I have printed some signs to put on my buildings. These are like signs painted on the side of a building. How do I attach these signs to the building so they look painted on? How do you weather them? Thanks for the info.
I make my own decals to use as “painted on” signs. This one is on a brick building:
These are on a wood fence, made of coffee stirrers:
All of these images were captured from the web, but it’s just as easy to make your own up with Paint, MS Word or some other program. You’ll need to get the decal paper and sealant, but one sheet makes a lot of decals. Decal paper is generally “clear,” and most printers don’t actually print white, so you will probably want to paint a white square on the building before applying the decal to get the image the way you want it.
that’s exactly what I’m after. Do I get the decal paper at the hobby store or are there other places to get it, how about the sealant? Do you have any problems with when you copy of Intranet then print? thanks
Another method, using your existing printed signs, is to sand the paper down from the back side. Do that until just before the paper disintigrates, use white glue to attach it to your buildings and work the sign into the groves and over/around the details. If you sand a few holes through it, no worries, it will look weathered.
I believe George Selios perfected this method and it is covered in MR.
Rick
My regular LHS doesn’t carry decal paper, and he’s had trouble ordering it, for some reason. Another LHS a bit further away, which is actually a general-purpose hobby shop rather than just a train shop, does carry decal paper. You can order it from Micro-Mark. My LHS does carry the sealant, and also some stuff called “Micro-Set” which helps when doing decals in general.
I usually just grab JPG’s from web pages (right-click, then Save As) and import them into MS Word. Word lets me re-size them. I typically put a bunch of them in a row at the top of the page, moving the margins to get them as close to the top edge as possible, within about a quarter inch. Then I print just one row, and use a paper cutter to chop that row off the page. This lets me go back later and print some more on the same piece of decal paper. (It’s expensive stuff, and I’m descended from Scots.)
I wait at least 24 hours before touching the decals again. Then, I apply one coat of Liquid Decal Sealant, wait another 24 hours, and apply a second coat. After another day, the decals are ready to apply. If you put them on a nice smooth surface like a freshly-painted engine, you’ll get nice smooth decals. If you put them on a plastic-brick wall with an acrylic white rectangle for color balance, the image will come out “pre-weathered” for you. I put some Dul-Coat on after the decal sets for a day or so to dry to protect the image. Use a semi-gloss spray if you want a nice unweathered image on a car or loco.
A couple of pointers here. Not all decal paper is equal. Some is designed for laser printers and some for inkjet. Make sure you get the right kind. Also think about if you are trying to print white. Most printers don’t print white. The Alps printers are the exceptions. For sealing them use Dullcote spray, not the brush on type. I’ve ruined a few decals trying to brush it on. I finally decided it wasn’t worth the effort. For paper you can go to Micromark. A little pricey but they have a good selection,
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Department&ID=106
Make sure you print test sheets on plain paper first till you get them looking right. Decal paper ain’t cheap!
I copy signs & billboards off ebay (or other places on the web). Go to collectables-advertising or collectables-paper, then search for signs, copy & paste image to a publisher desk top, crop & size for your scale
N scale 1 inch = 13.3 ft.
HO scale 1 inch = 7.2 ft.
S scale 1 inch = 5.3 ft.
O scale 1 inch = 4 ft.
( HO for me ). then save to a file. Then you can print on paper, cardstock or full sticker page. With full sticker just cut out, trim and stick to a stiff backing or right to a building. With paper or cardstock you can use double sided tape or glue of your choice. If you print on photo paper you get a glossy like sign. You can build the frame for billboards from wood stick matches or scale lumber. I have not tried decal paper but seems that you could use the same copy and paste method.
These signs on the cafe I scanned from a sign catalog.
You can also copy people to put inside your buildings, machinery for factory interiors, ect.
This is off a postcard found on ebay under collectables/paper/postcards. These are great to use as background buidings.
These are old ink blotters copied
Very nice stuff, tomkat. I’m going to steal some of your ideas. [:)] Check Wal-Mart for the Testors Custom Decal System in the toy department. It’s about $12 and includes 2 sheets of decal paper and sealer. It’s made for model cars but works just fine for model railroads too. I’m not sure I would trust it with decals for my best engine but it’s inexpensive and works fine for things like signs.
Some signs I will mount on card stock and then trim with painted strip wood to make a frame. These then attached to the wall, but are not of the “painted on” variety.
To get the painted on look with a printed sign the best way is to thin the paper with sand paper. Do this from behind prior to cutting out the sign. I tend to start with a medium grit to get the paper thin quickly and then complete it with a finer grit. Once it is almost transparent carefully glue it in place with white glue. Burnish it down carefully to conform to the wall texture. In the following examples I used this technique.
I will complete this with a light dusting of a white or grey weathering powder.
Nice job on the signs Mr Beasly! Very realistic.
Decal paper is also available from Microscale in clear and a variety of colors: http://www.microscale.com
I don’t know about signs painted on buildings, but for signs attached to buildings, I make them on Microsoft Word, print them, and attach them to the buildings with double sided tape.
Rick I use this method too but I thin the white glue with water…Cox 47
thanks for the reply. Been on vacation. How do you get the pictures to look good when you reduce for printing?