ok I need to decal a few items, but it’s been 10 years since I’ve done any decal work. Will 10 year old solvaset still work?
Dan
It depends on evaporation, but it should, although some of the strong parts of the chemical mixture may have gone away.
Best to test it on something not essential with a part of the decal that you are not going to use. If it does not work, get another bottle - the stuff is cheap.
Scrap it and get a new one. It’s only a buck or so I think.
I discovered that dilution gets into the solution the way I use it and over time… like a year I get a new bottle.
[:)] Only a buck or so? I wish it was!! it’s like $3.50 at my LHS and thats cheaper than some online places.
If it’s 10 yrs. old, throw it away and get a new one…no doubt about it.
Actually as long as the bottle of solvaset has been sealed tight the stuff will be fine. I use the Microscale solutions mostly, they’re better for the thinner decals, but for thicker decals, I still pull out my 15 year old bottle of Solvaset. As solvaset comes in a glass bottle there isn’t much evaporation over time, however with most of the products in plastic (polyethylene) bottles there is quite a bit evaporation as the plastic isn’t really airtight.
I don’t think I’d trash a paint job to save $4-$5.
I bought a new bottle of Solvaset a while back, and I find it’s not as strong as the stuff I still have that’s almost ten years old !?! Anyone else find it’s weaker than it used to be “back in the day” ???
Mark.
I’ve been using Testor’s decal setting solution because it seems to work at least as well as Solvaset and it’s about $1.50 at WallyWorld. And yes, it seems to me that Solvaset is not as good as it once was at getting decals to settle into things like brick walls. The testors solution has a much stonger, almost vinegar odor and works better. For all I know, vinegar may be the main ingredient and it’s all in my imagination, but it’s much more difficult to get a decal job with Solvaset now than it was 20 years ago.
IMO I would pitch & snag a new bottle-I did the same about a year ago (mine was about 25 yrs old actually) Considering it’s known strength, etc, IMO not worth taking the chance on a model. Worth the few extra $$.
Probably the lead and formaldehyde have evaporated by now, so at least it will be safe to use.
Teditor