Model Making Quick Tip: Dry Transfer Decals

In this Model Making Quick Tip I share my techniques for applying dry transfer lettering and numbers - getting 'em on straight and keeping 'em where you want 'em. Weathering too!
Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave
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[@EdKuligowski]

After viewing your video for the 3rd time, I'm ready to dive in. Thanks!

[@ArizonaGhostriders]

Fascinating and helpful!

[@joelvale3887]

I used to work at a printing company and I used those products for years.

[@ngaugefouroaksstreetstatio6932]

Excellent, love the tip with the tape

[@MarchWestJunctionTMD]

Hi Dave thanks for sharing 👍 the tip with the scotch tape is a brilliant idea. I’ve always struggled with the decals. Keep safe and well Andy

[@davevan8864]

Good info as always!! I will not accuse you of being as old as I am.....but in the 1980's when our hobby shop wanted to start a decal and dry transfer line I went to the big art supply store in Charlotte. It had a room, about 24 x224, full of every Latraset sheet. I used a lot of these until graphics computers became viable. But even after the computer age came we were still making dry transfers for the model car hobby. Charlotte had TWO print shops that did the dry transfer process in house. By the time the hobby shop closed we had made , and sold, millions of dry transfers. One note....I still have all those Letraset sheets. While they have 'aged out' if I REALLY need to use one I spray a very light coat of adhesive on the sheet back and I can get them to lay down. (attempt at your own peril) Thanks for a little good ole days!

[@tonyharwood8408]

Great tip - I've used Letraset for years and never thought about using tape to hold it in place when rubbing down - thank you.

[@toddainsworth795]

Dave, I also remember the old Letraset transfer letters from Architectural school day', used them to produce great-looking drawing title blocks. Fat forward to Woodland scenics, work great on wooden cars., the pencil is the best burnisher for all modeling surfaces.'Dry transfer letters on airbrushed cars/ locomotives etc are a little bit more challenging.. I've applied them over tru -color paint and the tape masking or scotch pulls off the paint if you rub the tape down to stick. Ruined a few good paint jobs that way.I now use a rubber band to hold them in place. If you make a mistake the letters can usually be pulled off w/ masking tape/ soft touch and or a little water on the letters and lightly scraped off using a Windsor Newton watercolor brush. Thanks for your tips. !! Todd

[@dougkinney3207]

Love your tips. Thanks for doing

[@malcolmferriday4673]

thanks Dave really excellent tips Malcolm

[@casstelles]

I like this great informative video. In the past, I've used these decals with fair results, but it's always nice to see tips to better the process. It's nice to get the most out of the product's usefulness.

[@pbyfr]

I still have the only Letraset I bought in the 90s, when it was still very common (but only in black if I remember correctly). I should try them to see how it is now.

[@terpcj]

Kind of amazed you didn't use tweezers when you were aligning the transfers. Once I got a set of cross-locking tweezers to free up a hand and get my sausages out from my view, it made placing decals, labels, and other small details so much easier. That aside, it was really nostalgic to see the transfer often not completely transfer on the first go. I happened so often; I think it had to be by design.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

I would definitely use tweezers on smaller letters/numbers.

[@Hanzo.Azmodan]

Hi Dave, Great tutorial. I still have some original Lettraset sets from the mid 80's when I was doing paste-ups. If they have dried out but still intact I lightly spray the back with Super 77 spray adhesive before applying, much as you have done, and get good results. They do need dull coat after of course.

[@jvanamb]

I really like that idea of using Spray 77 on old transfers. Of course you would need to follow Dave's DIY of cutting out the letters and tacking them together with frosted Magic Tape. I'm definitely going to give it a try. Jim

[@andrewpalm2103]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've tried using dry transfers and have failed badly each time. This video is just what I needed. Too bad that just yesterday I lettered an HO bobber transfer caboose with water slide decals. It would have been nice to try your method. Cheers from Wisconsin!

[@scottperry1959]

Great clinic! I have a hard time keeping a string of four or five number in line and straight when the are all cut out separately. Any tips?

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

I cut all of the letters/numbers out and align them first with tape before applying to the car.

[@douglaskinloch6272]

Yeah, the burnisher never worked on hard surfaces! Soft pencil every time.

[@alex_skywalker5561]

Great video! You mentioned the dry transfer decals expiring, I was wondering can the same thing happen to waterslide decals? I have some custom waterslide decal paper that I print decals on and it worked really well when I first got it, however now the ink seems to erode off the decal no water how much gloss I use. I thought maybe it was cause I wasn’t doing it right but maybe it’s cause the decal paper is expired now or something like that

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

In my experience, yes, waterslide decals also deteriorate over time.

[@alex_skywalker5561]

@@ThunderMesaStudio ah that would explain it then, thanks!

[@3ftsteamrwy12]

Hmmm...would the 'expired" transfers be useful for a REALLY beater-up/faded lettering job?

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

Maybe. The hard part would be getting them to stick before they crumble into dust.

[@bobainsworth5057]

I wish they did lettering. I have a box car I want to paint blue & white horizontally and I need white lettering. I can get get car data and numbers but not letters.

[@ThunderMesaStudio]

There are letter sets available in Railroad Roman and gothic on the Woodland Scenics website.

[@tomt9543]

@@ThunderMesaStudio Clover House is an excellent source for dry transfer stuff. They’ve been in business basically forever! Letraset, chartpak, what a walk down memory lane! When I think back to my mechanical drawing (drafting?) classes in high school (class of ‘78), my mind is overloaded with memories of then indispensable items who’s time ran out abruptly with the advent of computers! The “Puffy” was one of my fav’s for cleaning up the pencil smudges that occupied every inch of the sheet!

[@bobainsworth5057]

@@ThunderMesaStudio I didn't know that, thanks.