Topic: applying decals

[mrblasty]

After reading Terry's thread about his rattle can paint job on his tank he brings up that laying the decals was a bit nerve racking so here is a tip I picked up in the body shop.
You will need:

Your stickers

A bottle of windex window cleaner (brand is not important, use the cheap #$%*)

And a plastic paddle, like a "bondo"spreader, 3M makes a paddle for this very function.
 Whatever you use needs to be free of nicks and have a clean even edge otherwise you will ruin your decal.

With your part clean and ready for the decal, spray the area you wish to apply the decal with windex window cleaner, apply the decal as close as possible to it's intended position over the wetted area, you the float your decal into the exact spot you want it and very carefully use the plastic spreader to paddle the decal down and pull the windex out from behind the decal.  Work from the middle out being watchful of air bubbles. There is a small of a learning curve to this, and can be practices with cheap bumper stickers or junk stickers from the craft store.

Good luck 

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Blasty,

You still in ETown? I'm headed to Loo A Vul in June for a quick family trip. Gotta stop by Bob's shop (Magnum's) for a beer one day. Any of you guys in the area (Rushoid, etc) should attempt to hook up for a cold one and some serious BS'ing.

[mystic_1]

Great tip, Mrblasty.

I believe that I've seen commercial "Decal Application Fluid" for sale which is used just as you describe.  Didn't look at the cost but Ibet it costs way more than Windex

mystic_1

[narcoticrex]

great frickin tip man!! Wet decal application, the easy way! good stuff.

[mark]

Great tip, Mrblasty.

I believe that I've seen commercial "Decal Application Fluid" for sale which is used just as you describe.  Didn't look at the cost but Ibet it costs way more than Windex

mystic_1

My buddy at the paint store recommends this 'formula'....

Spray bottle 2/3 full of water... add a generous splash of denatured alcohol and a couple of drops of dish detergent. Makes windex look spendy.

Avoid the nicks and rough edges by using a new squeegee to work the bubbles out.


Happy trails.

[troppo]

My buddy at the paint store recommends this 'formula'....

Spray bottle 2/3 full of water... add a generous splash of denatured alcohol and a couple of drops of dish detergent. Makes windex look spendy.

Avoid the nicks and rough edges by using a new squeegee to work the bubbles out.


Happy trails.



[/quote]

Didnt know about the alchohol bit, when i worked on a sign shop a few years ago they just used a squirty bottle of water with some dish-washing liquid in it, and the rules were to replace the squeegeys as soon as there was a nick in the edge....
That reminds me i need a new one for work lol
Cheers
Troppo

[lordmoonpie]

Yup - you can get it (and I use) commercial fluid. Not sure where you'd get it in the USA but you can get it in the Uk at www.overlayfluid.co.uk - they might ship but that's likely to make it way more expensive than Windex....although it's probably not much more so if you can get it locally?

[sandcastcb750]

I put the decal in soapy water and put some soapy water on the tank as well. You then can slide the decal around into position. When you find the ideal location, push down on the decal and squish the water out.

[dustyc]

With 16 years experience, I can say this subject is like oil opinions among signmakers.  Basically you're contaminating the surface or changing the chemical makeup of the adhesive by adding things in.  On one hand people do it and the world doesn't end.  On the other, I've seen decals get completely ruined(by me) by using the wrong stuff.  The professional squeegees(not the ones like bondo spreaders) can be have a new edge put on them(actually, you could put a new edge on a bondo spreader too).  -I bet that shop's owner wishes he knew that at about $5 a pop if he was getting good ones.   

There are a few application fluids that are approved by decal manufacturers, Rapid Tac, Splash to name a couple but it would be a waste to buy them for anything other than professional use. 

I suggest if it's just a one time thing, you're best off using a drop of dish washing liquid to about a quart spray bottle.  You don't want it to feel soapy.  You just want to be able to reposition it if you don't have it right.  If it feels soapy, the decal most likely won't stick.  After a while it may, but you definitely don't have a good bond.

Dry application is my preferred way to apply. 

[Terry in Australia]

This is a fascinating subject, I've often thought about using water, but my only experience with water has been when I've used real "decals" ("transfers"?) as opposed to "stickers" and I didn't realize that you could use water without contaminating the adhesive?

My other problem is that the F2 stickers are huge, and if I just put water on the tank by the time I had the stickers in position the water would have run off or beaded up, so maybe the "windex" (being a "wetting agent") might be better? Once I installed the F2 tank stickers I gave the tank a coat of "2 pack" clear, so even using water or windex probably wouldn't matter all that much, the clear will hold them on.

I've gotta do my K0 tank and my K2 tank (and Sean's F2 tank, if it ever arrives..........) soon, so I'll see how well some liquid works with the placement, if I have the balls to try it, that is..............