Peel 'n stick decal retention?
Hello All,
Has anyone found a way of ensuring that the Estes peel 'n stick decals (like those in the Gnome and Yankee kits) will stay on? (In my experience, they have a limited "adhesion life," after which they begin to de-bond from the rocket.) Is there any sort of surface preparation, and/or perhaps a spray-on product (clear artist's fixative spray, maybe?) that makes such decals stick? I prefer water-transfer decals, of course, but many kits don't come with those. Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help! (This would be helpful to many others as well.) |
I have had the same problem with the stickers on several Quest kits as well. You an try using some old fashioned Elmer's white glue to stick them back down. If your adventurous, you can make a copy of the stickers on decal film that you can print off of your printer and apply them like any water-slide decal. Testors has a decal making set.
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Heh-heh.
Last year I had the darndest time trying to peel OFF some stickers on a Estes EAC Viper. Proper prep might help: Smooth finish, aided and abetted with wet sanding and compounding. Clean surface with alcohol to remove any dust, etc. Let dry and polish with clean paper towel / tissue. After applying sticker, burnish thoroughly, all-around, with a coffee stirrer or what-not. |
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Try Aleen's Tacky glue instead of white glue. The stuff is really cheap and drys clear. |
blackshire,
How about just a clear coat to seal them? I use Krylon UV-Resistant Acrylic Clear over my waterslides. I’ve not tried it over peel ‘n’ stick decals (I just don’t use them, with the exception of the Alpha VI I got at NARAM). The only stick-on decals I use are vinyl from Stickershock. Those things bond like crazy. I cannot imagine them ever peeling up. |
I thank you all very much for your suggestions! I'm helping a British fellow who is just starting in model rocketry, and hints & tricks for ensuring adhesion of this common type of decal will prevent frustration (and in club, school, and youth group model rocketry activities, too).
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Thank you for reminding me about the Quest kits, which also use peel 'n apply decals. I hadn't thought of white glue (I'll try Elmer's and Aleen's Tacky, with scrap peel 'n apply decal material). Quote:
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I believe it is the vegetable oil in the Mayo that is de-bonding the decals. I have used mineral oil, baby oil, mineral spirits, vegetable oils, lamp oil, WD-40 and Kerosene to remove the adhesive from or de-bond pressure sensitive decals. Mineral oil and mineral spirits (paint thinner) works the best. It is always recommended to check out the use of these liquids in an inconspicuous place on the painted surface before attempting to do this. In the past I made sticker type decals by printing with my inkjet printers onto a thin transparency film, for example; https://www.officedepot.com/a/produ...t-Transparency/. I then backed the artwork with a clear adhesive transfer tape (2 sided) and cut out the decal. After pealing away the tape liner, I was able to stick the decals down onto a clean surface. The decals were kind of thick but they worked. You could probably use one of the above liquids to remove the old adhesive from under the decals then apply the 2 sided clear tape to reattach them. I used Scotch brand 465 tape; https://www.3m.com/3M/en_NG/company...94748769&rt=rud That I purchased from McMaster -Carr: https://www.mcmaster.com/adhesive-transfer-tape |
A heat gun works quite nicely to soften and remove stick-on decals.
Also, I use Pledge clear to coat these decals once applied. This liquid will practically glue the decals in place. Never had a problem. Allen |
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My main interest (and for others rather than myself) is in ensuring that the "stock" peel 'n stick decals will stay in place. If I--personally--go to the effort of scanning and printing the decals, I'd rather make them on water-transfer decal film. |
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Allen,
I second the heat gun approach however, some heat guns are much too aggressive (too high of a temperature) for heating decals. I prefer to use an old hair dryer for this purpose since they are generally lower temperature devices. This also works great for removing shipping labels and tape from boxes. Pledge Clear is now Pledge Floor Gloss https://www.pledge.com/en-us/produc...dge-floor-gloss , the modern version of Future Floor Wax (FFW) that I have used for years as a final coat over paint and decals visit: http://www.finescale.com/how-to/tip...-has-a-new-name. It is easily removed with ammonia water. |
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Had that very same problem with a kit I assembled last night: The Quest Triton-X. The stick-on paper decals started lifting ten minutes after burnishing. Removed the lifting decals and sprayed with Elmer's spray adhesive. Two hours later still not lifting. Problem solved. Will clear coat with a polymer floor polish later. Before and after pics:
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I’ve just used Pledge/Future once, and quite pleased with the results. Many of my models get clearcoated with a matte clear (Krylon UV-Resisteant Acrylic). It got me to wondering if the Pledge/Future could be “flatted”. Here is some information I found recently. I’ve not tried it yet, but will, once warm weather returns. FUTURE FLOOR POLISH, FLATTENING Future does produce a glossy finish so many modelers will introduce a flattening material or only use it as a pre-decal sealer. If you wish to use flattened Future as a final coat here are a couple of suggested ratios of Tamiya flat base for different effects: ****** 1 part flat base to 3 parts Future = very flat ****** 1 part flat base to 10 parts Future = flat ****** 1 part flat base to 15 parts Future = satin ****** If you get too much of anybody's flat base on the surface of your model you run the risk of making it all go white. No thinning is required just make sure it is well mixed. |
I flatten FFW (Future Floor Wax, Pledge Clear , or Pledge Floor Gloss) with Talcum powder (which now is linked to cancer!) until I get the flat effect that I want.
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