decals over flat paint

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I just picked up a used steamer that was custom painted but not decaled.It is a weathered,flat black.I want to put engine numbers under the cab windows,road name on the tender sides,engine number and tons/gallons on the tender rear.should I just spray a gloss coat on these areas and apply micro scale decals then finish with a dull coat?Would polly scale water based finishes work?

2

I apply decals right onto flat paint. With a little Solvaset they settle down perfectly, and a shot of DullCote makes the decal film disappear.

3

YES.

I’ve always worked with oil-based paints in these situations, so won’t comment on water-based.

Mark

4

I’d go with the gloss (or satin) spray, then the decal, and finally some more Dul-Cote and weathering. The original would have “looked good” and that should be the starting point. Subsequent weathering should start there.

5

I wouldn’t skip the glosscoat before applying the decal, since that’s what temporarily makes the decal’s surrounding area as shiny as the decal film itself. Early in my modeling career, I tried to put a decal directly on flat dark gray Floquil paint. No matter how much dullcote I sprayed on it, the decal film seemed to stay shiny while the surrounding surface got duller and duller - lesson learned![B)]

BTW, once you have the decal positioned exactly as you want it, dab some MicroSol or Solvaset on it, to make it ‘snuggle’ into the surface. Then wait for everything to completely dry for 24-36 hours, to make sure there are no air bubbles. Then it’s safe to spray on the dullcote!

6

Probably the best/easiest thing to do is use dry transfers. They prefer flat surfaces, can be covered with flat clear paint after if you think they need protection.

7

I definitely agree with Bob. The easiest and probably surest approach would be to go with dry transfers. Alternately, you could spray a clear, gloss coat on the model, apply decals and then overcoat the entire locomotive and tender with Dullcote. Depending on the quality of the model’s current paint surface, spot re-finishing of just the decalled areas could result in a distinct variation of appearance, or mottling, over the surface of the locomotive.

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