APPLYING WATER SLIDE DECALS :
For this tutorial, I will demonstrate how to apply water slide style decals on to your model.
Tools that you will need :
1. Cutting mat. 2. Tweezers. 3. Shallow dish with luke warm water in it. 4. Hobby Knife. 5. Paper towel and cutton bud. 6. Decal softening solution. |
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Step 1 : Once you have finished painting the model in the colors of your choice, apply and good layer of Clear Gloss to ensure that the surface you are wanting to add the decal to is nice and smooth. The glossier the better in this case as the gloss coat will make a smooth layer which the decals will suction to and make it easier to apply and set them.
Step 2 : Select the decal you want to apply to your kit and cut around it using your hobby knife. Once you have cut the decal away from the rest of the sheet, place it in the water to soak. Soaking the decal will take a minute or so, so in the meanwhile, move on to the next step.
Step 3 : Take the cotton bud and dip the end in the water and rub a little water on to the piece you wish to add the decal to. This water will aid the decal in suctioning to the piece.
Step 4 : By now the decal should be soaked enough. Using your tweezers, take the decal out of the water and place it on the kit. Using your knife again (or the cotton bud if you wish), gently slide the decal off the backing paper and on to the kit.
Step 5 : Using your knife (or again, your cotton bud), gently move the decal into the place you want it to be. Don't worry about being perfect just yet, that bit will come along in a second.
Step 6 : Using your paper towel, gently dab the decal and soak up the excess water. Once that is done, then you can re-align the decal so it is in the exact place you want it to be.
Step 7 : Now, once you have correctly aligned the decal, take your decal softener (I'm using Mr Mark Softener in this case) and brush the fluid all over the decal making sure the the decal does not move. If it does move, quickly re-align it with your knife before the solution starts to work. Then gently dab the area with the paper towel again to soak up the excess softener (be very careful doing this as it can ruin the decal if you do it too hard and/or too late).
The softener will start to work quickly. The decal will start to look like it is melting, don't be alarmed, it is perfectly normal and if you have done things correctly, the decal will suction to the kit and flatten out smooth.
Step 8 : The decal is now applied! All that is left now is to give the kit another coat of clear to seal everything in and to help pervent any damage to the decals by everyday handling of the kit.
Silvering : If you find that the decals 'silver' (where the decal is applied over a rough surface and the decal can't suction to the piece correctly and allows air bubbles to be stuck underneath, causing a frosted or 'silver' look), lightly score the decal using a sharp blade. Then re-apply the softener again. The softener will flow into the marks and get underneath the decal into the previously unreachable areas and suction it to the piece better. The best way to avoid silvering is to make sure that the piece that the decal is being applied to is nice and glossy as a matt, rough surface is more likely to cause silvering than a smooth, glossy one.
And here is a more recent video version of this tutorial :