Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

Hi Bob.

In reply to your question on water transfer decal colours, it could easily be done that way, yes.

From what I can piece together, the original decals were printed with the layers of paint colours built up on them. This included the small patches of luminous paint. When you look at the original decals up close at an angle, you notice they are not completely flat on the radio panels. There is always a subtle rectangular raised patch visible, where the pad of luminous paint was applied. The lettering in this instance is the clear portions of the decal allowing the 'white' luminous paint patch to show through.

If one is restoring a panel and not worried about the decals being luminous anymore, white background transfer sheets are a good fit. If, however, one wants to preserve the glow in the dark appearance of the panel, things get a lot more complicated, quickly. Commercial printers could possible reproduce the original luminous decals, but at what cost? I have some ideas to work around that problem floating about in my head at the moment, but have not yet made complete sense of it all.

Adding to the problem, is the luminous paints used during the 1940's. They all have a very similar, if not in fact identical appearance in daylight: a milky white colour. Under UV stimulation, however, some glow blue, some yellow, some orange and some green. Probably other colours and shade factors out there as well. Blues and greens are reasonably common in craft supply places today, but I have not looked enough to see if other colours can be had with the required milky white daytime appearance. I have found an orange one, but it comes as a neon orange daytime colour. Yikes!

David