part of the backing paper is in contact with the warm water, this way you'll have the capillary forces working for you so you won't wash away the adhesive (the adhesive also lubricates while wet, easing the accurate placing on the model).

After a while (time differs from make to make) you can lift the decal like you have done before. Now slide it into place very very gently using either your finger, soft brush/Q-tips or combination of all three and more warm/hot water (the heat wil also soften the decal making it conform to smooth curves). Only use microset if hot the water does not soften the decal enough, If you have to move the decal while microset is applied be sure to use liberal amounts of it. If Microset doesn't do the job either, use Microsol but know that MicroSol is the point on no return, once you apply it the decal will wrinkle up and you should no longer touch it, not even with a soft brush. In some cases you'll have to use a brush to press the decal into a textured surface or into grooves, but keep that to a minimum, let the MicroSol do its work first. Mostly it will set the decal quite well into indented details. If it doesn't, reapply microsol, wait for it to wrinkle, keep it quite wet with solution and then very, very gently persuade the decal into grooves and deep textures using a sabre-hair brush to poke the it, don't brush over the decal or in any way push it in the horizontal plane. The mantra is avoid friction on the decal while treated with microsol.

A golden rule is; If water suffices, don't use any decal solutions. Some decals aren't compatible with the various decal solutions. Always start with the least aggressive liquid and then go up one step at the time, be sure to drain the previous liquid from the decal before applying a "hotter" one.

Hope this will take away some of you frustration, so you can enjoy the satisfaction of a decal job well done and safely sealed.

/Daniel

[Guest]

I had earlier on problems using microsol & microset.

Great products the mocrosol etc used at what I found to be the correct time.

I now use just water on the model just prior to pasting the decal. A great deal just rolls off but compensated by that on the decal carrier itself.

My technique is to leave the underside of the decal carrier nice & wet. I lay the whole thing on the model in position a few mm to the right. I then tease the decal that few mm onto the model holding it in position with something soft not to damage the decal. If necessary I then brush on a few drops of water on the decal.

Then without moving the decal at all I edge the carrier paper at the end gently back along the model making sure I do not kink up or down & crinkle the decal & keeping the paper carrier on the model. Quite easy as the paper carrier slides easier than the decal. If it does start to crease just hold the decal on the paper & gently straighten using the paper. All means you do not touch the decal except to tease it at the begining. This has worked perfectly on the last two models. You then have the decal on the model flat & without any stretching to that point which you get with using the micro products.

Then I use the micro products, after removing excess moisture with a kitchen roll, as necessary to lay the decal on to areas which are contoured. Did this with success on the helicopter I finished recently where the front was rounded & there were numerous bumps etc it worked well.

Laurie

[Guest]

the side decals have gone on ok (ive only done one side so far however....) my problem is with the seat unit decals. last night i had the problems mentione in the thread. this morning ive gone to apply the opposite decal and this litterally fell to pieces on the paper, BEFORE it was applied to the model. it was immersed in tepid water until it began to loosen. i removed the decal from the water and placed on a piece of kitchen towel and i noticed it sliding into about 5 different directions..it had literally fallen to pieces.

i tried to fit the ruined decal to the model but obviously it looks like a total mess..it doesnt even reach the full length of the piece. sure enough the more i tried to move the decal (with a soft brush), it just starting flaking into pieces, almost like specks of dirt.

presumably, when decals are this shoddy model making turns from an art into a game of chance?? luckily its only taken hours and hours of patience and wasted money to get this far...

Tamiya list the decal set as an available part..anyone have an idea who may be able to supply them?? (im guessing they'll take several months to arrive from japan if they even exist)...

I'll have to buy a scanner and learn hpw to make duplicates i guess (more wasted money) and live with fact that any day-glo or metallic colours will be a no no..sort of misses the point of accuracy though doesnt it?? when a model becomes a toy..

Not happy...

[Guest]

I've had the same thing happen with very old decals from a Heller kit. I haven't experienced decals as bad as yours in Tamiya kits myself, I have found them to be on the fragile side every now and then, but that also can be an advantage when sealing them under clear varnish.

Thy your LHS they would typically have a box or more full assorted decal sheets, the once printed by cartograf are usually pretty good.

Edit: Come to think of it, MicroScale (the once who make MicroSet and MicroSol) also make something they call Liquid Decal Film, never tried it myself but I've heard good things about it. http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MI-12&Category_Code=FINPROD&Product_Count=11

/Daniel

[Ian M]

The way the decal has broken up it sounds to me that it has been stored in to warm a place. Heat and age are the prime enemies of decals.

I have never had so much grief with tamiya decals, ICM are by far the worse and cartograf the best.

Funny really the decals that I have had most problems with while using microset/sol, are those from.....microscale..... Go figure.

I can understand your frustrations Funky (what is your name?) as you say decals make or break a model.

As for getting a replacement set, try contacting the importers in the UK, The Hobby Company eCommerce System - Customer Login

Politely explain your dilemma and I am sure they will try and help.

Ian M