Scavenger! Build Part 27 Decal

Only one post today - this is long one!

I ended up printing two sizes of the Scavenger name and picked the smaller of the two.
The only decal on this rocket is the name - big and simple.

The name decal was printed on Bel decal paper on my ink jet printer.
Two light coats of Krylon clear gloss were sprayed, followed by a third thicker spray coat.
The gloss coat was allowed to thoroughly dry before soaking the decal in water.

TIP: The ink on a home printed decal can disolve in the water soak if the clear coats aren't applied correctly. These decals will not stretch like a silk screened kit decal. Be sure the surface you are transferring the decal on has a rub of water on it. If you push or pull on the decal when it has started to set, the printed area will show cracks.

I took a few minutes to find the best placement and visual center from front to rear.
I prefer a decal like this to read "up" or toward the nose. If the rocket is going up, the name should read going up.
Military and NASA names, like on the Saturn V, read down. But, those letters are stacked, not side by side like on the Scavenger.

TIP: Hand written scripts should normally be set in upper and lower. It's hard to read a hand written or brush style font set in all caps. Note I said "normally". This is a rare case where a script font was set in all caps and was still readable.

This is a big, long decal. To make placement easier, it was cut in two before soaking in water.

I had already drew small pencil tick marks on the body tube at the position edge of the letter "S" and ending "R".
The first half of the decal "SCAVE" was soaked for 30 seconds and checked. It wasn't easily sliding off the backing paper yet so it was soaked again for 15 more seconds.
It still was holding tight to the back and had a final 15 second soak.
The body tube got a rub of water before the decal was slid into place. You are working against the clock, especially with home printed decals. That bit of water on the tube surface will let you slide and play with the position before the decal has a chance to "lock" in the wrong place.


Positioning a script font like this is different.
You should sight from the rear and visually center between the fins.
The letters in this font don't follow a base line.

Keep the first half of the name wet while the second half is soaking.
You may have to move it again when the two halves are joined.