A few people were asking about DIY decals at the last meeting, so I figured I would post here what info and tips I have on the subject…

The decal paper I’m using is Expert’s Choice made by Bare Metal Foil. It comes in letter size 8.5″ x 11″ sheets in clear or white. There is also a Testor’s brand in 5.5″ x 8.5″ sheets, but I haven’t tried them, yet. You will also need decal film to seal the ink. I use Microscale Industries Liquid Decal Film, but Pledge Future should also work. The paper and decal film is available at M&M.

To create the decal images themselves, I use a free image editing program called Gimp. If you have a copy of Photoshop, that works, too, but I’ve found Gimp is very easy to use and you can’t get better than free! Gimp was originally made for Linux, but there are also Windows and Mac OS X versions. I’ve read that some people either hand paint or airbrush the image onto the paper, but I have never tried it myself. It seems that masking would be an issue and could damage the “decal” layer on the paper.

As for printing, a Laser printer probably would work, but of course, you’d be limited to black and the heated fixer process could damage the paper. I’ve used an HP Photosmart printer before and am currently using an Epson Stylus NX625. Both worked just fine, but I’ve found that you will need to turn up the ink usage. The default or economy settings usually will not get a good coverage and the ink will sort of bead up and make the image look pixellated. Turning it up to the next highest setting will give you good solid colors.

When creating your image, there are a few tricky things to watch out for. Since inkjet printers can’t print white, you need to choose which paper you will be using. If your image has any white in it, you will need the white paper, anything else can go on the clear. I will usually end up creating two sets of images for each type of paper. I group all of the decals of the same paper type together in one image, spacing them out enough so that cutting them out is easy. In order to make sure the printed image isn’t scaled incorrectly or placed in the center of the paper, I will create a new image file that is 8.5″ x 11″ and copy the decals image into it. So, you will end up with a large image that is mostly blank with your decals up in one corner. In Gimp, in the new image dialog, you can select inches/mm instead of pixels for the size. Scaling can be tricky and depending on your printer, monitor and software, things can come out slightly off. So, always print a test on regular paper!

Now, it does seem wasteful to use an entire sheet for a few decals that may only take up a few square inches of space. You can reuse the sheets by moving the content of the image to another part of the sheet that hasn’t been cut out, yet. One problem is that once the sheet has a lot of cut out holes, it will eventually jam the printer. So, definitely some bugs to work out there, but it works for the most part. And, of course, always print your decals out on regular paper first to make sure you have them scaled to the correct size.

Once you print your decals and have given the ink time to fully dry (usually only a couple hours, but a full day will ensure it’s cured), you need to put the sealer on top. I’ve found that I can brush it on and it will flatten out perfectly as it dries, just like Future. I usually put a second coat on when the first dries. When they are fully dried treat them as you would regular decals, except that you will have to trim to the edge of the image. They do tend to curl and wrinkle, but the Micro-sol and Micro-set stuff helps greatly. One thing to watch out for is that the decals tend to get slightly elastic which can cause the image to get distorted as you try to smooth it out. As they dry, they will flatten out. Lay down another coat of Future on top and you’re set!

First, it was mentioned at the meeting last night that G&G Model Shop (in Rice Village) has a collection of kits for sale. Mostly WWII German and Japanese aircraft, and the boxes are apparently not in the best condition, but might be worth a look.

Second, RC Hobby Shop in Sugar Land has moved. (I found out when I went to the old location looking for airbrush needle lubricant.) Their new address is 206 Brand Ln in Stafford, just south of US-90 near Dulles. This is fairly near the Stafford Centre, behind the O’Reilly Auto Parts.

Not sure where these place are? Check out the map – you can get there from the Links page.

We have a theme this month – ‘Anything German’. Which is pretty broad, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something. It doesn’t have to be completed.

See you there.

7 to 9 pm at the Tracy Gee Community Center

3599 Westcenter Drive, one block east of the West Beltway 8 Toll Road on Richmond Ave

AGENDA
Part I (business part)
Welcome Guests &/or New Members
National Announcements
Regional Announcements
Chapter Business
Financial Report
Membership Report
Announcements

Part II (fun part)
See the Headline above

I’ve also added the latest version of the contest results on the same page.

Thanks, Tom!

Oh, yeah, there’s a meeting tonight (08 May). Bring stuff to show off.

For those interested in the results, you can find a pdf here.

ModelMania+2012+Awards[1]

Congratulations are in order for all of the participants, whether they took home an award or not.

Don’t forget Scalefest coming up in May! Links to upcoming shows are listed on the right side of the page.