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How does on avoid having their decals flake off their models once the water dries? Trying to figure out how to keep that gloss finish on it down too.

Have to tried micro set and sol?

I feel it helps adhere the decal before gloss coating after it dries so you wouldnt have to worry about it flaking.

If your gloss coat is flaking then im not sure whats up.

What if ive never gloss coated ever? 0.o Been really considerin it since im starting to get much better at painting.

First, you need to apply a glossy varnish in the area where you are applying the decal. This really helps the decal to have a nice smooth surface to adhere to.

Then use MicroSet to help adhere the decal and once that's dry, use MicroSol to "melt" the decal to the model. Don't touch it until the MicroSol is dry!!

Once it's dry, use another varnish on top of the decal. If you want the decal to really be shiny, use a glossy varnish. I prefer the matte look, so I use a matte varnish over the decal to protect it from the elements.

Edit: Fixed mixing up the two solutions. Sorry.

pretty much what buildr said


Though i prefer gloss varnish then mat varnish as to avoid silvering.

To be blunt, they're coming off because you're doing it wrong.

Decals need to be laid over a gloss coat, as the smoother finish means far fewer air bubbles get trapped underneath, which is what causes the slivering effect you may be familiar with.

They then need to be sealed, many will use a second gloss coat, but, IME, unless they're in a particularly exposed part of a model that's going to be handled a lot, you can flat coat straight over them and get decent results.

Microsol and microset are nice to have, but unless you're trying to lay them down over awkward shapes or are really keen to have them look "painted on" then they're a luxury, using varnish will solve your immediate issue.

But you've discovered early that decals are not the shortcut that people perceive them to be, when wanting to use intricate patterns or repeat the same thing over and over, they're massively more convenient than freehand, but they do take time and practice to do well.

Read this:

http://www.winterdyne.co.uk/maz/winterdyne_tutorial3.pdf

So many thanks guys.

Last question I swear. Is there a way to adhere decals I've already put on? They're on the model nice and good, but that silvering is occurring. Is there a way to fix it without removing the decal?

To be honest I've always ended up scraping the bad decal off with the back of a craft knife and putting another one on.

The advice up there ^ is all good stuff. One of the things I found using pastels to weather is that spray varnish can be applied in multiple coats without obscuring detail, so don't have any worries about varnishing before and after decals.

No real way to get rid of silvering. You can lessen it by applying lots of micro sol and piercing the decal to let air out but in my experience this doesn't work well. Paint up to the design and chalk and it up as learning.

I've found Microsol and set to be too complicated, unless it's hard places like Space Marine shoulderpads where the decal has to bend in multiple ways.

On flat to gently curved surfaces, I just use Vallejo gloss and flat coat in dropper bottles with a brush. Gloss in just the close are the decal will go on, and then flat over the decal to seal it. My Eldar tanks below are done just this way.

The only silvering I ran into is on the Warlock's jetbike.