Hi All

Just a quick one, does anyone know why my decals have the backing film on around them. I applied a gloss coat and put the decals on. I then sprayed a matt coat over and you can still see that white/clearish film on the decals....Any ideas I don't use setting solutions.....

Hi Tim . Decals can be tricky to work with , but are rather easy to apply .
Decals are made by layers of ink and then a carrier film is applied on top to hold it all together hence the clear stuff around the decal . When appling the decals it's best if you carefully cut as close to the decal as you can to elimate as much as the clear film that you can . Apply the decal working out any air bubbles with soft lent free rag . let this dry for half any hour . To help settle the decal down and to confrom to the surface you can apply decal setting solution of you choice , I find that super sol works the best for me it . let this dry over night and the next day wash the model off and let that dry . Clear coat it again using gloss and yes wait for that to dry . Then you can apply your dull coat . Hope this was able to help you out .

I agree. Also, Some decals are of better quality and don't seem to have this problem.

Thought I would add my two cents worth. True some decals are better than others. I recommend using decal setting solution as well. I have three kinds, micro sol, polly scale, and solvaset. Solvaset is the strongest of all the mentioned and really can whip a decal into shape. Use it when all else fails.

As you mentioned, apply a good, even gloss coat over the model. Let it dry, then apply your decals. Academy has nice kits but sometimes their decals leave something to be desired.
Silvering, air being trapped under the decal, the decal not laying flat on the surface of the model,can be frustrating to deal with. You can try puncturing the decal with an exacto knife and applying a strong setting solution into the puncture or cut on the decal. This sometimes will help. Good luck. Russell

Thank to everyone who has put their input in. I will try these out on the next kit and will also give some setting solutions a bash as everyone seems to use them. I just found it a pain in the neck as decals are one of the last few stages of a model only to see the decals ruin the kit at the last lap. Once again thanks to everyone for their help. I have found the Hasegawa decals are really thin. What do people use for lint free clothes as tissues always leave fluff/lint?

I agree about the importance of setting solutions. But you have to be careful with them. If you put a strong one on and decide your decal needs to be nudged a bit, you might end up with a melted pile of decal color. Same thing if you ause a strong solution on a really thin decal. I use two of the previously mentioned ones myself. But they react differenly to decals from different manufacturers. After a while you get a feel for what you need based on the decals thickness, age, manufacturer, and the models surface.

Have fun.

My 2 cents...
I apply a coat of gloss to my model before I apply the decals. I use an acrylic floor finish called Future ("pledge with future shine" in the U.S.). This tends to allow the decal to settle well and with little or no silvering. When silvering appears, I brush on some more Fututre on that spot and it usually removes it. After the decals have been applied and settled, I apply my matt finish to remove the gloss (vallejo's matte varnish).