Author Topic: Decals on scratch built models  (Read 6974 times)

Offline Dеnis

  • Photo Administrator
  • Home away from home
  • *****
  • Posts: 350
    • View Profile
Decals on scratch built models
« on: December 13, 2016, 11:34:16 AM »
How do you do custom decals for your scale models?  You know, all those accurate big & small writings on hull & everywhere - ship name, port of registry, numbers, marks, signs, etc. - how do you get them there?  Back then all I could do was writing everything on model by hand with a very thin/sharp brush or needle - it was nice, but quality was far from accurate.  Would like to hear your technicues/tips/suggestions.

Regards,
Denis
Regards,
Denis

Offline Jon Godsell

  • Home away from home
  • ****
  • Posts: 469
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2016, 02:19:15 PM »
Denis,

Suggest that you post this request here: http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php


Jon.

Offline Michael Wirth

  • Not too shy to talk
  • *
  • Posts: 32
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2016, 04:25:27 PM »
Hello!

In the past I used self-made signs and decals as well as online services.

For the most common scales (e.g. 1:50, 1:100) there are sheets with draught marks available.

When you take a look at model railroader magazines (ok, I confess I'm a model railroader, too) there are quite some suppliers of decals where you can upload your own computer generated drawings from which they make the decals. Especially popular for Northern American railroading with the many different roadnames there. I can look up some in the US or in Great Britain, if you like.

In the past I used commercial labeling machines, too. But the quality (resolution) of the prints is not that good. I printed it out on thin film and carefully painted the letters over with a very small brush. The disadvantage is that however thin the film is, you see it on the finished model if you take a closer look.

For the names of ships in the scale of 1:48 to 1:20 I used noodles. Yes, there are noodles in the shape of characters for soups for example. I sort the best out, glue them to the hull and paint them over. Looks like charakters welded on the hull and cost nothing - there are always enough left for a good soup!


Best regards,

Michael.

Offline Dеnis

  • Photo Administrator
  • Home away from home
  • *****
  • Posts: 350
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2016, 07:43:30 AM »
Right, a film on a painted hull will be visible...  So far I found there's a way of simply printing the lettering on a normal paper, cover it with a scotch tape, cut out extra parts around the needed area, put to soap water for some seconds, carefully remove the paper from tape - the lettering should remain under the tape & then glue that to the model.   The problem here is, the scotch tape has some thickness & would be visible on a painted hull.  Less problems if the hull is not painted but a colored cardboard with a scotch tape all aover it for waterproof - my now outdated way of modeling, so decals as scotch is not a decent way to do it.
Then, how do lettering get on hull without decals & manual writing with brush?
Regards,
Denis

Offline Michael Wirth

  • Not too shy to talk
  • *
  • Posts: 32
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2016, 07:59:05 AM »
Hello!

There is something I always wanted to try: a form of pad printing.

For now it's only theory, but I will try it as soon as I have the time:

1. Get type case with a set of characters in various sizes of a movable type used in letterpress printing.
2. Set the name or whatever should appear on the model.
3. Apply paint an let it dry a little.
4. Transfer with a pad onto the model (material of the pad is subject to a trial and error process I suppose).
5. Seal with transparent paint.

Pad printing is how industrial mass produced models are decorated, so in principle it should work and I think it's worth a try!


Best regards,

Michael.

Offline seaway7228

  • Not too shy to talk
  • *
  • Posts: 35
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2016, 02:54:23 PM »
I construct models at 1:200.. there are ready made decals available that can be attached and look perfectly alright. They are advertised in various modelling magazines. However I also type them up on my computer and print them onto transfer paper which is quite readily available in this part of the world. I cut them up and attach easily to the hull.If I want colour transfers I can achieve the same effect but must get the paper printed at a shop which does paper colour printing, using the same transfer paper I would use on my home printer.

Offline Pieter_Inpijn

  • Top Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,963
    • View Profile
Re: Decals on scratch built models
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2016, 04:55:47 PM »
My way of working:
- in microsoft excell type your text in one cell in the font and size that you need
- make the background of the cell the right color
- make also surrounding cells the same color
- make a test print on normal paper
- print the tekst on a sheet of adhesive adress labels
- cut out what you need and stick it to the model
- (also small figures or jpg-files or logo-files can be stored in one cell)
Will probably no work for plastic models but with paper of cardboard models it works very well.
.........

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk