Source for Dry Transfer Decals

I have no clue about dry transfer sources, but I'll keep my eyes open. That locomotive looks great.

Not sure if these companies are all still in business, but this list from the Scenery Sourcelist should get you headed in the right direction.

Jay, if you can get dry transfers, go for it!  I like them, too, although they have to be aligned with great care, and they require care as one rubs them in place.

If you go with decals, there is the advantage of their usually being pre-aligned.  Here's how to keep decals from creating that "visible halo'" called by modelers, "silvering." (You might find some good instructions for avoiding "silvering.") But based in my modeling experience in my lonhg-ago childhood and current second childhood), here's a way to avoid silvering and get durable decals:

1. At your local hobby shop,
   1. Buy a good quality clear gloss enamel, e.g, Testor's, though there are other brands. (If you have an airbrush, you probably know already what I mean. If not, you can get a spray can.)
   2. Also get some semi-gloss or flat enamel if you want either of these for the final finish.
   3. And get some decal setting solution, e.g. Micro-Sol.
2. After you have let the body color (yellow) dry completely (I give it a couple of overnights), spray the little 25-Tonner's body gloss. Let the gloss also dry overnight or more
3. Cut the decal as closely as sensible and possible to the printed lettering (or image).
4. Set up luke-warm water in a shallow cup and soak the decal for about 15 seconds; that's usually enough to loosen the decal, but not so long that the decal slides off and curls up in the water.
5. While the decal is soaking, brush some decal setting solution on the surface where the decal will be positioned.  Carefully slide the decal off its paper backing holding the paper right over the spot where you want the decal positioned.  If necessary, gently move the decal in place on the 25-tonner's body.
6. Let the decal dry completely.
7. Spray the body with the finish gloss, semi-gloss, or clear flat you chose for the final finish.

Richie C. Thank you! I will be checking out those links when I get a decent internet connection.

Nice decaling tutorial, Ed.

CLOVERHOUSE   Decals, some detail parts, sheet stryene, real glass for glazing windows.

Cloverhouse does not sell decals, but does have an extensive catalog of dry transfers.

I’m far from a pro at this. But I have used both dry transfers and decals. Ed, gave an excellent how to as far as decals. To me the added step for decaling is basically the gloss coat that goes on before decaling. You still have to do a final clear sealing finish on both. As mentioned. There is no repositioning a dry transfer. You get one shot to get it on straight and hope everything transfers. The decals can be moved around a bit before they set. As far as the film. If you hold it up under a light. I think you can see the film on almost any model. I try to follow the beginning and ending letter and try not to leave a square corner. Micro Mark has a good pair of scissors and tweezers to help the process. To be honest. Once running on the layout and no light shining right at it.. I’ve never noticed the decal film.

Back to your project. If you opt for decals. I’m thinking you are going to need a custom set. Highball Graphics is one source. The owner will pick the phone up if you call. Another source I’ve dealt with is. Shawmut Car Shops. They have a web site. Very responsive to e mails. He did up some Borden’s butterdish decals for me. Reasonably priced and he will fill up a good size sheet with duplicates in case you mess up. One thing you will need is accurate measurements as to the space you have to cover. I just don’t know of anyone that does custom dry transfers.

You engine looks nice. Looking at the prototype and the model. Not sure how you can get around that grab handle that’s not on the prototype. You can buy lettering fonts from K4 decals on eBay. Might be worth picking up a set or two and just putting them on some thin styrene strips. No need to be fussy as to getting them perfect. You could then lay them on the engine and move them about as far as fitting in place before committing to a custom decal.

If you have a computer and printer, decal film is inexpensive, and you can print your own, especially as it looks like you just need black text on a clear background. I believe film is made for both inkjet and laser printers, though I personally prefer laser as sometimes inkjet ink isn't always as water soluble as it claims to be.

As for a "halo", a good coat of clear topcoat should take care of that, and if still visible, give it another coat or two in the area of the decal.

Jay, I love working with dry transfers.  If I were to do this project, I’d check out the line of dry transfer lettering sheets sold by Woodland Scenics.  They sell both letter and # sets in multiple font styles, including popular railroad styles such as Railroad Roman and Railroad Gothic.  Each sheet comes with various letter and number sizes within the same font style.

I looked very quickly at their black lettering product line and it appears you should be able to get a pretty close match to the font styles and sizes you’ll need to do the Kennecott locomotive.  Short of getting a set of custom decals made to the exact size and style, this might be a “good enough” alternative.

When I apply dry transfer decals or lettering, I use small pieces of Scotch tape (preferably the satin gift wrap tape with purple packaging…not the traditional green Scotch tape) to position and hold each decal or letter in place.  I then burnish right through the tape to transfer the letter or decal.  The tape keeps the decal from moving around as you burnish it…a common challenge when using dry transfers.

The beauty of the tape idea is that you can continually reposition the letter or decal until you get it exactly where you want it before burnishing.  The purple Scotch tape is a little tougher than the traditional green tape, but not extremely sticky.  So it can withstand several attempts to position it without tearing or splitting…or pulling paint off your model.  This makes doing one letter at a time while trying to keep a straight line so much easier!

Thank you so much to everyone for their responses and suggestions!

Richie C: Thank you so much for that Scenery Source List, I had no idea that it existed. Great resource!

Ed (Golden Prarie Railroad): Thank you so much for the detailed decal instructions.

Dave C: Thanks for the comparison of the two methods (dry transfer versus wet)

Magicland: I'm leaning your direction. I think printing my own will give me the opportunity to fiddle with the font size and type face to get it right/close.

Joe (CNJ #1601): Thanks for the excellent tip on aligning dry transfer letters. What do you think about wet decals versus dry transfer for working around the details of the surface to which the decal is applied?

There are places that will create custom dry transfers, so that you don't have to place individual letters. I first explored this option when creating a few custom AAR California Zephyr cars. AAR took possesion of at least 6 former California Zephyr cars, but Atlas only made 3 of them. So I decided to buy 3 extra Atlas models for ARR and change the nubmers. So, for example, I turned an Atlas ARR 7034 into 7033.

Didn't get the font perfect, but doesn't look bad from a distance. However, up close...

I didn't really want to paint (clear coat) the Atlas car, because I feared that would make the difference between the two cars even more noticable. I later got original "artwork" for the lettering/font used by Atlas for these numbers, so I could get custom decals (wet or dry transfer) created that would match perfectly (but custom dry transfer sheets can get a little pricey).

Anyways, the "obvious" decal (in the 7033 images) is what I'm trying to avoid in this 25-tonner project.

But after reading responses, and thinking about it more, since I am planning on weathering this loco, I don't think any decal silvering will be visible after even light weathering is completed.

One final thought (possibly overkill). When these models are mass-produced by our favorite importers, they are usually lettered with some type of pad printing, correct? Could one use 3d printing to create such a pad? Then use that pad to do the "printing"? Talk about having one shot to get it right!

Thanks again for all the ideas!

@lionel1946 posted:

Magicland: I'm leaning your direction. I think printing my own will give me the opportunity to fiddle with the font size and type face to get it right/close.

One final thought (possibly overkill). When these models are mass-produced by our favorite importers, they are usually lettered with some type of pad printing, correct? Could one use 3d printing to create such a pad? Then use that pad to do the "printing"? Talk about having one shot to get it right!

I usually print my prospective decal on paper first, cut it out, and test for size on the model, then make any necessary adjustments prior to printing on the actual decal paper.

Pad printers are way beyond the scope of what anyone could do at home, and it's also "old tech", as it requires several different impressions each of a different color. I've seen videos (though I can't find them at the moment, not sure if it was from Lionel or MTH) of newer tech that's similar to an inkjet printer that's used to factory paint engines and rolling stock. Print head passes over, lays down all the colors at once. Really amazing stuff, but again, at the moment, not within reach of the hobbyist.