Heya, Folks,

I've got a couple of sets of Archer rivets and weld beads I'd like to try out and have never used them before...

Do I need to clear coat on an unpainted hull first in order to prevent the decal demarcation line from being raised or visible a la traditional decals after I paint the vehicle?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

With Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.

I usually hand paint a line of 'Clear' onto the are where the weld line is going. In reality there's usually at least 4 layers of paint going on top so I'm not sure it makes a difference..

Unpainted styrene is smooth, so you don't have to. Just make sure the plastic is clean (Iso alcohol or Windex, not soap.)

The decal demarcation is very slight, as the film is thin. I apply a decal solvent so it adheres without any bubbles. I do undercoat with clear gloss for better adhesion,

I have had poor results applying directly on plastic. The weld beads then to pop off. To fix that i use a touch of Tamiya extra thin cement. I would advise using a primer under the decal film.

I had the same experience as Irvin on bare plastic, the beads came off in the next steps of painting. I would recommend applying one layer of paint/primer first, so the decals stick properly.

Cheers,
Sven

I used Archer rivets on the master for the Resicast 9.2" howitzer.
....their instruction video says to use Micro sol to get them to conform to the surface, I overcoated with Microset.....Then sealed with a watered down (50/50) Kleer to seal it.....didn't have any problems.....and being a master, it came in for quite a bit of handling. I have to admit, the rivet detail is not as "proud" as it could be....but in building the gun and looking at the mass of rivets......it saved my sanity.

George.

Hi Johnny,

Also having used Archer decal products for resin masters (the rivet details, welds, casting marks, and treadplate), we've never had any issues with tear up. The way I do it is to lay down an undercoat of primer, apply the decals using Solvaset to get them to lay down, and then once dry, shooting another coat of primer over the decals. Haven't had a single peel up from this, and that's pulling the parts out of RTV molds. The treadplate decal is the one I was most worried about since it's a decal about 8" in length, and 1/2" in width.

Jon

I recommend applying the decals over a coat of primer first, and use a setting solution to hide the film. Since you will be painting over them anyway, silvering is a non-issue.

Thanks a bunch, guys!!!


I really appreciate all of the advice!!!

With Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.