Hobby Decal Dry Transfer application tip

[alaninaustria]

Hej guys... thought I would share this little tip I came up with.... I am sure somebody somewhere has made the same experience..... but here it is anyway!

 

A small little tutorial for those who would like to learn with minimal mistakes (not making the same mistakes I have! Namely lifting paint and destroying the dry transfer.... )

 

Step 1. Cut out the dry transfer (DT) that you would like to use.... for this example I have cut out the

propeller munufacturers stamp DT.

 

Step 2. Place a small strip of Tamiya tape to the back side edges and in between the actual DT. This creates

a small "step" between the DT and the surface receiving the DT.

 

Step 3. Align the DT where it is to be placed and secure firmly with a strong piece of Tamiya tape. This will

prevent slipage.

 

Step 4. As seen in the 1st photo: there is an excellent 'rubdown' tool which was purchased at Micro-Mark

in the USA. When Hobby Decal Dry Transfers are purchased they normally come (in the first order)

with a crochet needle - which has the same function.

 

Step 5. Lightly apply pressure with the tip of the rubdown tool and you will notice that the small step that the

tape creates helps to unseat the DT from the carrier film. The entire carrier film is covered in

adhesive and if you apply too much pressure it may lift paint directly off of the model surface. So

only touching the area where the DT is key to successfully applying the DT. (see the second photo)

 

Step 6. After the entire DT is down, turn the carrier film over and lightly 'burnish' the DT down so as to

ensure a uniform adhesion to the painted surface.

 

Step 7. When the model is stenciled and the markings are all on don't forget to apply a matt/gloss coating to

ensure a uniform coating and sealing of all the DT and markings!

 

 

You have now successfully applied your DT! I personally find that dry transfers are easier to work with, appear to be more realistic than conventional decals when it comes to stencils (as there are no decal carrier film edges to deal with)... and as I paint all the markings on my models, the DT system works well for me. They particularily come in handy when painting aircraft with Natural Metal Finishes (NMF)!

So for those who are interested in purchasing the dry transfers stencils here is the contact info for

Hobby Decal. I have found them to be very fast, reliable, and courteous!

 

http://www.hobbydecal.com/

 

and for those who would like to purchase the Micro-Mark rubdown tool:

 

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...roduct&ID=82328

 

I hope that you have found this tutorial interesting and that those who would like to try the dry transfer system will give it a go!

Happy Modelling

Cheers

Alan

[Guest Rigor]

alan,great tip

 

cheer,s

[DrDave]

Can I add my own tip Alan? I tried applying some in the Garage. They will not stick down below about 10C. They aren't sticky enough when cold. Better to do the job indoors I find!.

Dave

[LSP_Matt]

Ah...great work guys I haven't tried these yet Alan but I reckon I'll give them a go now that I can see what you have to do.

 

Thanks for the demo on how to

 

Cheers Matty

[Hacker]

when l used dry transfers on Model railroad items such as trains or passenger cars l used to transfer them to blank decal sheets so the either my cheat lines will be straight or help conform to irregular shapes other wise are more difficult to do otherwise. That my tip

 

hacker

[JCote]

Hi Alan,

 

Thanks for the tip, I've filed it away in my favourites. On another subject, did you ever find out what exactly went wrong when you "Futured" your vacformed Stuka canopy? I'm nearing that stage myself and would be interested in knowing how you solved the problem.

 

Best, Jean

[oletcherfred]

I had a similar problem 'way back, working on a RR model while camping. Very frustrating, as the DT would not stick at all. Turned out to be humidity!

 

Later, when we a Fotocut were making custom dry-transfer, I learned that sometimes they pick up dust, fingerprints or other impurities and won't stick then, either.

 

Cure for that is to rub gently with a solvent(Xylene/Xylol preferred) to remove impurities. Put the solvent - very small amount, just damp with it - on a soft cloth or paper towel, not wet. Since DT's are wax-based, the solvents will not hurt them and make a excellent cleaner.

 

I have never used any tools such as a piece of decal paper, but I know the burnishing tools(plastic ones are fine and very inexpensive) with great success.

 

Hope this helps and Happy Modeling!

[Gervais8]

Thanks for sharing the tips guys!

RG