Decals ripping during slide off

[slookabill]

Too often my decals from kits think they're all ALPS printed, end up ripping as I'm trying to pull them off the decal paper, or manuver them. Does anyone have any suggestions? Do I need to leave them soak longer/shorter or wait longer/shorter between waiting to pull them off the paper? Wet fingers with water/future? This is really frustrating and usually creates a backlog in my kit completion area.

[dizzyfugu]

Sometimes, the carrier film is utterly thin and highly hazardous to handle. Many films used for home-printing are very fragile, but there are also occasions from NiB aftermarket sheets that literally disintegrate once you put them on the water. Some old decals also become brittle and fall apart into a zillion tiny pieces when soaked - old Monogram decals are notorious for this.

The soaking period is also very individual. I found that some decals take ages to fully detach from the paper carrier (e.g. some old Arii decals), while others just need a short dip and immediately separate - actually, any soaking for more than 5 sec. makes the carrier film so soft that the decal becomes almost impossibel to handle!

Wet fingers while handling a wet decal are IMHO a good idea, as well as wetting the underground where the decal is supposed to slide. Very fragile stuff is actually best handled through cutting the carrier paper out as close to the decal as possible, and then carefully slide the wet decal over to its target surface, not picking it up at all.

Another method to stabilize fragile decals is to cover it with a thin varnish coat before wetting it, just like a home-printed decal. The thin film stabilizes the decal fragments, but it only works if you can quickly soak the carrier paper and get the decal moveable, otherwise the varnish film will easily soften.

[naoto]

as dizzyfugu stated, how decals behave vary from case to case. When in doubt, try one of the more easily-replaced or less-noticeable ones on the sheet to see how well it goes. If you immediately run into a problem, then putting a clear coat over the sheet to stabilize them is needed -- and you probably don't want to be using a water-soluble clearcoat. Another problem I'd run across with some decals is that the adhesive either washes away completely or simply doesn't "grab" when dry -- in this case I've resorted to applying some thinned white glue (very thin - mostly water and not much glue) to the surface before prior to applying the glue. After the decal is positioned, I wick away the water from the edges and gently blot the area. After allowing it to dry, I go over the area with a damp Q-tip to clean up the glue residue.

[DaveVan]

Every decal??? Sounds like defective carrier (the clear lacquer halo around the image) or improper storage. (exposed to light or humidity) As suggested test on a decal that is not vital if possible. Decal sheet can be sprayed with clear gloss to make them stronger.

[DaveVan]

I have been a decal manufacture for almost 40 years. I have made decals with old school screen printing, ALPS and now what I call digital hybrid.
Here is MY WAY of decal application....not the only way....but works for me for many years.

Start with a clean and glossy surface. Use whatever method you like to get there. I like a clear spray like Testors gloss coat or Tamiya.

Regardless of decal type here is how I apply decals.

I cut the decal from the sheet as close to the image as possible. I have a small pair of scissors that are sharp and easy to cut around small images.

Using tweezers I dip the decal in warm water for about 10 seconds.

I place decal on a damp paper towel and allow the decal to ‘cook’ as its called. This can vary by decal paper maker. It can be anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute or two. When decal moves easily on paper backing it is ready to apply.

On surface of model put two or three drops of water. With tweezers place decal on model body where you want to apply. With your finger move the decal image off the paper just enough to use your tweezers to pull the decal paper from under the decal image. This will keep as much air out from under the decal.

Position the decal image in the exact spot you want it. With the slightly damp paper towel blot the water from the decal.

Making sure the decal is positioned in the correct spot, make a squeegee from the damp paper towel and from the center of the decal out to the edge squeegee out all the water and some of the glue. This will keep the decal from turning yellow as it ages.

IF needed I will use Walthers Solvaset decal solution. Go light as it is a strong solvent but works
Well for me.

After the decals dry for a day or two I apply a coat of Future Floor Shine with a 1 in wide soft sable brush that is only used for Future. Allow to dry overnight and all should be good!!!

Good luck!

[seam-filler]

I have to agree with DaveVan - really sound advice.

Here are a few extra hints of mine...

Instead of using tweezers and/or damp paper towel to position the decal, I have been using artist's silicon shaping brushes (usually quite soft ones). They give a bit of control, are gentle on the decal and are not at all absorbent. The really soft, flat ones can even be used as a sqeeqee.

I use surgical (lint-free) swabs to blot excess water. They are really absorbent and do not leave any fibres behind. Stick them in a plastic tray and leave them on a radiator for a day or two and you can even re-use them!

When layering decals (e.g. the modern way of 'building' swastikas in modern WWII kits) - you must leave to first layer to dry thoroughly. At least a day, if not two. It doesn't hurt to apply a layer of Future (or whatever varnish) on the first layer before you put on the second.

Hope this helps.

[SpaceRanger1]

NEVER touch decals with fingers or hard object to slide them off the backing paper. Instead, use a soft, quality brush, such as an artist's sable hair brush. Buy a small one and use it exclusively for decals.

[EVApodman]

I had the Vulcan shuttle re-pop and the decals were so fragile they broke up before I could apply them. To solve this I had to spray the sheets with Testors GlossCote several times to make them thick enough to stay together.

Unfortunately this meant I had to trim every decal close to the edge prior to putting them in water.

On the other side of the coin the decals for the BOP model had as much elasticity as vinyl and refused to adhere closel to the surface no matter how much solvent I put on them. Finally I scrapped them as they were a minor detail that no one would ever notice.

[seam-filler]

If there are any decals on a sheet that I am never going to use, I often (I honestly can't say "always" ) try them out on the sort of finish and surface the rest are planned for.

This includes testing how long the need to "cook" (see DaveMan's post), brittleness or elasticity (do they shatter or do they stretch?), how they react to setting solutions, do they even stick?, color intensity (i.e. is the ink so thin the color of the decal on the model looks faded), et cetera. Sometimes, the manufacturer's logo, stock number or the little indicator numbers have been printed as decals (you can tell by the carrier film around them) which you can also use for experiments.

There are so many magazine, club magazine, books, forums and internet pages written on decals over the past 50 years or so that, aside from the basic "slowly, carefully and gently" advice given so far in this thread your mind would blow. The posts above have all provided sound advice. But you need to experiment yourself. There are tips & techniques I've developed or picked up but, by and large, the fundamental basics work.

To prove how fickle decals can be, I recently built a Revell 1/24 UH-1 for a friend - the kit was new. The decals were completely unusable. Some shattered, some stretched more than Reed Richards and the register (the way different colors are aligned) was out - marginal but noticeable. All issues on the same sheet!!!

I found a full sheet in my decal album which I know for an absolute fact came from a kit it bought before 1973. The carrier film was a bit yellow, so I added a few drops of acetic acid (white vinegar does just as well) to the warm water, made sure I'd added a bit of white glue (PVA adhesive) to the water I placed on the model surface to help with adhesion and voilá - saved me loadsa money on replacements.

Sorry - no photos. I'm a model maker not a photographer.

[naoto]

Another "just in case" step you can perform (provided you have the equipment) before doing anything with the decals -- scan the decals into the computer. That way if there *is* a problem, you *might* have a chance to create new ones (assuming that transparent/translucent nature of inkjet won't be a problem or workaround that could be performed).