Installing Decals

[smegs]

Hey guy I have a question how to install RR Sand Scorcher decals. I have heard to use soap and water. Or use hair dryer. What to you guys suggest.

[Percymon]

Spraying the body or the back of the decal with a mixture of tap water with a few drop of liquid soap will allow you to slide the decal around to finalise the position.

This method is fine but time consuming as there is a risk of the decals moving when you apply later ones if you use too much lubricant.

Really it all depends how confident you are putting the decals on direct first time round.

Sand Scorcher ones aren't too difficult - Avante 2001, Egress , Monster Beetle ones are a lot worse. The first decals i ever applied were on a DF-02 Rising Storm and i got them 95% correct with direct application and no lube.

[XV Pilot]

I use a slightly different approach with my soap and water. I put some lukewarm water in a saucer and add a tiny amount of washing up liquid. I then dip the decal in this before positioning it on the bodyshell. This allows the decal to be slid into position, but leaves it tacky enough to stay in position once pressed into place. When I have the decal correctly positioned, I rub it down with some paper kitchen towel, starting in the centre and working outwards. This removes most of the water, and helps the decal stick firmly so that it doesn't shift when I apply the next one. It also helps the decal to adhere properly to curved surfaces.

[94eg!]

Yeah, I find the trick is getting just the right ratio of soap to water. This only comes via trial & error. They need to be tacky enough to stay once pressed over compound curves, but lubed enough to easily pull up if necessary.

The thing I like about XV Pilot's method is that once you've got the mix right, your saucer is set for the entire job. I typically do it in the sink with a dribble of running water. But each time I get a new decal, I have to get another touch of soap and adjust the mix.

[smegs]

You guys are so awesome. I love this forums.

[shenlonco]

Windex for me.

[OCD]

Windex for me.

Was just gonna mention the same; I cut it with a little bit of distilled water to give some extra 'grip', but Windex (window cleaner) works pretty well on its own. Best part is it leaves little to no residue!

[Champ85]

Soap and water user here. I use an old plastic container from Land-o-lakes butter spread and like 4 or 5 drops of dishwashing liquid. Just enough to give the water a slightly slippery feel.
And for the stubborn places where a lot of bending around corners or edges is required (and the decal seemingly won't stick and keeps lifting), like the leading edge of a wing, I use a hair dryer on medium heat. Stick the decal where you want it positioned, and then warm up the decal on the body and use a finger or toothpick to lay it down. Go from the middle to the edge, pressing the decal down where you want it to stick. Once it's hot enough, the glue really activates in the decal and it stays down. I keep going for a minute after it sticks, just to make sure it isn't going to lift. After it cools, it stays down, too. I've done this with Tamiya decals (too many to list), vintage Kyosho decals (from a Pegasus), and repro decals (Turbo Ultima) and it's worked perfectly for all.

[viperchief]

I don't use water at all. I cut the decal as close as possible then find its position. Once I'm satisfied that it will fit properly, I cut about 1/4"-1/2" of the backing off from one edge. Then I place the decal in position and press the exposed bit of decal into place. At that point I can slowy remove the backing, maybe an inch at a time, and continue until complete. I like this method because there is no chance of it moving after application and after some practice, those dreaded long skinny decals are a piece of cake! I will then follow up with a hair dryer if needed.

[Kevin_Mc]

I use a slightly different approach with my soap and water. I put some lukewarm water in a saucer and add a tiny amount of washing up liquid. I then dip the decal in this before positioning it on the bodyshell. This allows the decal to be slid into position, but leaves it tacky enough to stay in position once pressed into place. When I have the decal correctly positioned, I rub it down with some paper kitchen towel, starting in the centre and working outwards. This removes most of the water, and helps the decal stick firmly so that it doesn't shift when I apply the next one. It also helps the decal to adhere properly to curved surfaces.

100% how i do it and i've never had a problem with decals moving either

[Tamiya1/10]

Soap and water technique also applies to window tinting, which the factory will tell you how to do it. But for some reason, Tamiya in its instruction manual do not mention it other than just peel off a bit at a time and cut the decal carefully, no @#$% kidding,not much help in their instructions.. I would add, make sure your hands are clean.

[94eg!]

Tamiya manuals lack in every way EXCEPT building the actual model. In that sense they are the best around. They are also terrible on explaining the concept of setup, and even completely wrong on a few of the points they do touch on.

[Tamiya Era]

Agree

[OCD]

I don't use water at all. I cut the decal as close as possible then find its position. Once I'm satisfied that it will fit properly, I cut about 1/4"-1/2" of the backing off from one edge. Then I place the decal in position and press the exposed bit of decal into place. At that point I can slowy remove the backing, maybe an inch at a time, and continue until complete. I like this method because there is no chance of it moving after application and after some practice, those dreaded long skinny decals are a piece of cake! I will then follow up with a hair dryer if needed.

Try doing this on the rear fenders on the Taisan GT2 and let me know how this works for you. Long skinny decals aren't the issue, it's the compound curves that are nearly impossible to predict how a decal is going to conform to. If you end up having to pull a decal to reposition, you're almost certainly going to end up with bubbles and peeling edges later down the road.

[viperchief]

Try doing this on the rear fenders on the Taisan GT2 and let me know how this works for you. Long skinny decals aren't the issue, it's the compound curves that are nearly impossible to predict how a decal is going to conform to. If you end up having to pull a decal to reposition, you're almost certainly going to end up with bubbles and peeling edges later down the road.

Never claimed it works in all situations, just that it works for me so far. I'll have to look into the other techniques described sometime. Always willing to learn something new!

[OCD]

Never claimed it works in all situations, just that it works for me so far. I'll have to look into the other techniques described sometime. Always willing to learn something new!

Oh sorry didn't mean for it to come of as an indictment To be honest I skip the Windex on 90% of the decals I apply, and reserve it for the ones I know are going to be tough going.

[viperchief]

Oh sorry didn't mean for it to come of as an indictment To be honest I skip the Windex on 90% of the decals I apply, and reserve it for the ones I know are going to be tough going.

No worries! I am wrapping up a 12 hour shift and might come across a bit cranky. :-) I'll be decaling my Porsche 959 soon and will probably need some Windex-assistance by the looks of things!

[smegs]

I just want to thank all you guys. Soap trick worked awesome.