• Because we work with diecast models, we'll use a Dairy
Delivery (1) to illustrate the process. The principles are the same,
though, for any object you choose.
• First be sure to have all the right supplies. You will also
want to paint your surface white (2) or a very light color, since
clear decal paper is being used. White decal paper does not wrap
well due to its thickness. Also, because you may need to cut or
overlap parts of the decal, be ready to paint or airbrush over some
of the image to blend in parts that do not match.
• Measure the width and length of where the decal
will go, precisely. In your graphics program, crop your photo however
you wish, but leave some excess for additional fine-cropping. Now,
instead of reducing your photo image to fit, you will "print
down"
which means to print at a percentage so the image fits your
decal area. So a 5-inch wide image, for instance, is printed at 25%
to fit a 1 1/4 inch surface. When you first do this, either the width
or length will need to be cropped further to make an exact fit. After
you have cropped your image, print using the "Photo
Setting" of
your printer program, or about 1,440 dpi or more. See our Decal Paper instructions for
more information.
• You will print on INKJET premium Clear decal paper. Each printer is different, so you may need to adjust your settings to get the right look to your image. Even experienced decal makers struggle with their printers, so you may need to print more than once. Now take the decal and spray it with clearcoat.
• Once your decal is dry from the clearcoat, cut away the excess white. Assemble at a table your project, Micro Sol, a Q-Tip or brush, scissors, bowl of water and some paper to work on. (3)
• Place the decal into the water. (5) We use room temperature
water. Don't worry if it curls up. In
about 20 seconds it will be ready.
• While waiting for the decal, wet a Q-Tip with Micro Sol and moisten the area where the decal will
go. (4) The more solution you can get on, the better.
• When the decal is ready (6), you will want small scissors, the
Micro Sol and a Q-Tip at hand. The Micro Sol will be used to keep
the rest of the decal moist when your project takes more than a couple
of minutes. You will use the scissors to cut the decal where
needed to wrap over very curved areas.
• As you slide off the decal film from its paper backing,
align it to your project and begin laying it down (7). It is important
that you keep the decal straight. If a wrinkle appears, lift up the
decal and lay it down straight. Press out any bubbles, including
liquid bubbles.
• As you lay the decal film over your project, you will need
to choose at times whether to cut your decal to fit the surface,
or wrap it without cutting. (8) The decal paper can stretch some. When
you need to cut, there are three basic cuts:
1) Single cut: This will allow the decal to either wrap over itself
or split outward in order to fit.
2) V-cut: In this you are carefully cutting a "V"
into the decal to then join up over a curved surface. This cut
can be made after a decal is laid down, when you see overlapping
and want to cut the excess.
3) Excision: Here you cut away excess decal,
like on the back of this Dairy Delivery. (9) Where you cut depends
on what part of the image you are willing to sacrifice.
• While you are laying down your image,
be sure to wet the rest of the decal with Micro SOL. This keeps it
from drying and further softens it.
• You will also press out bubbles as they appear, before the
decal dries hard. It is much easier to get the bubble out now than
later. To eliminate any bubbles after the decal is dry, use Micro SET: Wet the
bubble area, then use a pin to puncture the bubble. Use more Micro Set over the bubble area, pressing down with a Q-Tip.
You will only be able to press the decal with Micro Set a little
before it becomes too brittle. Micro Set is a much stronger softening
solution than Micro Sol.
• After you have placed your decal over your surface, you
can fix other problems such as remaining bubbles and, in the case
of this Dairy Delivery, wrinkled decal paper over an open window (10).
• By placing the open decal area over a heat source (11), and before
the decal has completely dried, you can force it to shrink even further.
As shown at left, this will reduce much of the wrinkling. (12)
• Finally, your project will probably have areas that need
to be painted in. By painting or airbrushing similar colors as the
decal area, you can blend in two different areas. With the Dairy
Delivery, note the orange next to the black near the driver's window. (13)
By using the darker color as a transition, black paint smooths the
difference.
• Your decal project is nearly done. Now be sure to clearcoat
it within 24 hours or the decal will begin to crack. If you cannot
clearcoat your project right away, treat it with some clear spray
you used on the decal. This will keep the decal from cracking until
you can continue painting it or add the final clearcoat. (14)
