decals: before or after assembly?

totoroman · 20 September 2006, 04:04 PM

I haven't been making models for very long... made three or so before I moved and then they got annihilated by some careless friends (oops!)

but sometimes I find myself wondering if it might not be a good idea to put paint some of the parts and put decals on BEFORE assembly. any experiences or suggestions towards this end?

Terry_Crisp · 20 September 2006, 09:42 PM

Totoroman,
There are no rules. If it makes sense to apply before assembly then do what's best for your build. That said, make sure you seal them down with acoat of clear paint or Future.
There are some nice modelsI made in high school that I had put a lot of work into and at this remove of years the decales have either yellowed or begun to flake off. It's a bummer because it is not a cost effective use of time to try and fix them. I'm doing much better work now.
You will also be doing yourself a favor if you acquire adn use the assorted Microsol line. These products deal with the common problems of decals and are widely available.
Hth
Terry

StephenLawson · 21 September 2006, 12:22 PM

Yea and verily Terry; Do what is easiest for you. Its tough to put instrument gauge faces on after the the fuselage is closed up.

ChrisSavaglio · 21 September 2006, 02:12 PM

Welcome back to the hobby.

If you're talking about the major decals, like roundels, crosses, personal markings, etc, I change it up a bit as I go.

If it's a bipe and I'm going to rig it with monofiliment(one wing will have holes drilled all the way through), then I leave the decals off of the part that will have to be touched up until after assembly. But the rest go on. I like to drill through the top wing, which is opposite of most, so i'll put the bottom wing and fuselage decals on, but leave the top wing ones off. Then I fill/sand/touch up the top wing rigging holes and decal the last bits at the end.

The micro sol/set tip is a good one. Solvaset is a strong one for those decals that just won't settle down, but test on one before the ones on the model.

Chris

"Junior" · 21 September 2006, 05:05 PM

Toto, as the others have said it's a personal thing. With biplanes generally, I'll put the decals on before wing assembly, just what I find easier. With a WWII monoplane though I'll get all the main assembly (excluding undercarriage, antennae, etc) done first.

How you treat decals is a subjective thing as well. I personally will use a coat of Klear (Future) prior to decalling to get a nice gloss surface, put the decals on and use only MicroSol to get them to bed down nicely. Then when all nice and settled and dry, I use another coat of Klear to seal them in and protect them. After that I'll use whatever finish I need, matt, satin, etc, and then after that weathering. There you have it, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your gran!

Just have a crack at it and see how you go. Modelling's one of those things with a steady learning curve, each model you'll get better and learn some things not to do on the next one.

ChrisSavaglio · 22 September 2006, 11:35 AM

The future/kleer thing slipped my mind. That's very good advice. Always decal over a glossy surface. It'll minimize the chances of silvering, where you can see the clear film around the decal. Also helps in how the decal adheres.

If you use future or kleer(depending on what part of the world you live in) be sure to let it dry overnight before you decal on it. Even if it's dry to the touch it may not be fully cured. If you try to use decal solutions on it, it can craze it, making it turn whitish or other bad things. If you give it a lot of time to dry, it doesn't seem to be an issue.

Chris

StephenLawson · 24 September 2006, 06:00 AM

Also if it involves rigging, You will note that the cockades on many British aircraft need to go inplace before you can finish the aileron actuation cables.