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Old 07-15-2018, 08:22 PM
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neil_w neil_w is offline
Mr. Cut-by-hand
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 439
Default Decals, part 1: color bands

The decals are taking a little while, as I try to proceed slowly and not rush. Most are routine, a few are a bit more challenging; I'll describe those as I go. This is my first time with home inkjet-printed decals; all are clear-coated with Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear.

I started with the yellow and brown bands. These were tricky because they needed to wrap all the way around the wiring tunnel, and therefore I had no way to get a very precise measurement of their length in advance. Instead I made them extra long and figured I'd cut them to fit. What I failed to consider was that the only time I could do that was after the decals were applied, while still wet. That was not fun.

I did the brown first, and eventually trimmed it so that there was only a very small overlap at the end. Because these are translucent dye-printed decals, you can see the overlaps as a darkening of the color. See picture 1.

After I saw how much I cut off the brown one, I pre-cut the yellow band to the same size, so I didn't need to trim it after application. It went on about the same as the brown, with an equal overlap area. See picture 2.

I put the seams at the edge of the wiring tunnels because I thought they'd be least visible there. Really, the bottom is not the most photogenic side of the rocket, I don't expect too many eyeballs lingering there.

Getting the bands to be perfectly straight was hard, enough so that I could only get close. It's not noticeable except under very close inspection.

All decals got generous application of Micro-sol on top. I can't tell how much it helps with the clear-coated decals, but it definitely doesn't hurt, so any advantage it can give me will be welcome. All decals will easily visible until the final matte clear coat is applied.
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