Fill a small dish with warm water and just a drop of dish washing detergent. Have tweezers and paper towels close at hand.
Cut the decal print apart, close to the printed image.
After soaking in water, home made decals will take longer to release from the backing paper than what you might be used to.
Soak only one cut off decal at a time. I let them soak for about 30 seconds in water then check it to see if it is starting to release from the backing. I gently try to slide it off the backing paper. If it isn't moving yet, it's placed back into the water.
Take some water on your finger and rub it on the model where the decal will be placed. This will give you a little more lubrication under the decal when it is first set down.
The decal should be taken out of the water and set on a paper towel to loosen up some more. You shouldn't leave small decals in the water bowl, if they come off the backing, it's hard to pick them up with the tweezers.
Check again to see if it is starting to slide from the backing paper. If so, slide just 1/4" off one side, while still keeping the rest of it on the backing. Set the 1/4" of exposed film on the model then slide the backing paper back leaving the decal on the rocket. There should still be enough water under the decal to allow re-positioning.
When the decal is in place, use a paper towel to gently work out any air bubbles and blot up excess water.
If the decal has set in the wrong place, dip a small brush into the water and work water around and under the surface. This should loosen it up to allow some movement.
Home printed decals are a different animal than silk screened decals from a kit. The image can crack if they are stretched. Solid colors tend to look translucent on a white background.
The best advice I can give is:
- Be sure it slides easily off the backing paper. If not, allow to soak and set a little longer.
- Be gentle when sliding them from the backing paper. If they are stretched, the image will crack.
No comments:
Post a Comment