google..you can get brass sheets in most fonts and scales...also model railroad sites have water slide and press on type
These can be tricky. If you cannot find any you can also paint these on thin paper such as light weight silk span then glue the paper on the model or draw the art work if you have a CAD program then print and glue on.
Allan
the water slide decal paper works very nicely. scan the drawings then scale m to print the size to fit the model... thats the tough part.
the paper is available from amazon in many different varieties for different printers as well.
you can also do them using drafting pens used for caligraphy... get those from michaels or look it up on anazon. they even have pens in gold n metalics with very fine tips.
the paper is available from amazon in many different varieties for different printers as well.
you can also do them using drafting pens used for caligraphy... get those from michaels or look it up on anazon. they even have pens in gold n metalics with very fine tips.
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You can even buy water slide decal paper that you can use your ink jet printer with.
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I tried the DIY waterslide decal/inkjet printer route last year. Typically, waterslide decal paper is blue, and the waterslide film to be printed is clear.
The decals I needed were for draft marks and ship hull numbers - all white. Guess what? Inkjet printers don't print in white. (Dye sublimation maybe, but not standard inkjet printers.) I checked professional print shops in the Phoenix area, and none were either willing or able to do the job.
In the end, I found a great guy to work with in another state who charged 25% of the quote I received from a specialty decal shop in L. A. The decals were as delicate as butterfly foreskins and it took multiple tries with the recommended decal prep and setting solutions to achieve the desired look, but once mastered, I wrote a procedure for next time. I'm about to contact him now for my next set.
If anyone else has a work-around, I'm all ears - and still have lots of decal printer paper left.
CC
The decals I needed were for draft marks and ship hull numbers - all white. Guess what? Inkjet printers don't print in white. (Dye sublimation maybe, but not standard inkjet printers.) I checked professional print shops in the Phoenix area, and none were either willing or able to do the job.
In the end, I found a great guy to work with in another state who charged 25% of the quote I received from a specialty decal shop in L. A. The decals were as delicate as butterfly foreskins and it took multiple tries with the recommended decal prep and setting solutions to achieve the desired look, but once mastered, I wrote a procedure for next time. I'm about to contact him now for my next set.
If anyone else has a work-around, I'm all ears - and still have lots of decal printer paper left.
CC
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You would need to be a computer type with the correct software, but I believe that some modelers have solved the “white printing problem” by using white decal paper and printing the black background.
What software is required? I have no idea!
Roger
What software is required? I have no idea!
Roger
I’ve tried that on plastic models and found it prohibitively difficult to match the decal background to the painted surface. Even with a black background, I found there is no single shade of black.
I have a Japan Air Self Defense Force Light Armored Vehicle adapted from a Ground Self Defense Force version, and to this day I have not figured out how to convincingly replicate the tiny white markings on an olive green background.
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The software isn't the issue. Lack of white ink is.
I printed test sheets (regular paper) with the proper USN font sized accordingly using PowerPoint to test everything out size-wise on the model using black ink, then sent all the info to the guy doing my decal printing. MS Word works fine too.
I can print multi-color decals just fine on my inkjet printer, scaling different picture formats in Photoshop as required, but printing standalone white lettering isn't going to happen. That takes a different kind of printer/ink for waterslide decals -which are clear. Applied properly, the clear decal film is invisible, which was the intended effect.
The results speak for themselves. The middle shot of the upper rudder was a test rudder taken before final painting. The leading edge draft mark was off and that part scrapped as I learned how much moisture it took to get them to slide without tearing. These are ultra-thin, flexible decals that moisture can breathe through and conform to crevices and other features like a model building's brickwork when a graffiti decal is applied. It really looks painted on and there is no trace of the decal edge when it dries. After that, a matte clear-coating is applied to protect the surface.
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The procedure that I mentioned above does not involve printing with white ink. The idea is to use white, not clear decal paper and to then color the background black.
BTW who should we be looking for to “print white.”
Roger
BTW who should we be looking for to “print white.”
Roger
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Hi Roger,
Do you have any experience (or know anyone) using white waterslide film printed black and trying to color match that to a flat, slightly grey, black hull?
Decals are applied over the painted hull - not the other way around. A clear border is necessary for my applications.
Pre-printed, clear waterslide decals with white draft marks and hull numbers have been supplied in model kits for decades.
Making them at home, on an inkjet printer is another matter, and probably why I haven't heard of anyone actually doing it in any of the modeling forums I frequent.
I can make color decals anytime with my printer - but not with any white ink in them for the reasons stated.
Josh, the owner of Bedlam Creations is a great guy to work with. His website has examples of clear decals with white printing. Tell him CC sent you!
www.bedlamcreations.com
Do you have any experience (or know anyone) using white waterslide film printed black and trying to color match that to a flat, slightly grey, black hull?
Decals are applied over the painted hull - not the other way around. A clear border is necessary for my applications.
Pre-printed, clear waterslide decals with white draft marks and hull numbers have been supplied in model kits for decades.
Making them at home, on an inkjet printer is another matter, and probably why I haven't heard of anyone actually doing it in any of the modeling forums I frequent.
I can make color decals anytime with my printer - but not with any white ink in them for the reasons stated.
Josh, the owner of Bedlam Creations is a great guy to work with. His website has examples of clear decals with white printing. Tell him CC sent you!
Custom Waterslide Decals - Bedlam Creations
Custom waterslide decals are used for many different applications such as; guitar headstock logos, model trains, model cars, model planes, and more...
www.bedlamcreations.com
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I have never tried the white paper decal trick ad know of no one who has done so. I dad about it somewhere.
SSN 683, a late Sturgeon Class boat. I spent 4 years attached to NR with the Kindly Old Gentleman working on the S5W reactor plant.
SSN 683, a late Sturgeon Class boat. I spent 4 years attached to NR with the Kindly Old Gentleman working on the S5W reactor plant.
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I watched the Kindly Old Gentleman sit down to dine with us and hurl a bowl of his specially-procured ice cream against the bulkhead when it wasn't at his ordered temperature, (he carried a thermometer just for this purpose, I guess.)
Very inspiring to those in attendance indeed. . . I'm sure the CO thought he might lose his command.
His initial contributions were legendary, but his service lasted at least twenty years too long. Power/fame is toxic for most people, and he was no exception.
He destroyed many capable officer's careers on a whim, which I never cared for.
He served sixty-three years of active duty mainly because of his political connections. (He was passed over for admiral twice, (three times and you're out) and had to call in political favors to get selected. So much for merit-based promotions. . .
SecNav Lehman forced him to retire, (@ 83!!!) which I applauded with great vigor and enthusiasm.
The Naval Nuclear Power Program did not suffer one iota as a result of his departure.
Very inspiring to those in attendance indeed. . . I'm sure the CO thought he might lose his command.
His initial contributions were legendary, but his service lasted at least twenty years too long. Power/fame is toxic for most people, and he was no exception.
He destroyed many capable officer's careers on a whim, which I never cared for.
He served sixty-three years of active duty mainly because of his political connections. (He was passed over for admiral twice, (three times and you're out) and had to call in political favors to get selected. So much for merit-based promotions. . .
SecNav Lehman forced him to retire, (@ 83!!!) which I applauded with great vigor and enthusiasm.
The Naval Nuclear Power Program did not suffer one iota as a result of his departure.