Decals & Clear Coat

[Peter Cooke]

Hi folks, wondering if anyone has any experience with clear coating over water slide decals? I bought a set of from Rick's Decals for my VL and the instructions say;

For best results decals should be clear coated, some clear coat paints will attack the ink in the decals and cause them to blister on the edges, and/or lift the ink off the decal, so apply as follows to avoid any problems with your paint. Apply first clear coat as light and dry as possible to the decal only just past the edges, an air brush works very well for this. Let it dry several hours and then repeat, let it dry overnight and then clear coat the entire piece.

My painter uses clear over base 2 pack Urethane and hasn't done water slide decals before so we're after any advice we can get on whether the 2 pack is ok to use, different processes etc. For example, would you clear coat the tanks with a sealer coat prior to following the instructions above or do the above straight onto the color?

Thanks in advance.

[joe fxs fxr]

I used Rick's peel and stick decals on my FXR and 2-part clear over them. I think 99% of modern clears are 2-part so that's probably what Rick was thinking. FWIW, Rick is very responsive to emails, why don't you ask him.

[tgarcia]

Put the decal straight on the color but make sure the color has flashed at least a few hours or the solvents will bubble the decal. Painted several Indian tanks with decals and it's pretty cut and dry just spray a light first coat of clear to make sure it doesn't react just as a precaution. I use a two part clear and it doesn't react to the decal.

[Peter Cooke]

Thanks guys, I contacted Rick as suggested and got the following response, which to my untrained eye, seems to be saying the opposite of what you've both experienced. Or am I reading it wrong?

YOU WILL NEED TO CLEAR COAT OVER THE TRANSFER BE AWARE THAT MODERN URETHANE, OR OLDER LAQUER CLEARS TEND TO ATTACK THE DECAL MATERIAL AND WRINKLE THEM OR ATTACK THE INK IN THE DECAL. YOU SHOULD USE A SIGN PAINTERS CLEAR WITH A HARDENER (ONE SHOT CLEAR) APPLIED JUST BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE DECAL BY BRUSH, OR AIR BRUSH, 2 COATS OVER THE ENTIRE TRANSFER, IT IS ENAMEL AND WILL SERVE AS PROTECTION WITH OUT DAMAGING THE DECAL. LET IT DRY FOR 24 HOURS & LIGHTLY SAND W/2000 SAND PAPER AND CLEAR COAT THE ENTIRE PIECE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT.

[tgarcia]

You would be best to follow his instructions being it's his decal and any damage done he can warrant if something goes wrong. So if you move ahead with single shot clear (and I'm sure your painter knows this) take a small spot on the frame side of the tank and make sure the clear won't react to whatever paint he uses and bubble it up,I had that happen once and had to strip the thing down and start over, it's a very sinking feeling. That said I never had problems with two part clear however I used decals from Jerry Greer and I don't know where they are made and how they compare to ricks. Hope this gives you a direction

[Peter Cooke]

I was re reading Rick's instructions and decided to clarify with him where he says "YOU SHOULD USE A SIGN PAINTERS CLEAR WITH A HARDENER (ONE SHOT CLEAR) APPLIED..." as in did he mean a single shot clear or was he referring to the brand "1 Shot". Turns out he was referring to the brand and sent the attached pic to show exactly what he meant.


ONE SHOT.jpg

[pisten-bully]

...an aerosol spray?

[Peter Cooke]

Surprised me as well. I was expecting just a can of clear to use with an air brush.

[painterdale]

1 Shot clear, 4005, is available in bulk. Might only be quarts. The hardener is 4007 if that is what Rick is recommending.

Dale