Randy Ayers' Nascar Modeling Forum

[Firefly]

I have no experience dealing with ALPS decals.
How are they different to apply than screen-printed decals?
Can they be layered/underlayed without any problems?
Can they work with setting and decal solvents?
And can they be cleared like anything else? Waxed maybe?

Thanks

[WALLYDOG007]

Good question? Can anybody help?

[Pat Redmond]

ALPS are

- Fragile. Coat them with a clear before using.

- continuous carrier. Trim them close to the image.

- compatible with decal solvents.

- MOST ALPS makers do NOT require you to underlay, but check with that guy FIRST
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On the bench: #25 CTS Budweiser Chevy.

[WALLYDOG007]

[Pat Redmond]

No, fragile as in rubbing off/scratching without a clear coating.

ALPS color is a 'wax-type' dye/ink substance which can scratch if you're heavy handed.

I always coat them before using just to avoid scratching/lifting the dye/ink.
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On the bench: #25 CTS Budweiser Chevy.

[Thad]

you can scratch of the colors if you run something sharpe across the decal.
i prefer not to coat them myself,and i dont clear them before i ship them out. but you can if you want. and always clear over them once you apply them to the model.
the go on just as easy, and conform well to different body lines.

[Tom M.]

Because they are so thin they tend to really "suck down" over contours also. Almost like they had decal solution applied before they were placed. I always use water with a bit of dish detergent added, just to lubricate the surface so they can be slid around to the right position. Without the small amount of soap they are very hard to slide, and the larger the decal the harder they are to position. They can also flip over on themselves more easily because they are so thin. The coating of clear helps this.
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The Dark Side, when cars were steel, bumpers were chrome and men were iron...

"You should never point a loaded gun at anyone. This is not a hard and fast rule, however. A hard and fast rule is that you should never, ever, point an unloaded gun at anyone." P.J. O'Rourke

[WALLYDOG007]

Is Testors Decal Bonder the same as clear. If not what type of "clear" is the prefered?

[Damon Lester]

I would use Testors 1261. I have used it before and use it all the time on my bodies over all different types of decals.
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Damon Lester
WIP
2007 #15 Menards Decals by Brandon Miller
2007 Bass Pro Shops #1 - Powerslide decals
2012 DTEH Pocono Winner - Powerslide decals

Completed
2010 Papa's Car
2007 Dept of Def Jeff Gordon
2005 Star Wars Talladega Winner Jeff Gordon

[Pat Redmond]

I use Tamiya TS-13 Clear. Couple of dust coats
_________________


On the bench: #25 CTS Budweiser Chevy.

[new2]

[xjarhead_1999]

Alps are a little delicate but once i got the hang of using them i loved them. I prefered alps over kit decals. Like thad i never coated them with anything. Underlays are something that isnt allways needed. Sometimes you cant have enough underlays to prevent some bleedthrough.

Just make sure you give them enough time to set after applied before you try to clear coat them. I allways waited a day or two. I have seen them wrinkle up pretty bad if the builder gets to ambitious

[lionpride]

Can somebody please make sure this thread ends up in the tips and tricks section?

Thanks,
Don

[Firefly]

Great advice. Thanks everybody.

[Thad]

the jarhead is alive!!! hello ol pal

[jeff shreve]

Here's my observations :

Everything already mentioned is correct. I use Testors decal bonder on all of them based on 1 bad experience with King's decals when I rubbed off part of a door #. I put on a couple light dust coats on the sheet and then a wet coat. Have not tried clearing the sheet itself with anything else.

I have clear coated the models with automotive lacquer, automotive urethane, tamiya clear, and rustoleum painters touch with no problems. Use very light coats with the laquer and tamiya in particular.

Wax : Haven't tried it but Mach2 had a bad experience with furniture polish.

All of them have been compatible with decal solvents

All are very thin - Thads seem the thinner of all I've used but not really a problem. Winscals/Nascals have either a thick carrier film or very thick clear coat on them. Just didn't want to settle down and a lot of tiny air bubbles underneath. Thads, DAP, MPRMPRMPR, Lobographix, Penngwen,
Dking, Patto, and Winscals have been used. All could use white underlays or doubling over all but the lightest colors. The only real issue with any has been with the Winscals ?

[xjarhead_1999]

[Mach2]

My latest build used a Nascals sheet and it was in fact thick. Luckily there were no compound curves the decals had to go over. I have used xjarheads, John Barker (DAP Designs), MPR Mark and Thad's ALP's printed decals and have no issues. They are an outstanding product. As mentioned, a little dish soap in the warm water (I use a candle warmer to keep the bowl of water/dish soap warm) and the area where the decal is going to go is wet, cut the decal as close to the edge of the decal and slide it onto the model. If there's some compound curves the decals go over I've found it easier to snip small slits in the clear parts of the decal with a small pair of scissors. This helps the decal conform. Solvaset on the decal after the decal has began to set up 20 minutes later and it's good to go. In fact, I prefer to use ALP's printed Goodyear and Eagle tire decals over cartograph tire decals. They lay down on the sidewall of the tire very well and Solvaset literally melts them into the sidewall. When the tires are sprayed with 1261 dull cote, the Goodyear and Eagle decals look painted on the tire sidewall.

The only time I spray a light coat of Testors 1260 gloss cote on an ALP's printed sheet is if there's a large pair of dark decal on the sheet, that way the decal is protected from being scratched. Otherwise, I don't clear coat ALP's printed decal sheets.
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Mick

[Thad]

i ship mine with no coating on them. i personally prefer to apply them without any coating on them. i have shipped over 1500 decals out the last few years, and have had zero issues with complaints about them not being coated. i good model builder should have no problem sliding the decal out of the wax covered sleeve, using a sharpe knife and cutting out each decal and placing them onto the car without scratching them all up. they really arent that sensitive. (cut your girly nails and they work fine)
the best advice i can give is to make sure you have a slippery surface were the decal is going to go. i prefer to use my own spit. thats about as slippery as you can get.

[WALLYDOG007]

[jake]

i have used Thads decals several times. they work as advertised.

[williamdrexler]

Do you have a website Thad ?

[Joel]

I'm currently finishing up decaling a Tamiya 1/20 scale Lotus 79 and used Indycals excellent Alp decals. What I've found different from the usual aftermarket Cartograf decals is that they actually slide around easier for proper placement. I applied Microset, and simply patted them down with a Qtip after letting them set up for a few min. Then worked out the air bubbles with the Qtip. They snugged right down over rivets and into the nooks and crannies. I trimmed them half way through the black outlines ( the outline color is the same as the body color it's being applied to), as this is supposed to help with any silvering issues.

Now that the decals have dried for a few days, I need to clear coat the model as I always do with a decaled body. The decals at this stage are flat while the body is glossy. And you can see the edges of the decals. My usual practice is to clear coat the model with Testors Model Master Glosscoat. I've always applied it with a few mist coats, followed by two wet coats. But now I'm hearing that those heavier wet coats could cause the Alps decals to wrinkle. I thought that any wrinkling, surface contour issues wouldn't be from the Alps printer, but rather caused by the decal transfers themselves. Is the clear decal paper different from what is usually used for regular decals? So what is the preferred method of clear coating a finished model to prepare it for polish and wax after decals with Alps decals?
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Thanks for looking,

Joel