Ink bonding?

by Unknown Artist on Fri, 01/13/2006 - 06:38

Let me guess... You printed the decals on an inkjet printer, waited for some time to let the ink dry, and then soaked the decal paper in water, without applying a varnish coat? You could do something like that had you been using a laser printer. Unfortunately, the ink our printers use are not very durable :( and will get washed away completely if you put them in water! What I do to preserve the colors is applying a thin coat af spray varnish onto the decal paper. Unfortunately, it takes 12+ hours for the varnish to dry completely, but it is definetely worth the result - the decals look as good as generic lego torsos! Try using the varnish and I'm sure you'll have no problems! Good Luck!

- Unknown Artist, Moderator of MCN

Unknown Artist Studio | MOCpages | B-Shelf

Thanks Ua, I was really

by Daredevil on Fri, 01/13/2006 - 15:40

Thanks Ua, I was really dissapointed with them but I will try that!

- Daredevil - Moderator of MCN

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Victor: Hmmmm, so you print

by Meebs on Thu, 01/19/2006 - 14:48

Victor: Hmmmm, so you print up on water slide transfer paper using a standard ink jet and then spray over that with varnish?
Would that technique work with a rounded decal say, to fit a minifigs head, or would the varnish crack?
Can you recommend a finish for the varnish, gloss, satin, matt etc.?

Cheers,

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Probably the best clear coat

by Ramus on Thu, 01/19/2006 - 23:48

Probably the best clear coat I have found for decals, stickers, or whatever you wish to seal is Krylon Acrylic Clear Coat, Glossy. The glossy coat best matches the glossy plastic look.

The product can usually be fount at your local Walmart, Target or hardware store.

-- Ramus

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Meebs, sorry, I only saw

by Unknown Artist on Fri, 01/20/2006 - 18:29

Meebs, sorry, I only saw your post now. I agree with Ramus, glossy spray varnish is the best for general purposes (check out [url=http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Supercat7/Custom-Minifigs/MyCustomMinifigs/000-00-aa-01-ct-clonetrooper-01.jpg]THIS[/url] link to see the results), however, you may sometimes use matt varnish make your decals look better with matte fabric elements, like my trenchcoats. ;) Don't worry, the varnish won't crack even if you try to make a Z-fold with your decals. Especially look for MEDIUM varnish if you want it to stay flexible. I think you should try the varnish Ramus suggested, I'm sure it's similiar to the one I use (I'm not familiar with the US brands so I cannot recommend you anything as specific). Keep Customizing!

- Unknown Artist, Moderator of MCN

Unknown Artist Studio | MOCpages | B-Shelf

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No need to apologize

by Meebs on Wed, 01/25/2006 - 14:26

No need to apologize Victor.

I particularly like the optimism expressed in your 'Keep Customizing'.

I'm currently still working on my first one! Blindly stubling around trying to get the right equipment together.

After reading the first few posts of this thread, I went out and bought some clear Plasti-kote fast dry enamel because it's all they sold, thinking I could finally have my own water-slide decals.

Is this a bad purchase? Will it work? WIll it kill a perfectly good printer?!

ps. Sadly, they don't have these shops you recommend, in England.

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Ink bonding?