Decal excess film..

[LuiS_42]

Do you guys remove all the excess carrier film on the sides of your decals? leaving just the actual decal? lines on the sides of decals can get irritating sometimes.. sorry for all the "decal" words! LOL

[Kylwell]

I trim pretty close to the art on the decal. On custom decals, where the entire sheet is carrier, I'll cut out a block then lightly cut the carrier close around the art. Then when it's wet I can peel off the excess carrier leaving me something to hold onto when I transfer the decal.

[Mr. Badwrench]

Trimming the extra decal film away is tedious but worth the effort. The lines on the sides of the decals as you noted, (silvering) can be reduced or eliminated by following a careful procedure. First, always apply decals to a glossy surface. Wet the surface with Micro-Set before placing the decal. You can also wet the surface with water, a water white-glue mixture, or Future. I've had the best results with Micro-Set and Future. Then use a Q-Tip to wick the moisture away from the decal as you position it. Roll the Q-Tip from the middle to the edges, pressing out all the bubbles. Don't drag the Q-Tip across the decal, just roll it. If the decal doesn't want to settle down, use a little Micro-Sol, it will dissolve the carrier film somewhat. In fact, use a little Micro-Sol even if the decals are behaving, they just look better afterwards. It's hard to say how much to use though. Really nice decals won't need much. Thin decals might break apart under the strain of the solvent. Some thick decals won't settle down even if you hose the stuff on. Always try this with some spare decals off the sheet first to see how they behave. When the decals have dried, sometimes it is necessary to apply a little more Micro-Sol or -Set, and work it with the Q-Tip some more. Finally gloss coat over the decals again. Even if you are eventually going to satin or flat coat the model, a gloss coat over the decals must come before that.

All this attention will help blend the decals to the surface, making them look like they were painted on. It should take care of the silvering too. "Should" I say, because sometimes even all that preparation isn't enough.

[Kylwell]

I've had decals that took 10 minutes of soaking to release and umpteen coats of MicroSol to snug down. Miserably thick bastages they were.

Makes one love those super thin decals from Hasegawa.