Phoenix

hmmm

well i put that coat on about 3 30 and its still a little tacky not enuff to leave finger prints in it

i was hoping to have that part finsihed

as soon as i get it painted i will get some piccies

rjwood_uk

so whats happened to you mini Phoenix?

Phoenix

been very busy and will be for another week or 2 with family stuff

i have not forgotten and i have some pics ready

rjwood_uk

ok mate, look forward to it!!!

Phoenix

well

i started building this again (bout time)

but my decals dont seem to be sticking to the part

i didnt paint the part as it was black and the part is already black

and once i get them to sitck to the part how can i trim the clear bit that is overhanging a bit away

i still got the pictures though

Phoenix

pics





and the problimatic decals

Bunkerbarge

The trouble is that the plastic surface isn't smooth enough to accept the small and relatively inflexible decal.

Firstly wash the part, it may have release agent on it which will cause the decal not to adhere.

Then I would paint it with a coat of Future or Johnsons Kleer floor polish which will improve the surface no end. Get hold of a bottle of Micro-Sol and Micro-Set and paint the area you are going to stick the decal with the Micro-Sol, then stick the decal on. The Micro-Sol softens the decal and makes it more pliable, which will now also adhere to the shiny surface much better.

When dry paint on a bit of Micro-Set which will cause the decal to stretch slightly and any creases and blemishes will dissapear and, I kid you not the decal looks like it is painted on. You could go for the delux route and put a coat of Kleer over it to seal it and then a final, all over coat of a clear varnish in either Matt, semi or gloss but you will have to put a final, all over coat of something on it.

You will be amazed at the differrence.

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wonwinglo

Just picked up on this thread and can explain the slow drying of your red paint,one of the main driers in gloss paint is called 'Terebin' this has a tendency to evaporate in the paint,in recent years the paint manufacturers seem to have reduced the Terebin content for some reason best known to themselves ?,blue and red are in particular problem paints in this direction,the paint we use and purchase from the model shop/supliers shelves can sometimes be years old by the time it reaches our workbenches,enamel gloss is far from stable and the only solution is to purchase a bottle of Terebin from your local hardware store and add this carefully to the tinlet of paint,and I really mean carefully ! a tiny drop is all that is required to bring the paint back to its original cure speed.
I trust this explains your dilemma.
I have still not seen any signs of a return of new stock Humbrol tinlets ? they are sadly missed from craft and model shop shelves.
Revell seem to have cornered this market.

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www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Phoenix

thanks wonwing i will maybe go and see if i can find some of that tomorrow

back to decals for now though can i just paint the micro sol and set ontop of my applied decals to make them stick or will it not work like this?

i dont think it will turn out well if i have to remove them torn and folded up on each other etc is there any other way i can do this with out using the kleer varnish as i like the way it has finished out

i dont think it would look so good with a varnish

Bunkerbarge

You can actually see the edge of the decal because it has air behind it. The air is there due to the rough (comparatively) nature of the surface and the inflexibility of the decal to conform to the surface. Anything you put on the top will seal it in but it will probably not get rid of the shiny edge.

A coat of Micro-set MIGHT make it conform better and help but I wouldn't put money on it.

You are probably better putting this one down to experience and doing things slightly differrent next time.

As for varnish, don't think of woodwork varnish. What I am refering to is a clear coat of matt or gloss enamel or acrylic paint. For something as small as this I would use Tamiya acrylic clear as it dries to a very thin coating that doesn't hide detail. All it does is seal in the decal and ensure an even surface finish across the item once you have finished with the decals.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"