Making Decals
 

Hey Friends,

Although the list of decals available for use on our tanks are numerous, and the quality is for the most part great, you still might find yourself unable to get just the set you want. Even worse you might have to pay for a sheet of decals just to get that one you need.

So why not make your own? I found this site http://www.decalpaper.com/

The paper is cheap, and anyone with a scanner can replicate just about any decal they want. Just be careful not to violate any copyright

One proplem with this is the color white. White ink is not used in most printers.

Here is a picture of a air recon flag I made with the paper. I used a piece of thin brass shim to make the flag shape, then gave it a coat of primer. Once dried I shot it with flat white.

I made the decal from an image off the net of an actual flag. This was neat since it had the grommets and bunting. I printed a test sheet on regular paper to be sure I had the correct size. I then printed the flag on white decal paper using my ink jet printer. I let this dry for an hour. I then used Testors Decal Spray in five thin coats. This was then allowed to dry for 12 hours.

I then cut the decal out leaving about a 16th of an inch around the outside. I also notched the corners so I could fold it inderth back side of the brass.

Now just like any other decal I soaked it in water for 20 seconds and when the decal was loose from the paper, I peeled the decal to cover the brass. Using a soft brush I puched the decal into the folds of the brass till I was happy.

I let the flag dry for 12 hours. The I gave it a shot of dull coat. Once this was dry I did a little weathering. After that another thin coat of Dull Coat.

RE: Making Decals
 

Nice tip Don... Testors also makes a decal kit, or you can just buy the decal paper and it comes in clear and white so there is no need for a white base coat!

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXESK4

RE: Making Decals
 

But just how thick is that decal film? Between Peddinghause decals and Archer transfers , if you can't find what you need then I guess making them is your only option but it must be something really special to go through all that.

Considering the low costs of those being offered I cannot see a need to go to all the extra trouble making decals for tanks. Maybe cars and trucks.

RE: Making Decals
 

When I made decals I got clear decal film from my hobbyshop and used my Epson printer with the Dura-Brite ink. It is a waterproof ink so I didn't have to over spray the decal with clearcoat to prevent the ink from running. Epson is the only printer I know that uses the Dura-Brite waterproof ink. But as said there isn't a printer that prints in white. So if your decal has white in it you will have to print on white decal film

RE: Making Decals
 

I haven't tried making tank decals yet, but did use the testors white decal film to make some for another project and it worked very well. One advantage I see, and will probably use this for if I can find the proper font, is that you can number tanks to be in the same platoon by changing one digit in the number on German tanks. The Peddinghaus decals are nice, but I'd like my Tigers to be in the same unit and they don't sell spare numbers to change them around if you want to.

RE: Making Decals
 

Never though of that. Maybe he should know that spare numbers from the same platoon are needed?