decals

[andywhitam]

Is anyone else having problems with Guillows decals pealing off ?

[Mitch]

YES... and no.

I have some models where they peeled off. Most of my models they stay put. I believe the problem is not in the decal, but the surface preparation.

For the decal to adhere to the paper model the paper MUST be completely sealed with dope. Decals also like a smooth surface. So if you dope, then paint your model you are undermining the decal adhesion.

For flying models now, I usually copy the decals and glue the paper copy to the model. Then cover with one more coat of dope.

Mitch

[Wildpig]

Mitch is right. It's all in the surface prep. If you dope the tissue or using Krylon Acrylic sealer the decals will stick. Most of the time. Sometimes they peel off anyway. In that case, I rub a little UHU stick glue on the model and press the decal back on.

Again, like Mitch said, photocopy the decal onto some tissue paper and cut out the part you want. Stick glue that to the model.
Takes more time, but looks really nice.

Something you could experiment with, I never tried it on tissue models, is Microscale's MicroSet. It helps decals adhere to plastic models very well.

[Mitch]

The reason I started doing this is three-fold. I am building my models to fly, therefore:

1. I am putting on as light a coat of dope as necessary. Maybe not enough for surface prep for decals.
2. Some of my models are OOP. Therefore I save the decals for reference.
3. Sometimes I print insignia or squadron markings from the internet.

With all this said, a highly doped model with decals that are applied well looks very nice indeed!

Mitch

[Mitch]

The internet is very slow tonight. I posted my msg twice. I tried to delete the duplicate.

[Bill Gaylord]

A few things I've found that help with decal adhesion:
Apply Pacer canopy glue, which is basically white glue around the edges of the decals. White glue should work just as well, only being less waterproof.
Take unused decal material paper and wipe the surface of the model with the wet decal paper in the area that the decal is to be applied, to pre-apply additional adhesive to the surface before applying the decal. This will also pre-wet the surface and reduce surface tension so the water doesn't bead, allowing for easier positioning of the decal.

[andywhitam]

Thanks for the info. Looking back I can see why some peel and some dont. I build my models to fly and usually do not paint them, only using color tissue and clear dope. These do not peel but I had to paint a 500 series P-40 and the decals peeled. I think I will take the time on the next kit to copy the decals on to tissue and save the decals. Thanks