have purchased a few freight cars (data only) and want to try decaling them. I am doing HO and have purchased the neccessary items i.e. tweezers, and softening solution and hobby knife. how can i make sure the decals go on straight? . what is setting solution and is it neccessary? i don’t want to get any foging.
Not for your first decal project, but for (sorry, no pun intended) future use.
Also, get yourself a foam cradle (example Bowser foam cradle), or make one yourself, to hold your model flat and steady while you decal the sides. I find mine (not Bowser, but similar) very helpful.
Here is thread on the topic
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/207702/2273183.aspx#2273183
Many use Future floor wax {by Pledge} to creat a smooth surface to which apply the decal before using solvaset, etc.
Andy says here in his post to the following thread: "I use Pledge With Future acrylic floor wax (it’s ready to airbrush right from the bottle too, believe it or not) as a clear finish before applying decals"
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/206400/2258358.aspx#2258358
here is another thread devoted to the subject:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/182216/1994425.aspx#1994425
Here Archer says:
"Brush on a coat of Future floor wax over the area to receive the decals, let dry, then apply the decals as above. After they’ve dried, at least a few days, spray or brush over a dullcoat. "
If you do a “search the community” on the right side margin for “future floor wax” you will get many threads about it, OR you could start your own thread to get fresher ideas on using Future floor wax. Sounds crazy I know, but works!
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DON’T use Pledge or any other kind of wax. Over time the decals will break down and crack. Use proper decal setting solution. I’ve built 100’s of 1/24 scale model cars and not near as many boxcars and have never had a problem with decals sitting flush against a body using this stuff.
Hmm. Decals. OK, start with a clean surface, either fresh paint, or, wash the car with soap and water and let dry. Don’t touch the cleaned car with bare hands, the oil in fingerprints can cause failure-to-stick. Decals stick happily to flat paint, most model railroad paints and rattle can auto primers. I don’t gloss coat before decaling.
Trim the dry decals as close as you can, it reduces the amount of film to show. Soak in water until the decal slides over the backing paper just a bit. Place the wet decal, paper and all, on the model in the right place. Slide the wet backing paper out from under the decal.
Tease the decal into proper location. Keep the surface wet, use a paintbrush or a sharp needle to coax the decal into just the right position, and get it level. Check positioning, use a square or dividers to make sure it’s square and level.
Blot up excess water with a Kleenix, if necessary to get the decal to settle down on the model, rather than floating about on a drop of water. Recheck positioning.
Let dry enough to fix the decal in position. Then apply Solva-set to the entire decal. Solva-set softens to decal film and allows it to conform to the surface of the model, and snuggle down over rivets. While soft, any attempt to move the decal will tear it, so don’t. Make sure it is in the right place, and firmly stuck down, BEFORE using Solva-set.
There has been some discussion over the years about the differences and virtues of the various decal setting solutions. I woouldn’t know. I always use Solva-set, the Walthers brand.
Let the decal dry overnight. If air bubbles and white spots appear on the decal give it some more Solvaset and puncture the bubbles with a needle. This is seldom a problem for me, but I mention it.
When the deca
Even the guys in the link about Future I provided in my post above don’t seem to like using Future as a decal setting solution (although they mention how to do it - sounds iffy) - however, it does make an excellent base gloss coat for decaling - just make sure (and the article stresses this) that the future is DRY (48 hours or more). You can use your standard decal techniques and setting solution etc at that point, just like you would on a gloss paint finish. When the decal is satisfactory (no silvering or bubbles), then give it a gloss coat or coat of Future again (to really hide the decal edges), and after that dries finally add the dullcoat and other weathering. Made even Custom Decals printed on Testors paper look decent.
If you use a good decal setting solution it basically sucks itself to the item your decaling. You don’t need a gloss coat to make it stick better. When laying decals using the proper product is important for a great looking model.
I dunno about this. OK, paint technology moves on, and what I learned in the '90s may not be as true, but the idea is that gloss (or rather, a smooth surface finish - I guess Scalecoat and ModelFlex are examples of smooth finishes that are not ultra glossy [but aren’t flat either], but are still good for decalling), the idea being that flat finishes are rather rough (in relative terms) compared to gloss finishes, and the decal adheres better and is less likely to have silvering when applied to a gloss finish as opposed to a flat finish, decal setting solution “suckage” or not.
For me, it’s usually gloss (or smooth) finish coat + decal + micro-sol/micro-set + overcoat of gloss + overcoat of dull-coat or matte/semi-gloss + weathering.
Remember to use a shallow lid to soak the decals in water, so you won’t go crazy trying to dig out the decal with tweezers after it sinks to the bottom in a deep cup…
Go read up decal setting solutions on some model car building websites. The solution is designed to enable the decal you are applying to form around anything, sharp curves, indents like hood lines, rivets on boxcars etc. The stuff has been around for decades so it was around in the 90’s. I’ve been using it since the 80’s right up until now. Maybe even give it a try…