Got sent here when I was searching for info on decals for foamies.

Great info, great technique. Thank you so much.

Now first thing first, I compiled it into a pdf, here it is.

Excellant condensed booklet on making the decals. This is a keeper and a nice handout for my friends and fellow fliers. Of course the whole thread here is fantastic along with the photos and ideas. But, all in all, this covers it for me. Thank you.
**Neons** Bob

Originally Posted by Sparken57

Hay Fred love this thread is the blue camo done with paint in layers?
Ken

Hey Ken,

Thank you and a great question which others may wonder. The foam was blue fff, which is the lightest color. I did touch up some areas with some matching blue craft paint I had. I then did the light gray areas. Some were completely filled and a top coat of dark gray added. However most I left much of the dark area unpainted and only had the two layers at the edges. Hope that answers your questions. If not as some more anytime.

Fred

Originally Posted by Wilfor

If you start Here in the Blubaby thread you can see Freddies nice tutorial on his combat birds . Its another one of his well done how to's

Thank you so much Wilfor. I often have trouble finding my own posts and you are often there to help answer questions long before I see them. I do hope everyone appreciates all the nice, helpful things you do for everyone. And I thank you again for your kind compliments on my posts.

Fred

Originally Posted by Michael V

Got sent here when I was searching for info on decals for foamies.

Great info, great technique. Thank you so much.

Now first thing first, I compiled it into a pdf, here it is.

Found it! Looks good Michael, and thank you for the hard work to compile the basics into a clean all in one document.

Fred

Freddie B - Excellent thread! Just stumbled across this and WOW! I've been wanting to do something different (a Dutch Navy Scheme) with my electrifly Tiger Moth and I think you've provided the 'solution', Thank you!

If anyone's interested, go to http://www.warbirdkits.com/kits.html and check out the site. You can download the markings for any of their kits from the web site! They're .PDF documents of the actual decal sheets for the kits but there are a number of national insignias and squadron markings you may find useful. Enjoy! ~ Robin

Robin,
Thank you so much for providing another cool link for all of us. It would be hard to find all the cool stuff since the web is so large. I need to make some new decals for 3 aircraft I am building and will be updating some new application techniques very soon.

Fred

Hi, thanks for sharing a great idea. Can't wait to try it but as I live in Germany I can't get hold of Krylon paint. Will Plastikote Krstal Clear be any good or what should I be looking for??
Thanks in advance for any help.
Paul.

P.S.
Another idea that I had was to put WBPU into an empty deoderant spray bottle and to spray that on, good idea??

PPS, I could also just try both methods and keep looking if it bleeds. :-))

Originally Posted by PaulB

Hi, thanks for sharing a great idea. Can't wait to try it but as I live in Germany I can't get hold of Krylon paint. Will Plastikote Krstal Clear be any good or what should I be looking for??
Thanks in advance for any help.
Paul.

Paul,

Best info I have is that Krylon is a propritory brand very similar to Lacquer based paint. Very light, fast drying. This is esential to protecting the decals from moisture before using the white glue, WBPU or Poly Acrylic top coats and as an application medium. In looking at Krylon Brand paint as a sealer, the materials in it are heavy on Acetone and that is why it drys so quick!

Poly Acrylic, or WBPU might work well in a sprayer as you mention, or may not. Depends on how fine it sprays and does not clog???? But that will be for top coating. Please use a clear Lacquer sealing spray first.

Fred

I keep forgetting to come back and post my newer projects, shame on me! So here is the latest just done today. This is 1/48th scale EDF jet, a French designed, Mirage 2000 C, single seat fighter plane. I picked Austrailian markings because Austrailia is an English speaking, American Allies. I didn't want to do French Decals, and the French version is so common.

I did a very quick carrier sheet with glue stick to mount my domestic gift wrapping tissue paper. Ran it through the printer. In fact I did 3 sheets, all in less than 1/2 hour because I was playing around and have a new printer.

I did one in clear coat (Krylon which is Lacquer type paint), left one raw, in case, and the last one was sprayed clear on the top, and then I opened up the carrier sheet and sprayed the back white. I am covering a darker model, so I needed to make the decals less 'transparent'.

I used Water based Wood glue, and it was the 'yellow type', Tightbond II specificly, to mount these decals. I diluted the glue 70%/30% glue to water, Brushed glue on the backside, waited about 1 minute, placed the decal, and wiped glue on top. Then I blotted the top coat and pressed out the wrinkles, if any, and to remove all air bubbles, etc. They were stuck good once dry (I wanted to remove a couple, thats how I know). I did give a quick top coat later using Polycrylic to seal and prtect them.

Entire jet, ready to fly, with battery, 24g. Yes 24 grams! Here is a Link to my Mirage Jet Build Log, if you are interested.

Take a look, and hope you enjoy.


Fred

FreddieB - thanks so much for the tutorial. I've tried to follow your method to replicate lozenge covering on an AerodromeRc Fokker DVII. I'm to the point of placing the strips over Polyspan covered wings.
I was wondering if the WBPU and white glue method would work for that large of an area? I did not see any feedback in the prior posts about anyone doing this And this is basically my first ever build so did not want to screw up too dramatically.
Any advice would be appreciated.

You are welcome.

I am not so sure I would do that with a very large area. Polyspan is a different material than I usually utilize, so I would experiment on a scrap test piece first. I wonder if a mist of spray glue like Super 77 and then tack the edges after stretching, then do a post top coating. I have heard of using Acrylic floor wax like Pledge (with Future Shine) to cover a whole airframe using tissue. I might have to try something like that.

Let me know what you try and how it works.

Fred

I decided to build up a test piece of wing from left over parts. So far I can report that the Minwax does not seem to work well. I have also tried sealing with dope, which has given best results so far. I also tried, but quickly eliminated, the glue stick and white glue methods, they did not adhere to then oped Polyspan. The good news is that the Kryloned pieces are easy to apply and hold their color even after exposure to dope and Minwax. I have also found, and continue to experiment with, using a bar coat of white or light gray under the decal. It improves the final color considerably.

Thank you for the feed back and your observations on color retention and the undercoating trick. Thank you again.

Fred