Removing decals

[Erock]

Any tips on removing decals from models?

[Khils]

If they haven't been clear coated over... I've gotten them to lift of the paint with clear shipping tape, * but useless* afterwards.

 

[yh70]

masking tape rubbed down well over decal if not been clear coat over, or use micro set. use a stiff brush and keep wetting the decal. after a while it will soften and you can start removing it..

[Erock]

26 minutes ago, Khils said:

If they haven't been clear coated over... I've gotten them to lift of the paint with clear shipping tape, * but useless* afterwards.

 

Just tried that, it worked! lol. Thanks for the advice

[bobss396]

I just had to remove a few. I used scotch tape and gently pulled them off. I did some many years back, used freezer tape and the paint (no primer)  came up with the decals.

[yh70]

12 minutes ago, bobss396 said:

I just had to remove a few. I used scotch tape and gently pulled them off. I did some many years back, used freezer tape and the paint (no primer)  came up with the decals.

the reason why was no primer..always prime so you have a base for the paint to stick to..

[bobss396]

7 minutes ago, yh70 said:

the reason why was no primer..always prime so you have a base for the paint to stick to..

I was around 13 at the time. Until I got into a model club in 1998, I had never heard of priming a model. I took a break from building models from 1973 to 1995.

[peteski]

Non-water based paints (the solvent-based "stinky" plastic-compatible paints like Testors) have solvents "hot" enough to "bite" into styrene without a primer, but not hot enough to cause crazing.  When using those paints no primer is required (and I don't use it).  All it does is to increase the total thickness of the paint, which is not a desired thing. But the plastic surface must be clean.  I suspect that in the 13-year-old Bob's case, the plastic was not perfectly clean, which caused the paint not to bond to the plastic very well.

[yh70]

7 hours ago, peteski said:

Non-water based paints (the solvent-based "stinky" plastic-compatible paints like Testors) have solvents "hot" enough to "bite" into styrene without a primer, but not hot enough to cause crazing.  When using those paints no primer is required (and I don't use it).  All it does is to increase the total thickness of the paint, which is not a desired thing. But the plastic surface must be clean.  I suspect that in the 13-year-old Bob's case, the plastic was not perfectly clean, which caused the paint not to bond to the plastic very well.

you go ahead and keep on believing that a primer is not needed to get a better bite or better paint job..lol.. if i could see one of your builds up close i bet i can see ever factory flaw in the plastic. you do know they prime real cars metal, fiberglass, plastic or what ever they made out of today.. priming a model is not only for the paint to have a better surface to stick to, the primer will show ever flaw in the plastic. we fix them, we sand, we prime again to make sure then we water sand and paint..

[yh70]

9 hours ago, bobss396 said:

I was around 13 at the time. Until I got into a model club in 1998, I had never heard of priming a model. I took a break from building models from 1973 to 1995.

i can understand that Peter. we learn from our mistakes..

[peteski]

46 minutes ago, yh70 said:

you go ahead and keep on believing that a primer is not needed to get a better bite or better paint job..lol.. if i could see one of your builds up close i bet i can see ever factory flaw in the plastic. you do know they prime real cars metal, fiberglass, plastic or what ever they made out of today.. priming a model is not only for the paint to have a better surface to stick to, the primer will show ever flaw in the plastic. we fix them, we sand, we prime again to make sure then we water sand and paint..

Well, unless I make some modifications to the body, or use putty, there is no need for primer when using hobby paints.  Hobby paints do not cause ghosting in the areas where i sanded the mold lines or smoothed out the surface. I do however prime the body when using hotter paints (like  nail polish). I'm quite happy with my models, and the awards I won at contests over the years seem to confirm that my models are usually better than average.

It is not just a misguided belief Dave - I do build models. Some of them can be viewed on http://classicplastic.org/pete-w.html

You do you, and I'll do me - I'm just offering my modeling experience here. I also don't polish my paint jobs, or use heavy clear coats. This all might be unconventional to you, but it works just fine.

[bobss396]

I learned to use a primer around 1997-1998 so I could use hotter paints. I did ruin a few car bodies as a kid shooting some of my dad's paints I found in the garage. Fast forward to today, even the new car touch-up paints are not as "hot" as they used to be. I have to try a sample of Duplicolor on some scrap plastic.  

It is a rare build that does not have something like a couple of sink marks to fix. Back in the old AOL hobby board days, we used to go back and forth about the use of primer in general and I learned that the final body flaws are fixed up in the priming process. 

Lately with odds and ends like front end parts, I'll shoot the paint on bare plastic. I do wash most of them to get the mold release, etc off them. 3D printed parts do well without primer.