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So I'm trying to use decals and I'm having the problem of being able to really notice the clear parts when its dry...is there a way to fix this?

First, trim away as much of the excess clear decal material as possible when you cut the decal from the sheet. Paint the area that the decal will be going with gloss varnish before applying the decal. After the decal is applied and dry, apply another coat of clear varnish. Once that is dry, spray the entire model with matte varnish. The excess clear decal material should essentially vanish at that point.

Also, buy some Micro Sol and Micro Set. They will last forever and make your decals lay flat on any surface.

What's micro set?

It's a decal setting solution; softens the decal and provides better adhesion and conforming to the surface. Its counterpart micro-sol is stronger and is used to 'bed down' decals onto irregular surfaces.

The main thing to remember though is to GLOSS BEFORE APPLYING DECALS. The main reason decal's clear area becomes visible is 'silvering' which occurs when air is trapped between a rough (matt) surface and the underside of the decal. When this happens you cannot fix it short of painting over the silvered area, and even this is not guaranteed to work.

Is this best accomplished best by handpainting gloss or spraying it? Also am I allowing the gloss to dry before applying decal or applying to the wet paint directly. Once applied and dried will then applying a Matt varnish make it not glossy anymore?

Wait for the varnish to dry! I shudder to think what would occur if you didn't.

I often apply a second coat of gloss over the decal to seal it in, before flat coating it, but that isn't completely needed.

Perhaps Winterdyne will be good enough to post a link to his guide? Certainly helped me a lot.

 jose kantor wrote:
Is this best accomplished best by handpainting gloss or spraying it?

Gloss varnish, by definition, is going to settle to a smooth layer. So it shouldn't matter significantly whether you brush it or spray it. For such a small area, brushing is presumably easier. That's what I do, at least.

Also am I allowing the gloss to dry before applying decal or applying to the wet paint directly.

You're letting the gloss varnish dry first. The point is to provide a smooth surface for the decal to adhere to, not to glue the decal on with varnish.

Once applied and dried will then applying a Matt varnish make it not glossy anymore?

Yes, matt varnish on top will remove the gloss.

I'm still not perfect with decals, but I'm pretty happy with my process, which I gathered from various sites...

1) Gloss varnish area, let dry overnight
2) Cut out decal. As noted, try to trim off as much clear material from the edges as you possibly can.
3) Soak the decal in water.
4) While it's soaking, liberally brush the area with decal *setting* solution. (Micro-Set or similar)
5) Slide the decal off and try to dab off excess water as best as you can, or let it rest on a paper towel briefly.
6) Put the decal in place. If it gets too hard to slide, add more decal setting solution. Try to get the decal as flat to the surface as possible, but it's doesn't have to be perfect as long as the overall position is correct.
7) Let dry *overnight*.
8) Liberally apply decal *solvent* solution (Micro-Sol or similar) while brushing down the edges of the decal. This should get the decal thoroughly flush with the surface and remove any bubbles.

I haven't felt the need to gloss over the decal at the end since I'm applying a matte varnish as a final step anyway, but it probably wouldn't hurt. Sometimes I'll still get a minute air pocket at the edge. You can scrape those off very, *very* carefully with a hobby knife after everything is dry.

Thank you everyone

Linkage to tutorial, as requested.

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