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Modeling in General: Decals
Trouble with decals?
Decal prep
Paul
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Kharkiv, Ukraine / Україна
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 06:54 AM UTC
I know this has been asked a 100 times, but how do you prep the model for decaling. I don't want to clear coat the whole model, just the places where the decals would go. Also, do I use acrylic thinner for Future; does it come out shiny or flat on the model? There has been an article on this on DocsDios, but the site is off the air...
thebear
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Quebec, Canada
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 09:20 AM UTC
If you don't want to apply future all over , Just use a paint brush and put it where you want to put the decal...You don't have to thin it at all even when using it in your airbrush..Just make sure to rinse it out well with windex or some other glass cleaning product. This will leave a shiny spot just where you want your decals ..Just use a flat coat afterwards and things will be fine.

Rick
19k
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Wisconsin, United States
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 10:09 AM UTC
I notice that many of you use Future as your gloss coat in prep for decaling. I had heard that Future may yellow over time and ruin your finish after a couple of years. I think I way have heard this through auto builders who used Future as a finish coat too. Has anyone had this happen to them? Does the fact that we use a final dull coat which seals the Future prevent this yellowing?
Plasticbattle
#003
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Donegal, Ireland
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 11:02 AM UTC
I use tamiya paints for spraying, but after that its all humbrols and oils. I spray future over the whole model to protect it from washes ... straight from the bottle and then brush paint the area for decals with straight future (sometimes twice to get it perfectly smooth). I also brush future over the decals the following day to protect them. Exactly like bear said ... dull coat flattens everything.

Quoted Text

Does the fact that we use a final dull coat which seals the Future prevent this yellowing?


I would think this also. Car modellers love the shiny finish so their futureis the last coat. With the normal washes / filters/ dryrushes/dull coat/pastels ... not very much of the future is near the outer layer of paint.
Stahlhelm
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Oregon, United States
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 12:01 PM UTC
The Future 'thing' makes no sense to me. I have always trimmed EVERY BIT of clear carrier from the decal image/s and simply applied in the traditional manner. Trimming is a bit of a chore but the results are equal to dry transfers. Seal with a coat of clear flat.

Cody
Major_Goose
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Kikladhes, Greece / Ελλάδα
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Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 09:17 PM UTC
the style future - decals - future dull coat has worked perfectly for me since now even with some Academy decals that were fat , and not sticking by any means
thebear
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Quebec, Canada
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Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 03:45 AM UTC
Cody ..you can get away with doing that only so long ..sure it works for stars or crosses but what do you do with stencils and serial numbers ?? That is where the future really comes into it's own.

Rick
Plasticbattle
#003
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Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 05:30 AM UTC
I suppose im a recent convert to the future craze also. Building loads of older and eastern european kits, i take every possible care to get the decals right. Future and the microsol system has served me well over the last year. I can only recommend it.
19k
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Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 06:45 AM UTC
I am still wary about using Future as my gloss coat. Does anyone have a model that they used Future on that is at least 10 years old. Has it yellowed? Using Future would save me some cash but I will most likely stick with Gloss - Cote or something similar. Perhaps I will do a test on a model I am not too concerned with. I must agree that a person has to use some form of gloss coat and setting solution to get decals to go on flawless. I find it really annoying to view a subject from an angle and discover the silver blob that is supposed to be a decal.
GunTruck
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Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 07:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I am still wary about using Future as my gloss coat. Does anyone have a model that they used Future on that is at least 10 years old. Has it yellowed? Using Future would save me some cash but I will most likely stick with Gloss - Cote or something similar. Perhaps I will do a test on a model I am not too concerned with. I must agree that a person has to use some form of gloss coat and setting solution to get decals to go on flawless. I find it really annoying to view a subject from an angle and discover the silver blob that is supposed to be a decal.



Yes - I have models that are over 15 years old and have suffered yellowing of the Future finish. These are all aircraft models (yes - I do model 'em too) and used Future as a final coat, gloss and satin-style. What occured in every case was that I applied the Future coats too thick. The "yellowing" happened where the Future was thickest - where it pooled and or collected in low spots like the wingroot. It did not matter whether or not the Future was applied over an acrylic or enamel/lacquer paint job - but I notice it happened more in enamel/lacquer paint situations. I suspect the paint ages over time and continues to outgass. The "yellowing" is really apparent over white(s). I think the Future is a barrier preventing the gases from escaping over time - hence the "yellowing". The Future coat itself isn't damaged, but you can't overcoat the area to restore the shine. It happened in the real world floor finish application too - usually because floors are not allowed to dry completely - i.e. outgas after cleaning, mopping, and or stripping to remove old layers of finish. How many people actually let their kitchen floor dry overnight before recoating it?

In armor modeling, Future (at least in my application method) is not a final coat. It is always oversprayed with a lacquer coat - after drying completely. I always leave Future to setup overnight. Armor models of the same age have not suffered the same "yellowing" effect.

Future is trickier to use than a lacquer gloss coat. Use what you know and are comfortable with. There's no advantage using one over the other - save your personal comfort level. The best advice I can give using Future:

1) Thin coats ALWAYS - do not rush and do not slop it on. It is not necessary to apply multiple coats of Future to build-up a gloss thickness for undercoating decals. I do NOT use Future to overcoat thick decals (like Tamiya Armor decals) - lacquer gloss coats are better in this situation. You can apply Future over lacquer and vise versa - as long as you let each fully cure after their application. Just like in resurfacing floors, you do not use Future to buildup multiple layers of shine, you go to a product with more "solids" in them to build up the thickness and the shine.

2) Let it dry completely - overnight is always better than "touch-dry" a couple of hours later.

3) When applying over decals - be careful to wipe away setting solution residue from around the decal - some solutions contain solvents that are not "friendly" to Future - causing cloudiness as it sets. Windshield Washer fluid, dishwashing soap, vinegar, ammonia (even in Windex glass cleaner), acetone (even in Nail Polish Remover) , these are examples of materials that aren't friendly to Future.

Hope some of this is of value to your questions...

Gunnie
eagledoc2000
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Posted: Friday, May 14, 2004 - 06:10 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I suppose im a recent convert to the future craze also. Building loads of older and eastern european kits, i take every possible care to get the decals right. Future and the microsol system has served me well over the last year. I can only recommend it.



Plasticbattle
can you give me more details on the future/microsol system. Is it future -decal- microsol -and then possibly another coat of future or something like microsol -decal -future. Thanks David
Part-timer
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Posted: Monday, May 17, 2004 - 01:37 AM UTC
An alternative that I've used to Future-based decal prep is to use a polishing cloth or compound to shine the paint finish up to a nice gloss on its own. Works fine, though it is slower than Future.
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