White decal paper

[john redman]

I've had reasonable success creating my own decals by printing them on a high quality printer on clear decal film. These generally work well. You are limited, however, to all colours except white, because office-type printers don't as a rule print white. They assume the paper is white and they print nothing.

If you're clever you can maybe work around. If you need say a blue-white-red roundel, you could print a blue-clear-red roundel on clear paper and apply it to a white disc you previously painted. This can also work with black on white crosses.

But if you need to do - eg - white "frame" German crosses, or white stars on a tank, or white stripe markings for your Airfix make-and-take Red Arrow, you need to use white decal paper. My experience with this stuff is that it is a nightmare. To handle, it is exactly like the skin off boiled milk.

Has anyone figured out a way to use it?

[Sailorman]

I've been using clear decal sheet for some time and have just ordered a fresh pack together with a pack of white decal sheet, (which I have never used before).

These decals tend to be really thin and difficult to transfer from the backing sheet to the model.

What you need to do is spray on a couple of coats of clear gloss lacquer. This gives them a bit of body ...enough for them not to curl up or break apart when you apply them. For small decals ....eg: doors on my 1:600 liners / ships' names etc I simply brush the lacquer on rather than messing about with my airbrush. When they dry you just apply whatever final lacquer coat you want to finish the whole of the model in .....Gloss / Satin or Matt.

[john redman]

Thanks Patrick, obviously patience and practice needed. When I've used the white stuff previously, not only does it not go on properly but it tries to trash the paintwork too!

It also seems unwise to apply Klear to a home made decal that uses printer ink on clear decal paper. Klear simply dissolves it. It seems to be OK if you matt varnish it first and then Klear it.