Tutorial on Waterslide Decal Application.

Surely this does deserve its own topic?

WARNING: Picture Heavy.

To begin:

Firstly, you'll require your tools. Personally, I use an Exacto-knife, some Scissors and a pair of tweezers. For more complicated decals you'll probably also need some decal softening solution - or decal fix; I've found that either will work just as well.

You'll of course also need your clear Acrylic Spray - or any other sealant type.

And these are waterslide decals. So you'll need a small bowl of filtered water.



At this point, you'll have your designs printed on waterslide paper and sealed. Thus:



I'll be applying all of those decals; but not in minute detail, as all application is pretty much the same.

Next, you should take your scissors and/or your exacto-knife, and cut out or trim the decals. Thus, they should now look something like this:



Now take your (torso, in this case) decal, clasp it tightly in the tweezers and dip it quickly into the water. Leave it to dry for two minutes/possibly three maximum.



The design is printed in two parts; the decal itself is on a film, which slides off the backing when you gently slide it with your finger. Slide it onto the element, and iron out any air bubbles with a cotton bud/Q-tip. Make sure not to let it wrinkle. Let dry for about five hours - by that time it will have dried onto the torso.



Thus:



The little piece of paper is the backing to the decal paper. It's what is left after the film is slid off onto the element.

MORE ADVANCED DECAL APPLICATION

Legs, arms, helmets. All these surfaces are curved or domed, and thus require a softening solution for the decals. (E.g. Humbrol Decal Fix, which works as one.)

First: legs.



Take a small brush and dip it into the softening solution.



Spread some of the solution onto the (in this case, leg) decal. Then grasp the wet decal in tweezers and dip it into the water.



Application is the same from that point as with normal decals. Slide it off the backing onto the leg, and iron out any air bubbles with a Q-Tip/Cotton Bud. It can also be used to position it.



Then for the other leg, merely repeat the same method.



As I apply the arm decals - in exactly the same way, but with more solution, because arms are more curved - I can give an in-action illustration of application.



Once again, iron out any air bubbles with a Q-Tip/Cotton Bud - but with arm decals, I use my fingertips to push down the decal into the desired shape, applying more solution or water if it seems difficult to adapt it to the shape.

Thus:



Helmet decals are identical in method to arm decals; but, if your helmet is completely decals, then beware of accidentally getting one of the decals stuck on your hand and getting pulled off. It's happened to me more than once.

So here we have them all!



SEALING DECALS

^This works precisely the same for all decal shapes, but with arm decals you may wish to attach them to a TLC pole-like piece, as shown in the above picture.

Firstly, cut out a hole in a piece of paper to shape with the desired element. In this case, with torsos:



Place the hole over the element with the applied decal, like so:



Hold your sealant a suitable distance (about 10-20 cm) or at a distance you deem suitable - it depends on your sealant. It is certain that 'Matt' Acrylic Spray needs to be done from 30 cm, but Glossy spray can be done quite a bit closer.

So yes, hold it at a suitable distance and spray it on the desired decalled element. Generally two coats or three are required, but my 'Keen' Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray only seems to need one coat to seal it quite well. Two are recommended, though.



And that's basically it! I hope that helped someone, somewhere. Thank you for reading.

But before I go, here's something in the spirit of the piece:

One I prepared earlier.

That was incredibly helpful CG, thanks for sharing!

Thank you! I can't believe I finally got around to doing one...

CT44 asked for it, by the way.

How do you have/get all this helmets.
Cause if I find out how, then, I am defently gonna use this.

EDIT:
Helmet= www.bricklink.com
Tools= where???

Decals- Crafty Computer Paper -

The Blue Shadow Virus wrote:How do you have/get all this helmets.
Cause if I find out how, then I am defently gonna use this.

One word my friend: Bricklink. (That is what you use, right CG?)

Very thorough and helpful - what I want to ask is: how do you prevent the legs decals from tearing when you bend his legs?

MikeZulu wrote:Very thorough and helpful - what I want to ask is: how do you prevent the legs decals from tearing when you bend his legs?

I PM'd Wuzz about this very thing. He said this:

Wuzzupbob wrote:sand the underside of the belt.

Thanks for doing this CG! It really helped!

^Why did someone report Gerrard's post?

Thanks guys. I'm glad I made this tutorial.

I don't know, it wasn't me. Now here's a message to all the footsoldiers in the anti-gerrard army: That post was OK. That's an example of a post where he added something constructive. We are out to stop the 'Yes, I agree with everything so and so said.' If he adds something of his own it's OK but if he just copies someone else then we pounce.

Thank you.

Very helpful, although I already knew most of this stuff. But I don't use the Decal Fix for curved areas... it just works without it.

The Blue Shadow Virus wrote:Where can you get the waterslíde decals?

I got them from Crafty Computer Paper - but there's some at Micromark and other places.

But I don't use the Decal Fix for curved areas... it just works without it.

Yes, but Kam said it should be done with it. Are you defying the almighty Clonier?

No, I don't even remember seeing that. It works fine without it (for me, I'm not saying that everyone else shouldn't do it), so it's just one less thing to buy.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

I never knew it was that complicated! Meh I'll still stick with stickers.

DarthPineapple wrote:I never knew it was that complicated! Meh I'll still stick with stickers.

Well said DP, well said.

DarthPineapple wrote:I never knew it was that complicated! Meh I'll still stick with stickers.

So said the Stone Age man to the man with metal tools.

So said the Stone Age man.

Chaotic Good wrote:

DarthPineapple wrote:I never knew it was that complicated! Meh I'll still stick with stickers.

So said the Stone Age man to the man with metal tools.

So said the Stone Age man.

What's Stone Age-ish about stickers?

Sigged, CG! Sigged. @DP: Waterslides are so far more advanced than peely stickers....

DarthPineapple wrote:What's Stone Age-ish about stickers?

It's a metaphor. Stickers represent the past, and Waterslides are the shiny new future. Yeah, waterslides requires more work; but so did metal tools compared to stone tools.

Not that stickers are bad. Stickers quite often rock.

So don't take me the wrong way.

On another note...

Who thinks this should be a sticky?

I asked this but I'll ask again - do your decals tear if you bend the legs of the minifigure?

Also, where did you get your DecalFix from?

MikeZulu wrote:I asked this but I'll ask again - do your decals tear if you bend the legs of the minifigure?

Nope, only stickers do that.

DarthPineapple wrote:

MikeZulu wrote:I asked this but I'll ask again - do your decals tear if you bend the legs of the minifigure?

Nope, only stickers do that.

WTF! You didn't tell me that!

For some reason, it depends on the age of the hip piece. If the legs are tighter on the hip, the decals - even if sprayed - rip when bent to sit down. If the legs are looser, occasionally the decals don't. It's confusing..

However, Wuzz prescribes sanding the inside of the hip piece - it then allows room to sit down. I'd say PM him about it.

And decals DO do it. I've often been plagued by it..

Matchstick wrote:

DarthPineapple wrote:

MikeZulu wrote:I asked this but I'll ask again - do your decals tear if you bend the legs of the minifigure?

Nope, only stickers do that.

WTF! You didn't tell me that!

You didn't even ask me anything about it...
I can't help it you paid so much on stickers.
Just normal sticker paper works good too.