Hi, I'm going to buy a blank decal sheet and print my own decals. I hear you have to spray them with something and let that dry before you try to apply the decals; this prevents bleeding. Do I have to use acrylic floor wax for this purpose, or will gloss clear enamel spray paint work as well? Thanks!

Hi J !

You didn't say on which manufacture the decal paper is . Some ( like ) Testors has a gloss finish already so you can print right away , but need to be sealed before you can use them .
You can use Testors decal film or from microscale systems they have a decal film you can apply with a brush or you can airbrush it on . both dry in about 15 minutes . For the paper which isn't sealed at all from the factory. You will need the film applied first before printing followed by another coat afterwards . Apply them like regular decals and when dry seal them with gloss cote or dull cote . Other guys might know of different products and methods . just find what will work best for you . hope this helps you out some .

Hey thanks T, that's what I needed to know. I've never done my own decals before, but the roundels I'm looking to print for my Hind are those of a smaller country whose markings aren't commercially viable for the aftermarket companies, so I'm on my own. I saw some blank decal sheets at a local hobby shop, I believe the brand is Bare Metal Foil, or I suppose I could save myself a long trip across town and order a sheet from an online seller. It doesn't seem like it'll be too difficult, and if it works well, I might want to print some more emblems of obscure or defunct air forces. It's kind of cool to know you're doing a subject and an air force that might never have been done before.

I've just printed my first transfers (see bottom of this thread).

There are two main types of transfer/decal paper- ones that have a coating on top of the transfer film to accept inkjet inks (like the coating on inkjet photo paper), and those that do not have this coating, that are intended for use with laser printers. If using an inkjet, you will have to seal the ink after printing, before use, as it is water soluble.

I used a colour laser printer, as it should have the greatest resistance to colour fading over time, and is waterproof. I did discover that in areas of dense printing (e.g. the blue of the RAF roundels) the toner makes the transfer so water repellent that Micro Sol did not work anything like as well as on clear areas.

There are also white and clear forms of the papers- as most printers can't print white. For things like white serial numbers, the white paper is no help, as you would have to cut the letters out accurately, and you might as well make a stencil if you can do that accurately. On the Spitfire PR Mk.Ib linked to above, I masked off the white area for the roundels, and airbrushed them before applying the tranfers.

One of the planes I am building requires white serial numbers, but I am going to have to compromise on accuracy and do them in black. I guess decal makers probably make sheets of serial numbers....