Creating & Using Custom Waterslide Decals

I've received a number of questions about how I make decals for my custom train related projects such as this one:

You'll be surprised about how easy custom decals are to make.

All you need are waterslide decal paper (readily available on Ebay), clear (Krylon or Rust-oleum) spray paint, Testors DullCote, Sharp scissors, a small soft flat brush, a container for water, Solvaset, Excel (or similar computer program) and an Ink Jet printer. Oh yeah, you also need a project idea or plan!

All of the lettering fonts I use come with EXCEL or WORD - you just have to scroll through them to find something close to what you want.

For designs, logos, heralds or whatever, you can copy them from the internet, scan one that you have, or create your own.

As you can see from the below picture, I like to use as much space on a decal sheet as possible. I make sure it includes extra images (just in case they are needed). If what I need for a specific project does not fill the sheet, I'll add generics (such as my Warrenville RailRoad logo, heralds, numbers, flags, etc. of different sizes) to fill space - for future use.

BEFORE printing on decal paper print your design on plain white paper to test for size - now is the time to make adjustments.

Once satisfied with your layout, place a sheet of decal paper (upside down for most printers) in you Ink Jet printer, set your print level to maximum, and print your design as you would with any other document.

Let the ink dry for 5 minutes or so before spraying it with a thin coat of your clear enamel.

Some decal paper manufacturers say to use 3 coats of clear. That said, I find that using a thick coat, or more than one coat, will make the decals curl when applying them or after they dry on your model.

Multiple coats will also make your decals thicker and, therefore, more obvious on your completed project.

Some tips:

*Spray the clear with the sheet lying flat to avoid runs. Spray quickly and keep it moving. Be patient and let them dry for at least an hour before using.

*Cut out your decal (close to, but not exactly on the edges of your design), soak it in clean water, and you can then apply it to your model just like any commercially purchased water slide decal.

*Soak in water only briefly, testing for separation frequently, usually, 10 or so seconds is all you will need. The perfect time to use is when you can just begin to slide your decal off the backing paper. Don't let the decal float off the backing paper in the water.

*I like to place the soaked decal paper, with its backing still on, near where you want to apply it. Hold one end down with a finger and, keeping the decal down close to the model, slowly slide the backing out from under the decal with your other hand.

*Do the final positioning of the decal on your model and blotch off excess water with your clean paper towel.

Holding one end of the decal down with one finger, a light swiping with the paper towel should be all you need to flatten it and remove any bubbles or light wrinkles. Be gentle and move slowly.

*I like to use a small, soft, flat brush to gently help settle the decal down on your model.

*Use your brush dipped in Solvaset to further help settle the decal down over details such as "rivets", if needed. This could also help settle the decal's edges down.

*After application and a drying period, I like to spray the entire project with DullCote for a satin like sheen and to further hide the shiny decals on your model. I skip this step if I want my final model to be shiny, such as with prewar tin trains.

Notes:

*Decal paper is available with clear or white backing. You will find that you will use the clear most of the time. Keep both on hand.

*You can't print white. Light colors (like yellow) look fine on the clear decal paper but disappear when applied - apparently the ink is not opaque enough.

*I use white water slide decal paper when needing these lighter colors, or white, in my designs. Carefully cut out your design right on the edges of it - An Exacto knife with a new blade can be very helpful in doing this. Lettering is very hard to cut out in this manner - you may need to purchase alphabet sets of lettering or numbers, in different fonts and sizes, from the commercial market, for this purpose.

*Waterslide decals work best on a glossy finish.

Think out of the box!

The decals you print need not be small. Check out the lettering on these displays that I built:

Some of my passenger car project doners were missing window silhouette strips. I scanned the ones I had, printed them on clear decal paper, applied them to some clear plastic sheets and cut them out. Ready to insert in the car windows:

I wanted some silhouettes for apartment house windows. I made these using the same technique:

Here are a some more examples of models I finished with custom decals:

The original door decals on the boxcar shown below dried and flaked away. I easily created these replacement decals using the methods described herein

Have fun with your projects!