Carlo Decals

Guys I have never used any of Carlo's Decals before and would appreciate some guidelines on how best to proceed!
Thanks

im currently building 3 models usin his decals and ive built many in the past,need cut out but very nice and easy to use.
you will have no problems.

Paul we all know you are Premier League at the builds! But I'm in the Fermanagh & Western and a fools guide after the cutting would be appreciated!

what are you building?

decals are nice colour,easy to bend round arches etc etc....you'll have no trouble mate.

Is the use of Microsol required, or to avoid?

Juha wrote:Is the use of Microsol required, or to avoid?

it does the decals no harm whatsoever but ive never needed to use it.

Carlo had included a note that the Decals should be slide off unto a ' Very wet car '
How long do you pre-soak the decals before hand?

Rallycol wrote:Carlo had included a note that the Decals should be slide off unto a ' Very wet car '
How long do you pre-soak the decals before hand?

5secs and there ready to slide.....some of the small decals would stick immediatly just watch.

Colin be very carefull not to cut into the whites...You cant see by looking at the decals if they are white bordered or not because of carlos white paper backing...If unsure i recommend you hold em up to the light...Hope this Helps you a little !!!!!!

OK Thanks I will give it a go!
Just one more thing, what is the best way then to 'wet' the area before applying a decal?
I have been using a cotton bud but its hard to regulate the quantity and it sits in beads! Is this right or wrong?

Rallycol wrote:OK Thanks I will give it a go!
Just one more thing, what is the best way then to 'wet' the area before applying a decal?
I have been using a cotton bud but its hard to regulate the quantity and it sits in beads! Is this right or wrong?

Colin, Get a little bit of All purpose cloth, Soak it in water...What i do then is set the cloth againest the area where i want to place the decal (this obviously is repetetive) Whilst i have the decal in water......! remove the damp cloth and place the decal and dry off removing any air bubbles...In my opinion this is the best and easiest way...BEWARE carlos decals are very thin and can break easily also...

Carlo's decals are spot on to work with - although I must admit, I've only built two models using his decals.

However, not knowing how much decal applying experience you have already, here's a few general decaling tips from me. Please accept my apologies however if you already know all of this!...

Just take your time, do one decal at a time, maybe even a side of a car (or bonnet & roof, back & front, etc) at one time, and then leave that to dry before moving on to the next major area. Some people leave half an hour, others a couple of hours, and some even a whole day! If you rush it you are likely to ruin it.

Always ensure that you use a sharp brand new blade in your scalpel / craft knife as well, and always cover your decal with the ruler, make a cut, rotate 90º, make another cut, rotate 90º, make another cut, etc until the decal has been fully cut out from the backing sheet. That way your decal is protected by the ruler, and any sign of the blade dragging through the decal paper will be on the decal sheet that is left over at the end, and not on the decal you have just cut out. Also, replace the blade once or maybe even twice during the decaling of one model.

Once the decal starts to slide away from the carrier sheet I lift it off with a soft wet paintbrush, and roughly place it in position. You just need enough water to let it slide across the car, but not totally float! I then use a new cocktail stick and carefully adjust the decal so that it is in the correct position, and straight! How many models are ruined by wonky decals!

Then with a damp cotton bud I gently press the decal several times to 'press it home', and to soak away any excess water. Decal softener can be used if the decal refuses to conform to the shape of the panels, but don't use too much and leave it on for too long as it could ruin your decal. Same again though, use the damp cotton bud to 'press the decal home'.

Always try and find photo reference of the actual car itself though! Decal makers are as inaccurate as the next model maker, so don't assume that because they have placed a certain decal in that position, that it is the right position! They too are capable of making mistakes, so it is always far more beneficial to apply your decals whilst using photos of the actual car, rather than the model that the decal maker made for his own collection!

I hope that, and the other comments from my 'learned colleagues', has helped. If you need anything else, or if anybody disagrees with what I have passed on above, then please feel free to comment. Good luck chap, and just remember to take your time!

Rant over....

All great and very much welcome advice!
I have being doing a few small projects to try and learn some of the tricks of the trade! ( and to vent a few swear words on! )
I will post a picture of my first ' Real ' build later in the week and you seasoned professionals can give me a bit of feedback!

'Seasoned professionals' my arse!

We're more like a bunch of 'down & outs' liable to lose the houses above our heads because we spend too much on models!

Looking forward to seeing your first 'real build' never the less.

Cowley wrote:'Seasoned professionals' my arse!

We're more like a bunch of 'down & outs' liable to lose the houses above our heads because we spend too much on models!

Looking forward to seeing your first 'real build' never the less.

PMSL...Very True David...!

It seemed quite apt, Gary...

his decals dont rip now,he changed his backing paper which seemed to help alot,not near as thin now as they were.

mcm motorsport wrote:his decals dont rip now,he changed his backing paper which seemed to help alot,not near as thin now as they were.

cool. Have some of his new ones. So must give it a go...

mcm motorsport wrote:his decals dont rip now,he changed his backing paper which seemed to help alot,not near as thin now as they were.

Any idea when he did that? I have a few decal sets which I bought more or less a year ago.

I didn't have any problems with my Geoff Fielding or Harri Toivonen 6R4 decals, Juha - and I must have bought those earlier this year.

I guess if your decals were a year ago, then they might well be from the same batch as the Fielding decals?

last time i used carlos decals is well over a year ago.. could be bordering on 2 years at this stage but i remember i had to go very gently with one set but a different set i used were perfect

I suppose they are.

i used them at the weekend them where class

Guys..clear something up here... im not saying carlos decals are bad. They are great decals. What i did say be careful as they can rip easily. Ive had none ever do it on me but knew by the feel of them that this could happen. Also know people who has used carlos decals and ripped them.

Not had any ripping issues myself Gary, or even a sense of it about to rip, but then again I've only used them twice.

An order will be going in to Carlo soon, so I'll keep you posted if I have any issues.