As I gain experience in this wonderful hobby I am always looking for ways to not only improve, but also make things easier on myself.
For those reading this post that aren't familiar with the types of ships I build (and yes I will post completed build pics soon - I promise!), I build from scratch the large ships that ply the Great Lakes - big 740ft (for the most part) steel hull "lakers".
Every ship has a name right?.... so historically I have been using the dry rub lettering from Woodland Scenics. Generally this works good, as the fonts are mostly the same, just different sizes and colours (mostly white on a dark hull, or black on a lightly coloured hull). At scales of 1/192 or so (some are 1/200) the lettering can get quite small at only a couple millimeters in height. I show the ship's name, and at the stern they have the name and port of registry (in a smaller font) and the IMO number. The problem with dry rub lettering this small is you tend to either miss some of the letter (as they are so close together) and/or you get debris from anything surround it when holding the sheet to the model. Aligning everything straight can be a true test of ones patience and how steady your hand is as well.
I have considered possibly getting a basic Cricut machine (my wife would be fine with this too!), but I understand they aren't capable of really small fonts like I need.
Has anyone had success at all using decal paper (water slide) for fine detail work like this?
It could just be me overthinking in my quest for perfection.
For those reading this post that aren't familiar with the types of ships I build (and yes I will post completed build pics soon - I promise!), I build from scratch the large ships that ply the Great Lakes - big 740ft (for the most part) steel hull "lakers".
Every ship has a name right?.... so historically I have been using the dry rub lettering from Woodland Scenics. Generally this works good, as the fonts are mostly the same, just different sizes and colours (mostly white on a dark hull, or black on a lightly coloured hull). At scales of 1/192 or so (some are 1/200) the lettering can get quite small at only a couple millimeters in height. I show the ship's name, and at the stern they have the name and port of registry (in a smaller font) and the IMO number. The problem with dry rub lettering this small is you tend to either miss some of the letter (as they are so close together) and/or you get debris from anything surround it when holding the sheet to the model. Aligning everything straight can be a true test of ones patience and how steady your hand is as well.
I have considered possibly getting a basic Cricut machine (my wife would be fine with this too!), but I understand they aren't capable of really small fonts like I need.
Has anyone had success at all using decal paper (water slide) for fine detail work like this?
It could just be me overthinking in my quest for perfection.
