HOW TO: Working with Water-Slide Decals

Thank you, you diagnosed my problem perfectly

I just did 11 minifig decals and all are perfect. The problem was that I put a solution on the torso instead of putting water on it before applying the decal. The decal stuck to the solution. So now I know to put water on torso before applying the decal and use the solutions only after the decal is in the right spot...

I must contradict Matt, when I apply Kam's decals they must only experience a quick dip in the drink. Anyways, I believe I know an answer to your problem. Before you apply the decal, wet the surface of the torso (or whatever part you are using) with water. The water prevents it from drying instantly and gives you time to move the decal into place. Just be careful, too much water will screw up the process. One last thing, I recommend using tweezers instead of your fingers.

I wondering If I'm doing the process of applying the decals correctly.

I bought a bunch of decals from Kam. I dip them quickly in and out of the water, and set it down for 1 min. While the decal is there, I apply the setting solution to the minifig. However when I use my thumb and fore finger to slide it from its backing, it seems to curl and want to stick to anything. I place it on the minifig torso, but it is at a slight angle. (this is where I need help on how to straiten it and move it to its right spot) At its slight angle it immediately wraps itself around the minifig and seems glued. I tried using a wet cotton ball. That didn't work. My finger seemed to be the only thing that could get it to move. However doing this makes for a good chance that it curls over itself, which makes it impossible to fix. Or it generally rips a piece while trying to move it a little bit.

Is there anything I can do to improve my skill at this?

A tare or it curling over itself happened 4/5 times of applying the decal. Thankfully only 1 of the 4 were completely demolished.

I new to mini fig customization and i was wondering:
1- how much does Water -slide paper cost
2- Is an Espon Stylus PHOTO RX620 a good enough printer for making decals

Thanks for your help.

Hi,

Works the "Brasso" also on a red torso or a green torso?

please send in a PM

thanks

-Jesse

I am trying to make my favorite marvel character, the Silver Surfer and I really need help because I have almost no idea how to print the decal. I'm not sure how to resize this to minifigure size if I can use it http://www.minifigcustomizationnetwork.com/howto/896 the first lego muscle pattern decal shown. Could anyone help me out?

If your using an inkjet printer you have to seal it first with some sealer or I think some people use futures floor wax as a sealer.

How long should i wait to dry before putting the decal in water. Every time i but the decal in the ink runs off.
Thanks
~CJ

Ok I did try toothpaste but it didn't work, unless i need to use a certain type of toothpaste, idk, if anyone knows any other house hold items i can use please reply here
Thanks
~CJ

Is there anything less hazards then brasso to remove the paint on the lego.
Thanks
~CJ

Okay, this may be somewhat off topic... but I am trying to find if my printer prints whites. It is an HP Inkjet 7300 series. If it can, how do you set it up to print 3 layers?

do you apply the sealent before or after you apply the decal?

Which sealant? You have to apply two different kinds. The first sealant type seals the actual decal paper - making it waterproof. You need to do this once the decal is printed, in order to make it waterproof so that you -can- apply it. The second sealant type is that kind that actually protects the decal from being scratched or removed from the minifig. That kind, which comes in many forms (I use clear nail polish sealer), is applied after the decal is applied to the minifig.

a couple of weeks! wow! i use a inkjet printer and i only wait 2-3 minutes before sealing the paper.

do you apply the sealent before or after you apply the decal?

i know those, my mom has one but i really want to try making water-slide

thats great because the program it came with is very weird and unatural. it thinks the only decals im going to make are for model cars and planes. The scale is weird too.

and how would i go about puting the paper in, my paper is about half the size of a 8.5 x 11 in piece of paper. do i put it in horizantal or vertical? Do i shove it as far back as possible?

i got a decal kit for xmas and it came with a special program, but who's to say that i can't just print a picture onto the paper from, say, MS paint?

 So what deathstickman said on the first page is I could use toothpaste and end up with same effect brasso has to legos or did he mean something else about it?

on the website where I get my decal paper from, it says that laserjet printed decals will not need to be sealed, as the heat from the lasers does that. Also, when you buy a printer, how can you tell if it can do underprinting?

Well the only reason I had to use varnish was because I forgot to pick up some decal bonder at the shop in florida :)

Yes, this happened to me too,

No need to go buy expensive decal bonder though, I use a clear varnish spray.

DD

Correct. But this is really true, as far as I know, no matter what kind of printer you have. You need a spray to protect the decals when they get wet, otherwise they'll be ruined, as you have observed. I'm surprised nothing of the sort came with your decal set.

I just tried excactly what the tutorial said, but all the colors came off when I dipped it in water. :(

I don't. I get all of my decals done by Kam or Red. I find that a buck or two per decal is more than fair for the quality of paper they use, as well as the much better results you get with their super-expensive specialty printers. But I imagine Kam will tell you what kind he uses if you PM him about it.

Yeah, it's a transparency issue. I imagine that's just a testament to the low quality of the particular decal paper. For that -particular- design it might be smart to just cut the light gray areas off before applying the decal.