HOW TO: Apply waterslide decals and use Microset and Microsol

[@DominicFawver]

Great video. To put it simply: Microset increases the adhesive of the decal, making it stick better: it goes under the decal. Microsol softens the decal, allowing it to conform to the surface better: it goes on over the decal.

[@gurufoxx]

Dominic Fawver Thanks Dominic, that's a far better and more succinct way of explaining it than I did - sometimes the whole "hit record and then wing it" way of filming has its downsides :)

[@rosschapman8256]

These videos have really helped me out with my gunpla builds, especially my first perfect grade. Thanks a bunch Foxx!

[@gurufoxx]

FartinSpartan88 __ Absolutely my pleasure, amigo! Feel free to send pics to the FB page or the website! Especially of the PG, which one?

[@rosschapman8256]

I'm still finishing up my perfect grade Strike Freedom! I'm considering giving it a gunk wash, or if I should leave it clean with only minor weathering.

[@gurufoxx]

FartinSpartan88 __ PG Strike Freedom, wowzers! It's a tough choice whether to gunk wash the gold interior. I'd be torn on that one! Personally I would be tempted for minor weathering only on the outer armour and leave the frame looking clean (I think. I don't know. I really can't think what would look best on that kit).;

[@simonwillis1529]

Iv been doing this all wrong all these years I used to wander mine always flaked off after a year or so always to had that slivering it looked like a decal not a painted on thing on my kit I just our them in warm water till it moved placed it on the kit Thank you you’ve just made me wanna restart my building 👍

[@gurufoxx]

Awesome! I always say, model making is not always about raw skill or talent, sometimes it is just a case of learning what to use, where, and how ^_^

[@simonwillis1529]

Modelmaking Guru indeed I always learned one thing each time but my end kit never looked like others and I couldn’t understand why but thanks to KZbin vids like this have made me restart

[@gurufoxx]

@@simonwillis1529 Glad I cold help you out and good luck! Make sure to join the Modelmaker's Boomhut, there's almost four thousand other modellers on there who will also be able to provide lots of great help and advice: facebook.com/groups/modelboomhut/

[@simonwillis1529]

Modelmaking Guru nice I’ll check that out indeed this is gonna help a lot

[@stompingfreak8980]

Main question, when I was a young good looking dude(laugh all you like) when we called them transfers, we used to press gently to get them into the cresses. The second liquid, that melts the decal down into the model panel lines? Or am I pushing technology too far?

[@gurufoxx]

Stomping Freak Yeah, so did we, as we were but children then ( I lie, I was never that young). To answer your question, I will quote Dominic below in the comments who summed it up MUCH better than me: Microset increases the adhesive of the decal, making it stick better: it goes under the decal. Microsol softens the decal, allowing it to conform to the surface better: it goes on over the decal. I sometimes do press the decal gently after Microsol has dried fully, either with a pin or cocktail stick, as I showed, a cotton bud/Q-tip over lumps and bumps (such as rivets etc. ) or a soft cloth or piece of soft tissue (over rugged or uneven surfaces or around edges and corners). It's kind of an intuition thing; you'll get to learn when to tease the decal gently and when to leave well alone. Most times Sol and Set will do all the work for you though. They are not 100% necessary, as you can just use water and assorted squishing, but decals will certainly get a more "painted on" look if you use them, or similar products.

[@stompingfreak8980]

+Modelmaking Guru thanks Fox

[@gurufoxx]

^_^

[@punkrockpub]

What kind of putty did you use to hold the Microset bottle(s) in?

[@gurufoxx]

It's just a chunk of good old-fashioned Blu-Tac slapped onto a drink coaster ^_^

[@FBI_Informant]

What did you use to make the sticky thing to hold your bottle upright?

[@gurufoxx]

My anti-spill device? It's just a drinks mat (coaster) with a big chunk of blu-tac stuck on it :)

[@rs86]

I see in this tutorial, it seems you have already did a varnish and a bit of dry brushing. Do you usually do your topcoat before applying stickers/pressure transfers/decals? (I'm picking up on the terminology :P)

[@gurufoxx]

I sometimes apply a gloss varnish coat before doing decals, to give a nice smooth surface for them, but it is not absolutely necessary. I also apply a gloss or matte varnish after decals are on, to protect them from the weathering that is to come.

[@Mooproxy]

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking around and I also came across a set of instructions for it, very similar to yours, except they didn't focus on removing excess water, didn't apply micro set over the top of the decal (only micro sol) and applied a coat of micro set after a day of drying to properly seal the decal on. Would you say that's also a fair way of applying them, and is there a downside of not removing all the excess water?

[@gurufoxx]

I would certainly remove excess water, as anything that comes between the decal and the surface it is applied to means increased chances of air bubbles and silvering. As for Set and Sol, I'll be honest, although I show one way to use them on, everyone seems to have their own method and there is no real right or wrong, it seems. It doesn't help that there are no real clear manufacturer guides - even the instructions on the bottles kinda make no sense ^_^

[@Mooproxy]

Modelmaking Guru That's very helpful, thanks.

[@gurufoxx]

^_^

[@stompingfreak8980]

Ha, you said "RIBBED"! 😁 for all your modelling pleasures.....LOL

[@gurufoxx]

Stomping Freak LOL, yeah, I kinda had to resist making that self-same joke as a talked ^_^

[@colemans8120]

Good afternoon! I've been trying to find the varnish in my area, but all they carry is the spray on. Will that work as well as the bottle you have? Or should I hold out for the non spray type?

[@gurufoxx]

Which varnish do you mean, Pledge? There is no spray version of Pledge/Future/Klear, those are different products altogether. If you need a gloss coat, you could always try proper modelmaking glosses such as Alclad aqua Gloss and others, although if it is just for a decal on weathering gloss surface, this will be more expensive. If you are in the UK, the current version of Pledge is Pledge Revive It. The key is to look on the inside of the label, it should list the formula number as #35*3597

[@emmanuelyinf.1641]

I recently got my mg sazabi ver Ka. I just finished it and I want to put the water slide decals on. But when I applied them they keep just falling off once they dry. Do I have to use the micro set and micro sol?

[@gurufoxx]

I have never heard of Bandai decals falling off, but if you are having issues then yep, go for Set and Sol. It might be you are soaking them for too long and taking all the adhesive off? They only need a few seconds in the water.

[@jonspectre1103]

would it be bad if I left the the decal in the water for an extended period of time (10-30 mins)?

[@gurufoxx]

+Jon Yusko Possibly, it depends on the decal but by then you might find all the adhesive is gone :(

[@jonspectre1103]

Modelmaking Guru will micro sol and micro set help it stick better?

[@gurufoxx]

Possibly, or something like Humbrol's Decal Fix. I would say try it on it's own first, you never know, it might be fine :) Also, even if you an get the decal down, a gloss coat over the model once it is on may help to lock it in place.

[@carolinehaf21]

Any tips on a gloss coat from spray can to put over model afterwards to seal thepaint/decals that wont wreck decals? I dont have future or klear in Australia but have tamiya ts-13 clear but people have said it melts decals?

[@gurufoxx]

Well, you can get Pledge/Future/Klear is Aus, but similar to here in the UK it is now called "Pledge Revive It" - here's a linky loo for you: www.amazon.com.au/Johnson-11182-Future-Acrylic-Finish/dp/B000ARPH4C/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=pledge+floor+care+finish&qid=1558002115&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull In terms of rattle cans, I have never actually used a rattle-can gloss, but I do hear tell that the gloss Mr Top Coat products are pretty good :) Of course, if your model will eventually be matte and you are not planning any pin washes or weathering you can go straight to a matte varnish :)

[@redux15]

How long do you let your parts dry after applying future before you begin decaling?

[@gurufoxx]

It's best to leave it for 24 hours to fully cure ^_^

[@redux15]

@@gurufoxx thank you. Have you ever had a bad reaction and caused a milky white residue to be left on the surface? I ran into that problem and want to avoid it in the future.

[@gurufoxx]

I have never experienced it but I have had SET/SOL create little halos around decals from time to time, both with and without a gloss coat. AFAIK it is most likely because much Micro SET /SOL has been applied and either it is drying oddly or reacting with paint or gloss coat underneath it (you really don't need to use much decal solution at all). Alternatively, if you have used an acrylic gloss coat, it may not have fully cured before you applied the decals and again the SET/SOL may be reacting with it. Make sure you give your gloss coats (and paints if you are not glossing first) a good 24 (or maybe even up to 48 hours if it is very humid) to cure to be safe, and when applying the solutions just apply it over the decal and *slightly* over the edge of the decal, so it can seep underneath. Only tiny amounts are needed, just enough to make the decal wet - avoid big pools and puddles :)

[@icervoid]

But what if i apply the decal directly on gloss paint instead of gloss varnish ?

[@gurufoxx]

That would most likely be fine, although gloss varnishes or clearcoats tend to be smoother. Also if you are using decal setting solutions, some of them are similar to acrylic thinners so may actually affect the paint if it is unprotected.

[@gundamfan2020]

I got crap stickers wit my unicorn perfect grade I hope your contact has a 'water slide decal' set I could purchase lol

[@gurufoxx]

+rick stevenson I'm pretty sure Samuel Decal will have some, he's at old.samueldecal.com

[@gundamfan2020]

+Modelmaking Guru thanks email sent

[@kupick3240]

Dry rub.. always rubbing me the wrong way!

[@gurufoxx]

taufiq muhammad LOL :) Don't get me wrong, dry rubs can give fantastic results, but there is too much that can go wrong to easily. And they suck if the surface is anything but flat and smooth!

[@HugoSoaresCollector]

Hello, I'm Hugo and I really enjoyed the tip. I'm thinking about doing those jobs one day and I did not know it was like this. Liked it. If you want you can see my channel because I'm starting the channel and a boat "Ambitieux" leaves the comment you think. Keep it up. I'll still have a look at your other videos and learn more. Hug.

[@davidfreeze8176]

Decals stick better to a glossy surface.

[@gurufoxx]

+David Freeze T^hey certainly do, as the surface is smoother so it helps prevent silvering a bit. I think I gloss varnished the piece in this build first, although I can't remember.

[@bluestraveler2342]

i have no clue why people make such a fuss about waterslides.they are not that hard.

[@gurufoxx]

There are many aspects of the hobby that, to us who do it, are straightforward and simple, but to someone with no previous experience may seem like a dark art. Water slides are easy and straightforward, but are also very easy to mess up if you have never done them before. I think many folks try them when they are younger and inexperienced, and either get something wrong (like aplpy them over a rough matt surface) or get a bad set of decals and the bad results make them think they have no ability, so they fear them. I pity someone whose first attempt at water slides are on a Mobius kit. Their decals are terrible and even I can't get them to not screw up, so a first-timer would be forgiven for thinking perhaps that they have no mastery and deciding that water slides are outside their skill set. Anything is complex and scary when you haven't been shown how to do it :)