Decal Opinions Please

Spray it gloss first or you'll possibly see the edges of the film.  

For the same reason, I would also suggest you gloss over the decals before you apply a duller finish on the whole model.

@Boilermaker1 posted:

I would also suggest you gloss over the decals before you apply a duller finish on the whole model.

Hmmm... Never did that step before.  Thanks for the tip.  It makes sense.

@Ron045 posted:

I received this MTH unlettered caboose to decal for a friend.

Please let us know how it goes, Ron.

I have one of those unlettered cabooses (mine was from MrMuffin Steve), and I'm about to decal it.

Thanks
Jim

Gloss is not used so much to hide the decal film but to give the film a smooth paint texture to adhere to, which eliminates silvering. If the finish below the decal is smooth it doesn't matter much if it's glossy or not. For example I painted this tender shell with SEM trim black, which has a matte finish, decaled/Microsol, then cleared over it with matte clear. No decal film. The matte black was smooth. That's the key. I've decaled over flat/matte finished many times without adding a gloss clear coat over them. As long as the finish is smooth, and you use Microsol to set the decal, the film will disappear once clear coated.

Lou1985 is exactly right, a smooth finish matters a lot more than simple gloss. You can have a glossy coat full of orange peel and the decal will look terrible. The finish on your model looks very smooth, you're probably not going to get a better finish than that. Apply the decal, then let it dry, then give it another application of Micro-Sol, wait for that to dry, then do it again. You'll find that each application thins the decal a little bit more, until the film all but disappears, even on semi-gloss surfaces. Follow it up with your clear coat of choice to seal. That's what I did on this N scale 2-6-0, it was not very glossy, but the paint was smooth to begin with.

Lous1985, your technique of decaling over flat paint is a new one for me. Like you said, gloss is not so much to hide the film, but to give the film a smooth paint texture to adhere to, which eliminates silvering. That's also been my experience.

The thickness of the decal film makes all the difference in the world as to how well the decal itself will "disappear." Some of the older decals like Champ for example, are literally impossible to completely have the decal edges just disappear. In my experience, Microscale decals are the best for this end result as the film they print on is very thin. So much so, that I've read some complaints about it here on the forum. You absolutely do have to be extremely careful with the Microscale decals, but the end result is the best.

As shown by my repaint "027 is still fun" thread linked below, I do a lot of repainting of the smaller types of 0 gauge cars and locos. I can get away with mixing scales of decals a bit, utilizing HO or N decals from larger types of prototypes. And I'm not so much a purist, that I won't take liberties if need be to complete a repaint project.

I've also used the K4 decals which are really nice due to the variety available, and that you can choose your scale. And the decals are laid out on the sheet so you don't have to piecemeal things together. For example, the car data is printed on the sheet directly below the car number. Although by decaling individual lines of type, it's easier to hide the decal lines by trimming the decals close: I cut mine out of the sheet using a straight edge and a razor blade instead of scissors.

BUT the film stock used by K4 is a little bit thicker and thus more difficult to hide. Again, in my experience, the thickness of the film stock the decal is printed on is the main issue as to how well decals will become "hidden." And while flat coating helps in this process, remember you are spraying everything when you apply the flat spray, so the thickness of the decal is also increasing.

Still personally, I will continue to use K4 decals for their variety and selection. Plus their service is first rate, not to mention very good prices too. Microscale doesn't have anything near the selection of decals if you want them in either 0 or S scales.

In case anyone is curious, I know I have posted a list of available decal suppliers in my 027 repaint thread linked below.

@Ron045 posted:

When I get ready to apply decals to a model I painted, the process I normally follow is...

Gloss Clear Coat
Micro-Set
Apply Decal
Micro-Sol
Matte or Semi Gloss clear coat

I received this MTH unlettered caboose to decal for a friend.  This model is all painted and ready to go.  However, the clear coat appears to be a matte coat.

Should I skip the gloss coat step and start with Micro-Sol and apply decals or should I gloss clear coat the model first?

Thanks for your opinions.
Ron

Hi Ron

So, how did decaling go? Did you spray the caboose with gloss clear coat before decals? Or, did you skip the gloss and use another method?

I also have one of these unlettered MTH cabooses (bay window, though) and need to decal it.

Thanks
Jim

@CNJ Jim, I did do the gloss clear before adding the decals.  I also used a combination of O, S and HO decals because the decal set was for a much larger caboose.

Here is the finished caboose.  You'll have to ask @Mark V. Spadaro what he thinks.

Ron

I think it looks really great. Good job. Just stumbled on this topic.

I find it sometimes depends on the decal film. some of the newer decal film is Matt rather than gloss. it helps to clear coat in whatever finish the film has.

@Ron045 posted:

When I get ready to apply decals to a model I painted, the process I normally follow is...

Gloss Clear Coat
Micro-Set
Apply Decal
Micro-Sol
Matte or Semi Gloss clear coat

I received this MTH unlettered caboose to decal for a friend.  This model is all painted and ready to go.  However, the clear coat appears to be a matte coat.

Should I skip the gloss coat step and start with Micro-Sol and apply decals or should I gloss clear coat the model first?

Thanks for your opinions.
Ron

Ron,

Yes, I'd clear coat first, then follow your usual procedure.

Have fun

I agree with what Lou described. Smoothness counts! I never clear coated before decaling back when I was using Floquil paints.

Since train cars ( for the most part)  wernt painted in a flat paint , a clear coat  would be recommended If your caboose has sheen to the paint  just go ahead and decal it, solveset it and seal it with a clear coat

What is the exact difference and when do you use Micro-sol and Micro-set ??? - I've wanted to ask this for a while - a number of years ago I was with a friend who was in a model plane building club / we were with some of the members and a discussion started about "decaling" and within minutes the discussion became a little heated to say the least - lots of different opinions on when and how to use these products

Thanks in advance

Joe S

@dorfj2 posted:

What is the exact difference and when do you use Micro-sol and Micro-set ??? - I've wanted to ask this for a while - a number of years ago I was with a friend who was in a model plane building club / we were with some of the members and a discussion started about "decaling" and within minutes the discussion became a little heated to say the least - lots of different opinions on when and how to use these products

Thanks in advance

Joe S

SET is supposed to help with application and adhesion.  SOL softens further to help conform to irregular surfaces.

Ron