How do you protect water slide decal?

[ychanus]

Do you guys just apply some clear flat paint on top of the decal? I remembered reading somewhere that there is something you can put on to melt the decal onto the model surface, but I can't find the thread anymore.

Thanks!

[Grayson72]

Well the stuff you use to melt the decal isn't to protect it, it's called MicroSol and it's to make the decal form to irregular shapes. I use Future floor wax to seal in my decals and then a coat of Lacquer based dulcoat to flaten it out (since Future is real shiny)

[Valk009]

Yep, Grayson72's way is the way to go!

And if you want to get a really cool finish, after the first clear coat you will need to buff the kit with very fine polish, this will result in the edges of the decals to vanish, giving it a really real and natural finish After that a last coat of clear coat to seal the deal

[Ido]

What means "buff the kit with very fine polish"?(English isn't my main lenguage)

You mean using a polish compound like tamiya or airbrush again a second clear coat?

[ychanus]

Well the stuff you use to melt the decal isn't to protect it, it's called MicroSol and it's to make the decal form to irregular shapes.  I use Future floor wax to seal in my decals and then a coat of Lacquer based dulcoat to flaten it out (since Future is real shiny)

1st step: MicroSol

2nd step: floor wax.

3rd step: dulcoat.

????

Where do you find MicroSol?

Can I use flat clear paint as the final dulcoat?

[Mechmaster]

Most good model shops should have MicroSol, what it does is to soften the film of the decal so if you apply it to an irregular surface, one with panel lines or raised detail for instance, the film will follow the surface better. Obviously if you apply decals to a smooth flat surface you will not really need the MicroSol.

Here is how I do it...

1 Give the finished model 1 or 2 coats of Future to seal the paint and provide a smooth surface for the decals to stick to. Make sure you give the paint plenty of time to dry first, especially with enamels or oil based paints, a week or 2 if you can be that patient. Make sure you only use Future floor polish made by SC Johnson as other kinds of floor polish/wax probably will not be suitable. Future may be sold under another name in countries other than the USA, in the UK it is called Klear.

2 Apply the decals, use MicroSol if needed.

3 Apply another 1 or 2 coats of Future to seal the decals. Polish the kit with Tamiya rubbing compound/polish to blend the edges of the decals into the surface.

4 Apply a final coat of dulcote or Future to give the surface an appropriate finish, matt, satin or gloss depending on the model.

You can use any form of clear finish for that final coat, what I do is to add some Tamiya flat base to Future so it dries to a flat/matt finish. Be careful if you do that though because too much flat base will turn the finish white, test it on a piece of scrap material first to see how it dries before putting it on your model.

[takatoys]

Anybody knows the opposite?

I want to take out some decals that were out of place.

What should I use in order not to affect the paint finish?

[VF-19]

Anybody knows the opposite?

I want to take out some decals that were out of place.

What should I use in order not to affect the paint finish?

If your decals aren't protected by a topcoat, then simple masking tape (Tamiya's will do, but cheap store brands work too) taped over the decal will peel most of it off in the first peel. I found this out the... fun way on my 1:48 IL-2m3... Luckly it was only one of the red stars, so it's an easy fix...

If your decal is protected by a topcoat, you'll need to get the top coat off with it's stripper. However, I cannot guarantee that the paintjob underneath will be unaffected.