TUTORIALS - 9
APPLYING
DECALS
by Roland Meunier and Paolo Pizzi
Applying decals may seem one of the simplest jobs for a modeler, but in fact it isn't. According to any kit's instructions, you just cut a marking out of the decal sheet, soak it in water, slide it in place on the model... et voila', done. Actually that's not far from what we used to do when we were kids, right after we started painting our models.
This simple approach described by kit manufacturers does have serious drawbacks which produce results unacceptable to the adult modeler wanting to build something more than just a toy. We apply decals where a paint job would be too lengthy and/or complicated, but of course we expect from a decaled marking to look as if it were painted on. Trouble is, it's not just by soaking the decal sheet in water and sliding it onto a wing or fuselage that we can achieve that. No matter how good is our decal sheet, scrupulous surface preparation and the use of an effective setting solution is always required four our markings to look as if they were sprayed by a ground crew.
There are essentially two problems that the modeler faces when applying decals:
Even the tiniest air bubble underneath a decal produces silvering, a very unpleasant shiny spot on the marking that looks as if a drop of glue accidentally went over it. To effectively cope with that we must make sure that the surface we apply the decal on is perfectly smooth and that there are no pockets where the air can get trapped in. If the model is painted with glossy colors, chances are that the surface we are to apply the decals on is already pretty smooth. That's because gloss paint has a very smooth texture. Dull (flat) colors, on the other hand, result in a very rough paint surface (when seen through a microscope), meaning that the chances of air getting trapped in the "micro-canyons" of the flat paint are very high.
There are two methods to smooth out a painted surface and prepare it for decal application: sanding/polishing and spraying a gloss agent. The first method is the neater but by far it's also a lot more difficult, requiring great skill and great patience: you want to smooth out the surface but at the same time you don't want to accidentally expose any unpainted areas. This job is accomplished with progressively finer grades of sandpaper, starting with an already fine grade and ending with polishing paper (2000-grit or higher.)
Spraying a glossing agent is, of course, a lot easier, even though patience and skill are still required. The most common beginner errors are uneven and/or overly thick coats and runs. There are several products to gloss a dull surface, almost every paint manufacturer carries a glossing and a dulling agent in its line: some are good, some are better and some are worse. Let's see some of these products with their characteristics:
GLOSSING AGENTS
Testors' "Glosscote Laquer" is one of the oldest such
products on the market and it's been used by at least three generations of
modelers. The color is clear with a slight yellowish tinge and the consistency
is almost that of a liquid gel. Forget about applying it with a brush, no
glossing agent is really suited to be hand-brushed, but the Glosscote is
probably the one that produces the ugliest runs. Although we've heard someone
spraying this product out of the bottle and achieving good results, we strongly
advise you to thin it with at least 30-40% of lacquer thinner. Glosscote is best
applied in thin coats. It produces a very glossy surface with only a few coats
and dries fairly quickly. It is said to yellow after several years. Not entirely
compatible with some acrylic paints like Polly Scale and Aeromaster.
EASE OF APPLICATION: **
DENSITY: **
HANDBRUSHING: *
THINNING: *** (with lacquer thinner)
GLOSSING QUALITY: ***1/2
DRYING TIME: ****
COMPATIBILITY: ***
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
Humbrol's "Clear" is another "classic" product
that has been on the shelves for several decades. Very popular in Europe, it is
hardly ever used in the US and Japan, probably because in those countries it's a
lot more expensive. It comes in the typical tin jar of all Humbrol paints and it
has a more liquid consistency when compared to Testors' Glosscote. It is easier
to spray, it can also be used out of the bottle, but for best results we suggest
thinning it with 20-30% of Humbrol's own thinner. The surface it produces is
definitely not as shiny as one sprayed with Glosscote and therefore it may
require more coats if absolute gloss is what you need. This product is best
indicated to gloss enamel paints, particularly Humbrol's own. Do not use it over
any type of acrylic colors or funny things may happen. It dries in several hours
(6-7 at least.)
EASE OF APPLICATION: ***
DENSITY: ***
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with Humbrol thinner)
GLOSSING QUALITY: **
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: *1/2
PRICE: **
OVERALL JUDGMENT: **
Microscale's
"Micro Gloss" is a relatively newer product, conceived in the age
of more sophisticated far more demanding modelers. It has the consistency and
the color of milk, but once dry it becomes perfectly clear. Its biggest
advantage is in time and ease of use since it can be sprayed right out of the
bottle rather liberally, without worrying too much about runs (if you do, thin
it with 10-15% of distilled water and it'll become even more liquid.) In
addition, Micro Gloss can be easily removed with water. The main disadvantage of
this product is its rather poor glossing quality, it does take quite a lot of
coats before you reach the glossy surface produced by a couple of coats of
Glosscote or Future. It dries in 6-7 hours. Because it's water based, it's
virtually compatible with anything. -------------------------
----------------------- ---------------------
EASE OF APPLICATION: ****
DENSITY: ****
HANDBRUSHING: ***
THINNING: *** (with distilled water)
GLOSSING QUALITY: *1/2
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: ****
PRICE: **
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***1/2
The
newest of all glossing agents is Model Masters' "Acryl
Gloss", part of a new acrylic line introduced a couple of years ago by Testors
which replaced the infamous Model Masters Acrylics, known to be among the
poorest hobby colors on the market. In color and consistency, Acryl is very
similar to Micro Gloss and, like the Microscale product, it can be removed with
water. It can be sprayed out of the bottle or thinned in distilled water (or in
Model Master's own acrylic thinner), however we have found that rubbing alcohol
makes it flow much better in the airbrush (10-15% will do) while thinning it as
effectively as distilled water. Unfortunately, with Micro Gloss this product
shares the poor glossing quality and it does take several coats to achieve a
super-gloss surface.
EASE OF APPLICATION: ***1/2
DENSITY: ***1/2
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with rubbing alcohol)
GLOSSING QUALITY: **
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: ****
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
Johnson
& Johnson's "Future" (a.k.a. "Klear" or "Kleer"
in Europe) is not really a hobby product but a household acrylic wax. Some
modelers are curious and experiment with anything, others just follow the herd.
So, one day one guy discovered that Future is an excellent glossing agent and
after a while the entire modeling world followed. Future is very liquid and
absolutely clear, as an added bonus it even smells nicely, unlike any other
glossing agent. Some people spray it out of the bottle, however if you want to
avoid the risk of producing runs on your model, we suggest you thin Future with
20-30% of rubbing alcohol and apply it in thin coats. The glossing quality of
Future is outstanding, you will get super-shiny just with a few coats. To a
certain degree, this product self-levels, meaning that it can actually be
applied with a brush (though none of us have ever tried that...) Future is also
used by aircraft modelers to make transparencies super-clear. In this case, all
you have to do is dip your canopy into Future and let it dry. Drying time is
quite long and I know this annoys some modelers, we usually leave a model
treated with Future dry overnight. Compatibility is good, all enamels won't be
affected and most of the acrylics. Unfortunately it seems that Gunze's
acrylics do not always tolerate this product (we both had bad experiences, it
can't be a coincidence...) and since those are by far the most popular ones, the
vote on compatibility is greatly reduced.
EASE OF APPLICATION: **1/2
DENSITY: ***1/2
HANDBRUSHING: ***
THINNING: *** (with rubbing alcohol)
GLOSSING QUALITY: ***1/2
DRYING TIME: *1/2
COMPATIBILITY: **1/2
PRICE: ****
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***1/2
NOTES:
Ease of application - *=hard ****=easy
Density - *=gel ****=liquid
Handbrushing - *=hard ****=easy
Thinning - *=hard ****=easy
Glossing quality - *=not glossy enough ****=very glossy
Drying time - *=long ****=short
Compatibility - *=poor ****=excellent
Price - *=expensive ****=cheap - (based on average between Europe and the US)
Overall judgment - *=poor **=average ***=good ****=excellent
How to apply the decals
First of all a tip regarding the water: never use too cold or too hot, lukewarm is the way to go. And now a secret: add a few drops of liquid soap (a mild type preferably) to your water and the decals will slide a lot better.
Forget about using your bare fingers to apply and position the decals or you may end up with visible fingerprints on your finished model (guess how I learned that...) Always wear latex gloves. When you need to nudge a marking into position, your fingers may be too clumsy and you may want to use fine tweezers. Don't forget to cover the tips with something soft so that they won't scratch or hole the marking. We both use a pair of tweezers with their tips covered by dabs of dried liquid mask. Works perfectly!
Cut the marking out of the sheet and soak it in the water for 10-15 seconds, not longer than that or it may detach and float in the water (if this happens, try to put the marking back onto its carrier paper.) Once you have applied and correctly positioned the decal, blot it over with blotting paper (do not use toilet paper, its fiber is too hairy and will stick all over the place) and make sure that no air is trapped underneath.
Not all decal sheets are created equal, averagely those found in modern kits are far better than those in older boxes, but even among modern sheets there's good and bad. Like we said before, the thickness of the decal is the principal obstacle to achieving a "painted-on" look, yet thicker decals are not necessarily the worst. To reduce thickness and make the decals look as if they were painted, we use a product called "setting solution". This literally "melts" the decal into the painted surface. A decal is good when it reacts well to the setting solution and snugs down to the surface. It's bad when it stays thick. Of course there are decals that are already very thin and therefore should make the job a lot simpler. Unfortunately it's not always the case. When decals are too thin they become harder to handle and more prone to breakage. This is the case, for example, of several decal sheets produced in eastern Europe and commonly found in limited-run injection-molded kits. Aftermarket sheets from specialized companies such as Aeromaster, Cutting Edge, Eagle Decals, Microscale, Third Group etc. usually strike a perfect balance between thinness and rigidity: they are thin enough to react well with setting solutions but at the same time they are stiff enough to resist handling and placing. No wonder most modelers always buy third party decals, they might be a little expensive but they're usually worth every penny.
Several setting solutions are available on the market. In this article though I will only list those I'm familiar with and that I have extensively tested and used. There isn't a "good-for-all" solution, though Gunze's Mister Mark Softer in my humble opinion comes pretty close to that definition and therefore it's my favorite. Let's see the characteristics of these products:
SETTING SOLUTIONS
Microscale's
"Micro Set" is what we can describe as a "mild" setting
solution. It works very well with thin decals and aftermarket sheets when the
marking is applied to a flat and smooth surface. It is important to note that
the more a setting solution is effective, the less it is compatible with every
type of decal. Stronger solutions may work very well with thicker decals and may
tame and force even the most stubborn marking onto the most complex surface, but
they're also likely to destroy thin decals. Not to mention that stronger
solutions may also corrode the underneath paint or glossing agent. What's good
about Micro Set is that it can be used with virtually anything and when you need
a little more force on a complex surface, you can use Micro Sol over Micro Set
with no compatibility problems. -----------------------
----------------------- ---------------------
EFFECTIVENESS: **
COMPATIBILITY: ****
DRYING TIME: **1/2
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: **1/2
Microscale's
Micro Sol is a slightly stronger solution than Micro Set, indicated for
those cases requiring more "energy" like, for example, the application
of a marking over a more complex surface. In fact Micro Sol is still a pretty
mild product and retains the large compatibility of Micro Set, meaning that you
can use Micro Sol instead of its weaker brother anytime. We have tested
Micro Sol with virtually every type of decal and we experienced minimal problems
only with a few Propagteam sheets (notoriously among the thinnest on the
market.) Micro Sol works perfectly with mainstream third-party decals, however
in extreme cases (such as the application of a marking all around the nose cone
of a jet fighter) even repeated application may not be sufficient and something
stronger may be required.
EFFECTIVENESS: **1/2
COMPATIBILITY: ***1/2
DRYING TIME: **1/2
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
Gunze's
Mr. Mark Softer is, in our opinion, the best overall setting solution,
striking an almost perfect balance between effectiveness and compatibility. This
is a relatively new product, first appearing on the market only 5-6 years ago.
It comes with an applicator brush, though we found that its bristles may be a
little too stiff and therefore we suggest using a soft brush in its place. In
our tests, Mr. Mark Softer performed brilliantly: it worked very well with every
type of decal, even the thinnest ones. This product does a very good job of
taming even the most stubborn decal and making markings conform to complex
surfaces. We found only a few extreme cases in which we needed something
stronger. Unlike the Microscale products, Mr. Mark Softer does not give out any
unpleasant smell.
EFFECTIVENESS: ***
COMPATIBILITY: ****
DRYING TIME: ***
PRICE: **
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***1/2
Solvaset
is produced and distributed by Walthers, a world-renowned mail-order
company for hobby train products. We can call it the "heavy artillery"
of decal setting solutions as it is by far the strongest of the bunch. Of course
such might comes at a price: Solvaset will virtually disintegrate thin decals,
eat through any acrylic and, after a while, even through a glossing agent. Never
the warning sentence "use sparingly" was more appropriate than
with Solvaset... Of course if your decals are of a thicker type (such as those
found in recent kits produced by Tamiya), Solvaset will do a beautiful
job in half of the time compared to any other setting solution, though you
should still exercise extreme care to avoid unpleasant side effects with your
paint finish. We use Solvaset only in extreme cases, the first example that
comes to our mind is the corrugated surface of either Pro Modeler's
(1/48) or Italeri's (1/72) Junkers Ju 52, over which every type of
decal would have a very tough time.
EFFECTIVENESS: ****
COMPATIBILITY: **
DRYING TIME: ***
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: **
NOTES:
Efeectiveness - *=weak ****=very strong
Compatibility - *=poor ****=excellent
Drying time - *=long ****=short
Price - *=expensive ****=cheap - (based on average between Europe and the US)
Overall judgment - *=poor **=average ***=good ****=excellent
How to apply the setting solution
Once the decal is in place, correctly positioned and with no air bubbles underneath, it's time to apply our setting solution. Use a soft brush for the purpose, even when the solution comes with an applicator. This way you will reduce the risk of scratching your marking or dragging it out of position. The setting solution can be applied liberally over the decals, though you must make sure to blot out any excess outside of the marking with blotting paper or it may leave a trace later (do not blot the marking once the solution has been applied, that's a recipe for instant disaster!) As the setting solution starts to react, the decal will shrink and curl and will look pretty ugly for a while. Don't worry, it's perfectly NORMAL. Resist the temptation of touching the decals after the setting solution has been applied or you may cause permanent damage to the markings of your models.
Normally, one application of the setting solution should do the job, however in some cases you may need to repeat it, when the marking hasn't perfectly set down. This happens more often when the decal is applied to a complex surface. If the marking hasn't snugged down after several applications, you may consider using a stronger solution, but not before checking for compatibility. Strong setting solutions like Solvaset are too violent for some decals and may result in permanent damage of the marking.
Assuming you've done a nice job with your decal application, leave your model to dry overnight before you do anything else and then proceed with a "sealing coat": a light application of the glossing agent thinly sprayed to seal your markings and prevent accidental damage.
Once the final glossy coat is fully dry, it's time to revert our surface to a dull one (assuming that it's precisely what the model calls for.) Once again, paint manufacturers carry dulling agents and you have a valid "low-cost" alternative:
The
companion to Glosscote Laquer is Testors' "Dullcote Lacquer",
for years one of very few alternatives on the market, extensively used by
hundreds of thousands modelers all over the world. As with Glosscote, Dullcote
has a clear color with a slight yellowish tinge and the thick consistency of a
liquid gel. It is definitely too dense to be sprayed out of the bottle (it could
go though the airbrush but it may produce a so-called "orange peel"
finish, which will ruin your model), we suggest thinning it with at least 30-40%
of lacquer thinner and spraying it in thin coats. Dullcote produces a very dull
finish, albeit somewhat "silky". We definitely like the final result,
although reportedly this product may yellow over the years. One of the best
assets of Dullcote is that it dries VERY quickly. This product is compatible
with almost anything but it's best when sprayed over Glosscote.
Handbrushing Dullcote is out of the question.
EASE OF APPLICATION: **
DENSITY: **
HANDBRUSHING: *
THINNING: *** (with lacquer thinner)
DULLING QUALITY: ***
DRYING TIME: ****
COMPATIBILITY: ***
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
Humbrol's
"Flat" is the counterpart to Clear and it was designed to work
with the latter. Like Clear, Flat is very popular in Europe and hardly ever used
in the US and Japan, once again because in those countries it's a lot more
expensive. It comes in the typical tin jar of all Humbrol paints and it has a
more liquid consistency when compared to Testors' Dullcote. It is easier to
spray and can be also used out of the bottle, but for best results we suggest
thinning it with 20-30% of Humbrol's own thinner. Flat produces a semi-dull
finish which is perfect for airplanes without too much weathering on. As with
Clear, this product is not compatible with acrylic paint. It dries in several
hours (6-7 at least.)
EASE OF APPLICATION: ***
DENSITY: ***
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with Humbrol thinner)
DULLING QUALITY: **
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: *1/2
PRICE: **
OVERALL JUDGMENT: **
Microscale's
dulling agent is Micro Flat. As with Micro Gloss, this product is water
soluble. It has the consistency and the color of milk, but once dry it becomes
perfectly clear. Its biggest advantage is in time and ease of use since it can
be sprayed right out of the bottle rather liberally, without worrying too much
about runs (if you do, thin it with 10-15% of distilled water and it'll become
even more liquid.) In addition, Micro Flat can be easily removed with water. The
main disadvantage of this product is that it takes quite a lot of coats before
you reach a dull surface, which will never be dead-flat but rather semi-dull.
But if that is what you're looking for, then Micro Flat is definitely a very
good alternative. It dries in 6-7 hours. Because it's water based, it's
virtually compatible with anything. -----------------------
----------------------- --------------------- -----------------------
----------------------- ---------------------
EASE OF APPLICATION: ****
DENSITY: ****
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with distilled water)
DULLING QUALITY: **
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: ****
PRICE: **
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
Model
Masters' "Acryl Dull" is the newest dulling agent on the
market, like Acryl Gloss, it's part of the new acrylic line recently introduced
by Testors . In color and consistency, Acryl is very similar to Micro
Flat and, like the Microscale product, it can be removed with water. It can be
sprayed out of the bottle or thinned in distilled water (or in Model Master's
own acrylic thinner), however we have found that rubbing alcohol makes it flow
much better in the airbrush (10-15% will do) while thinning it as effectively as
distilled water. Unfortunately, with Micro Flat this product shares the poor
effectiveness and it does take several coats before you achieve a dull surface.
Unlike Micro Flat, however, Acryl Dull produces a dead flat finish, perfect for
weathered models. It dries in 6-7 hours and since it's water based, it's
virtually compatible with anything.
EASE OF APPLICATION: ***1/2
DENSITY: ***1/2
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with rubbing alcohol)
DULLING QUALITY: ***
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: ****
PRICE: ***
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
The latest in low-cost/high-effectiveness alternatives for modelers is the
combination of Future and Tamiya's Flat Base (X-21.) As
crazy as this idea may sound, it is in fact by far the most versatile. By
changing the mixing ratio between the two products, you can achieve virtually
any finish ranging from semi-gloss (90% Future, 10% Flat Base) to dead flat (50%
Future, 50% Flat Base) and anything in between. Never exceed 50% of flat base or
you may experience the fogging of your paint finish. Once you have mixed the
two, you may want to thin them a bit with 20-30% of rubbing alcohol so that they
flow better in the airbrush and are applied in thinner coats. Always use this
combination over a surface previously glossed with Future. We tried using it
over parts treated with other glossing agents with disastrous results.
EASE OF APPLICATION: **
DENSITY: ***
HANDBRUSHING: **
THINNING: *** (with rubbing alcohol)
DULLING QUALITY: ****
DRYING TIME: **
COMPATIBILITY: *1/2
PRICE: ****
OVERALL JUDGMENT: ***
NOTES:
Ease of application - *=hard ****=easy
Density - *=gel ****=liquid
Handbrushing - *=hard ****=easy
Thinning - *=hard ****=easy
Dulling quality - *=not dull enough ****=very dull
Drying time - *=long ****=short
Compatibility - *=poor ****=excellent
Price - *=expensive ****=cheap - (based on average between Europe and the US)
Overall judgment - *=poor **=average ***=good ****=excellent