Rivet decals - tips?

I have just used some rivets from Archer, but, the weather hasn't been good enough for me to get some paint over them. This is my first time using these, but, from what I have been noticing, I think it would be prudent to use a setting solution on them. I want them to stick well to the surface as my fear is that they will get blown off from spraying if they don't lie down well. 
While silvering can be covered by paint, it also means that the decal isn't laying down properly.

Message Trainman2001 and ask him to comment here.

He recently posted on use of the Archer rivet decals on a truss bridge building thread; however, he merely mentioned the product without any description on how to apply or paint the product.

If you want to impress some of us then put rivets on a GG1 turn it into old rivets...in N scale.

The archer rivets are applied like any other decals.  Use a setting solution.  As with any decals, soak them in water just long enough to start to loosen from the paper, and slide them onto the model.  If you wait too long and the decal floats off the paper, it will fold and stick to itself. They are a bear to unfold without tearing.  Ask me how I know . . .

Once you slide them onto the model, they are pretty easy to align using a fine paintbrush or tweezers.

As you can see, the rivet decals on the cab sides are much finer than the 3D printed rivets on the hoods.

Bob Glorioso

Thanks for the photos! I have not tried the rivet decals yet as I wasn’t sure how they would look. 

I will have to get some now!

Dave,
My experience using the "Archer" rivet decals is that once you dip it in water, immediately take it out and move it to where you want it. In that short length of time the decals are ready to come off the paper. Archer's instructions say to use Micro-Sol (the blue bottle) to set the decals. That is what I did and it worked fine. I would caution using anything stronger than that, it may harm the decal film (not the actual rivet) and I don't think anything stronger is needed.

Looking at the rivet detail going around the front edge of the boiler, I think I might try to do it with JB Weld as those rivets just don't have a lot of detail and they get even worse as you get to the very top where most of them will be hidden by the light anyway (PRR M1b).

Larry Mullen posted:

Looking at the rivet detail going around the front edge of the boiler, I think I might try to do it with JB Weld as those rivets just don't have a lot of detail and they get even worse as you get to the very top where most of them will be hidden by the light anyway (PRR M1b).

 

 

Good luck with that!

I've done it before.  Works really well...just need patience.