Hi Guys, I have heard people talking about Micro set & micro sol for decals. Can you tell me how I use them to apply the decals on models...

Regards.
Sean.

Hi Sean. For me, I start with Micro Set, applying it to the area where I am going to put down a decal. Just brush some on, and apply the decal. Once the decal is down, and has had a few minutes to adhere, I gently dab on some of the Micro Sol, which should soften the decal, and allow it to conform. Depending on the brand of decal, and where one is positioning it, added applications of the Sol may be necessary. If you see the decal "wrinkle up", that's a good sign. Don't touch it - it's supposed to do that. As it dries, it will straighten out again, and conform to all the nooks and crannies. There are other decal applying systems out there, but Micro Set / Sol is the one I use the most, and it has served me well. I hope you find it useful as well.

Cheers,
Mike

Hi mj, Thanks for your reply. I have just bought some Micro-set & Micro-sol, so I shall have a go. Just one more thing though, do I still soak the decal off the backing with water first & then use the Micro-set as to where the decal is to go & then use Micro-sol. Is this correct?

Thought I would chime in Sean. I use Micro Sol as well. Everyone has a different take on how to use it, I simply get the decal so it slides easily off the paper backing; then I apply the decal to a glossed surface of course. Then, I blot the decal and then apply some Micro Sol with a brush over the decal.

One thing I do, that some people may say what; is I then let the Micro Sol set for a minute or so then lightly blot the decal again. It seems to work for me at least. See what you think and experiment, see what works best for you. Hope this helps a little bit. Russell

Sean, yes, soak the decal like normal in warm water to remove it from the paper. Sometimes you may have to apply micro sol a day later if the decal didn't set completely. If you get a bubble under the decal, such as on an instrument panel, you can genly and carefully pop it with a small pin while the decal is soft. I have done two and three applications with no problem.

Hi Guys, Excellent. Thanks very much. Just one more thing though. Can I apply the micro-set/micro-sol straight to a dry painted surface without problems or is this decal solution especially made for using on glossed or other similar surfaces...

Sean.

You mean if Micro Set/Sol work on flat finishes instead of the usual gloss? Even though the solutions make decals conform to the surface of the model better, I wouldn't recommend skipping on the gloss coat though. I bet is that there would still be silvering.

I agree with Eetu ..from past experience, when I applied the decals on flat paint I tend to have some heavy silvering. To avoid this I will treat the surface with a coat of gloss (mainly using an acrylic floor polisher called Future).

Hermann

Just a bit of further explanation about silvering. Flat paints, if looked at microscopically, have an irregular surface to them.

The gloss coat fills in the peaks and valleys, again on a microscopic level, and allows for a smooth surface for your decals to rest upon.

So yes, a clear coat of one of the gloss coats sold would be good. I personally have never used future floor polish but I'm told it works well. It would be up to you what gloss coat you wanted to try. Russell

P.S. Silvering of course in the trapping of small amounts of air under the decal. This happens when the decal doesn't lay flat on the surface of the model.

Also a note, I have had cases where the decals will not lay down even with a good gloss coat, something about the thickness of the decals maybe, Academy has been known for this kind of problem with their kits.

I have had good results microset/sol aplied over model master clear gloss however last time I over applied microsol to many times with my brush....the decal was so soft that it ripped.

I use Micro Set/Sol all the time and get on really well with it.
One thing you may notice is that the solutions sometimes leave a milky white deposit on the model.
This is nothing to worry about, as it will dissapear when a coat of Future/Klear is added. This is also important to seal the decals in and protect them against oils/thinners included in whatever medium you choose for a wash.
Hope this helps
Nige

Yep, I've noticed that dried but somewhat recent coatings of future may also depeloved some milky appearance from Micro Sol, but another coat of Future used to seal the decals gets rid of that completely.



Yep, I've had a few experiences like that. Academy's own decals (says "printed in Korea" on the sheet) have indeed been tricky, with stiff carrier film that doesn't really react to Micro Sol, and an uncanny ability to silver even over high gloss surface at seemingly random frequency.
However, their recent kits have included Cartograf decals (mentioned on the boxtop), a brand I've never had any problems with.



Decals' reaction to solvents vary from brand to brand, both decal and solvent.
I've come across quite an array of reactions of decals to Micro Sol, from decals that aggressively wrinkle up almost immediately after introducing Micro Sol to settle down perfectly when dry, to ones that don't react that vigorously but are still aided by the solvent.

When using Sol on an unfamiliar brand of decal, it's best to apply one coat at first to see how it reacts. Also, avoid touching it until dry to avoid damaging it. Some brands of decals also have the tendency to become strechy when subjected to solvents, so they may deform poked around while drying.
I've noticed that some decals tend become very fragile when softened by decal solvent and are best left alone to settle, while some more robust ones can even be helped to conform into recessed details by carefully burnishing with a sharpened cocktail stick if they don't otherwise want to settle down. But that's something that's I've rarely needed to resort to, usually one or two applications of Sol have done the trick.

thanks EMIRITUS,very useful info, next time I will wait between applications of microsol.I was working with tamiya decals and was on the 10th application more is not better