Alright everyone, this is a re-occuring problem i have with decals. Also ruined my Eduard hellcat i have been working on for a month. How demoralizing, it was comming out so well.....

Alright. Painted my model like normal. Gave it a coat of Krylon Krystal Klear Gloss. Applied the millions of decals using Micro Set an Solvaset. Wiped down the a/c with a damp paper towel to get glue off it. Then i sprayed the flat coat of Krylon Matt Finish. On some decals, including the right side "19," this whitish stuff popped out of no-where from behind the decal. It almost looks like a bunch of tiny smudges. What is this stuff? how do i get rid of it on this model, or future models? It cant be silvering, i used a gloss coat and decal solvent, right?

How old are the decals ?
I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but last weekend I was trying to finish one of those never ending projects, an Italeri Su-27D, the kit itself is from the 90's the decals looked ok, but when I applied them there were some little bits of white stuff .. maybe some old glue or varnish, I'm not sure what it was.
I tried some Stone age method... first applied the decal on my hand, leaving the white stuff on my hand ,, and then applied it on the kit.

Not sure if it's the same stuff, hope to see some pics of your Eduard bird.

I've had the same before and I think it may be the Krylon,

I was testing different varnishes and in my example I applied some Johnsons Klear/Future, decaled (with microset and sol) and then applied the Krylon over the top. My decals had an adverse reaction and crazed with bits of the white stuff you mention. So I think it my be the Krylon reacting with the dyes/ink used for the decals

Your using the right method but my advice would be to try some different varnishes for your gloss and matt finishes (preferably on a cheap kit you not bothered about).

I now prefer using Johnson Klear/Future for my gloss base and either Humbrol Matt Varnish or testors Dullcote for my matt finishes

Hope this helps

Cheers

Allen

Future can sometimes (usually after having relatively little drying time) react do decal solvents by going whitish, but another coat of it gets rid of it.

I second the theory of the issue being caused by Krylon. How long did you let it dry before applying the decals?

I've had a somewhat similar experience with spray paints before, although it was gloss white yellowing fast. I painted a car body, let it dry for several days, then glossed it up some with future, applied the decals and sealed them under another coat of future. Now it's either the white paint or the future that developed uneven yellowing in about a month or so, even though I stored the model away from light in a cupboard. Perhaps I should have left the white dry for several weeks or even a month to play it safe.

I'm thinking along the same lines as Eetu. I have had a similar problem some time ago which i traced to not alowing the gloss undercoat enough drying time, that then reacted with either the decals glue, or more likely, the decal setting solution (they are usually acidic). That was using an acrylic clear (which is what Futureis and i think probably Krylon Krytal Klear?).

Anyway i now almost always use a laquer clear coat...that way i can put decals on in half an hour and nothing ever attacks it that you put on top.

Andrew

Hi Jon

I refrain from refering to Murphy's law

Generally I agree with the others that drying time is an important factor .. I had a similar experience with my HB F4F-3, which led to a start-over. See that thread for discussion about it. I also have read that Krylon is kind of a trouble maker ...

Recently I have experimented with using Future/Klear as setting solution, which works like a charm for the small stencil stuff (which I experienced are prone to silvering) It is more difficult on larger decals as the solving process starts almost immediately . I mostly use Daco(which is quite a strong stuff) for those applied when they are in place.

My method: I put a Klear Gloss coat on, when dry I apply a small amount of Klear where the decal should go and then I put the decal in place and slightly press it on. On top it gets a bit more Klear. .. this "melts" the decal into the undelying layer of Klear

When all decals are on I apply another layer of Klear on the whole model. The I apply my weathering and when dry finish it of with a flat coat (I mostly use Gunze mixed with Vallejo or other stuff depending on how flat I want the finish).

all the best

Steffen

I suppose the best thing for me to do is to no longer use the cheep Krylon stuff. I have a jar of MM Acrly clear flat, but i have expirienced that that stuff dries to an almost whitish color. What do you guys recomend as a flat coat?


PS- thanks to all who answered!

That's an easier question to answer for me. Gunze H20 clear is easily the best i've used. Though if you are after something quick from a can then the new Tamiya Clear Flat laquer spray is really good too.

But everyone has their favourites on this one.

Andrew

Thanks andrew!