Help Needed Working with LaserJet Waterslide Transfer Decals

[cliff]

A few years ago I made some of these decals in 1/35 scale for my models. I always had to spray clear varnish over them and letting them dry before putting them in the water to remove the backing

[Jakko Westerbeke]

I’ve never tried making my own decals, but it would kind of surprise me if you would need to spray laser-printed ones to protect them. The toner is waterproof — you can spill a drink over a laser-printed sheet of paper without any “ink” running (guess how I know this ).

IMHO the simplest thing to do is just to test it. Print a sheet with the decals you need, and add an extra bit to the sheet somewhere there’s room. It doesn’t matter what it is, just as long as there’s something being printed onto the decal paper. Cut that off, put it into water and see what happens. If the toner comes off, you know you need to spray the real ones to seal them against the water.

[Jordan Baker]

It really depends on the specific brand of decal sheet you have. Most laser ones will not need a clear coat.

There are a few different brands of decal softeners available. I use the Micro Sol one. It works on most decals but sometimes I doesn’t. Your best bet is to try out some tests with decal scraps and see what works. There is too many variables to say which specific product will work.

A clear coat over the final decal once applied is to both help protect it and also better seal it. When used with model kits most apply the clear coat to try and get the carrier film to disappear from view so as to make the design of the decal look painted on. The clear also protects the decal from any weathering steps that come later.

Most model kit paints are some version of acrylic based. Years ago one always had to be careful as a lot of products were still oils based and could easily damage some decals or lower levels of paint.

[David Dunlop]

A quick question regarding MICRO SET and MICRO SOL.

What does one use to clean a brush after using either of these two products?



David

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Water

[David Dunlop]

Perfect!

Thank you, Jakko.


David