MODELING It's Monday, August 10th 2020: Weekend Modeling Accomplishments

Jim Wiggin Aug 10, 2020

  1. wpsnts

    wpsnts TrainBoard Supporter

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    While attempting to slide the decal off of the backing sheet the leading edge kept folding under itself. Near impossible to absolutely impossible for me to get it undone. It's very frustrating as they are custom decals and replacements will not be cheap. Oh well, c'est la vie.
     
  2. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    Ouch, that does sound like a huge pain and is partially why I haven't attempted to renumber/reletter any of the fleet that need it...
     
  3. rch

    rch TrainBoard Member

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    I've had a similar problem with decals in the past and I've come up with a method that minimizes those kind of problems. The thing I would recommend is to slide the decal onto a droplet of whatever you are using to wet the decals.

    I used water to wet decals for decades but now I don't use it at all. Instead I use vinegar to wet the decal on the model, then after thirty seconds or so (if the decal is ready to slide), I use a paintbrush to place a drop of vinegar next to the decal and slide it into the droplet. I remove the backing paper and position the decal where I want it then wick away about half of the droplet with brush, adjusting the decal position as needed. Once the decal starts to dry but before it dries completely I place a drop or two of Micro-Sol on the decal taking care not to dislodge the decal. Once the Micro-Sol dries the decal is pretty much good to go, but if there's any silvering I add a drop or two of Solvaset. With Solvaset you have to be very careful not to put any pressure on the decal because it can distort easily at this point. That's why I only use Solvaset if the Micro-Sol doesn't get the job done.

    It's time consuming to use this method on big models but it works very well. The majority of decals I use are Microscale, but I also use a lot of Oddballs, Highball Graphics and Herald King.
     
    SP-Wolf, BNSF FAN and Mark St Clair like this.

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