One of the structures in Walthers HO Sterling Dairy complex is a small retail store with clapboard siding. Several weeks ago, I noticed two of the decals that had been applied to clapboards had begun to peel off the siding. The only decal solvent I’ve used is Micro-Sol so I brushed that on and that worked for a while but now I see that the decals are peeling again. I’d like to save these decals since I have no suitable replacement. Is there a solvent to get old decals to adhere to the surface, especially an irregular one like clapboard siding.
Try the microsol again. After it dries, spray the area with some clear coat, crystal coat or dull coat. This will seal the decal for good.
Something else that will work is apply the micro-sol again and let it dry completely. Then mix up some Elmer’s glue with water (about 30% glue to 60% water with a drop of dishwashing soap) and brush it over the decal. Once the glue dries, spray it with dulcote…I use dilute glue for a lot of applications…it’s also great for holding 1/16" road striping to a road surface. The road striping has an adhesive backing, but over time, it will start to lift at the corners from a matte board or styrene road surface. The dilute glue keeps it securely in place. chuck
Far and away the best thing for this is Future Acrylic Floor Wax - not a wax but clear acrylic. It is very sticky so you don’t want to mess with the decal after applying. This is absolutely the best undercoat for every decal job. Any good satin or flat finish can be applied to kill the gloss.
This question begs to be asked. Did you put the decal over bare plastic or a painted surface? If it is over bare plastic it will never stick properly. In order for a decal to stick properly a glossy painted surface is needed. It is not so much the gloss in this instance as it is the paint itself. The decal glue is formulated to bond to paint. The Gloss is to allow for the decal to adhere without any air being trapped underneath and causing “silvering”. The solvents used to snuggle the decal over the surface will also soften the paint to allow better adhesion. The suggestion about using the future acrylic may work to adhere the decal when it comes loose again. I use Future to gloss coat all of my models prior to painting. I have heard of some guys over in the war modeling groups that use it as a setting solution also. I do intend to try it out someday.
Dan Pikulski