Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

While getting into this part of the project, my brain apparently morphed totally into the model hobby world. I was chatting with a friend last evening about my concern in getting the decals to fit smoothly over the paint pads and blend in. The Micro Set product apparently does a pretty good job of doing this in most situations but according to what I have been reading, if one is dealing with a very complex surface, it is best to add a second step to the decal mounting process by giving them a coat of Micro Sol which really gets the decal to blend onto the surface it was applied to. This product seems to be a bit of an aggressive one to work with, for lack of a better term.

My friend calmly advised I step back a bit and realize I am not applying decals to a model at all, where making them look less like a stuck on item and more like a full scale paint applied item is absolutely not important.

For a wireless restoration, the point is actually replicating decals that everybody and their dogs know are simply decals. They are supposed to look like decals if done properly. The only other consideration is that like the original decals, they need an overcoat of something clear to protect them from unnecessary damage. When I took another look at all the decals on my wireless equipment, that point really struck home. They all look exactly like decals, just as they should be.

So no more overthinking this. Just a bit more time and careful work.


David

[David Dunlop]

In retrospect, I overthought this decal work way too much.

I set some time aside earlier today to trim the two decals needed for the Coil assembly front panel and organize ll the tools etc I would need on my bench to get the job done. As I got into it, all the learning from model work 50 years ago came flooding back like the last decals were worked on yesterday. The only two real differences were hand cutting the decals to size and the added step of MICRO SET. and it all worked.

The decals look terrific finally in place and most important they work: glowing the correct luminous green in the dark. I will have to wait a bit to prove that last point. My Canon DSLR has been acting up lately when it comes to "BULB" Time Exposures. One day it works and two days later with the same setup, I get nothing at ll.

I will be letting the decals cure for the recommended 24 hours and then do a top coat over them of satin clear coat.


David