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Decal Setting Solutions - What's everyone using?

helios

helios

Well-known member
Having been out of the hobby for 20+ years...there is a lot of options that I have not seen in the past, be it non-existent or just not available locally. Back then I always just used the Testors Decal Set. Now there are so many options, I'd hate to miss out on something that is available now that might be a better option.

Cheers.
 
MicroSol and MicroSet are what I swear by. They work great, are available everywhere and are relatively inexpensive.

I have Vallejo's, but honestly, I haven't even tried them since I just grab the Micros.
 
I use Micro set and Mr Mark Softener.
Micro set and Micro sol are old standbys and probably the most used. Mr Mark Softener is very hot and can lead to disater if not careful. The decal basically will wrinkle up and look horid, but if you try and smooth it out you will probably destroy the decal. As it dries the decal settles down and looks painted on. Micro Sol does the same but not as aggressive.
Mr Mark Softener is also not for all decals and you should try it on a spare or unused decal first. I have had occaision where the decal kind of explodes into hundreda of small pieces.
There are other brands and I'm sure the guys and girls will pipe up with their faves.
James
 
Echoing that too and will add that Mr Mark Softer and Mr Mark Setter are pretty good too. They made these decals behave,

IMG_6780.JPG


Best wishes!

:drinks

PS Don't forget the ol' Solvaset by Walther.
 
jknaus said:
I use Micro set and Mr Mark Softener.
Micro set and Micro sol are old standbys and probably the most used. Mr Mark Softener is very hot and can lead to disater if not careful. The decal basically will wrinkle up and look horid, but if you try and smooth it out you will probably destroy the decal. As it dries the decal settles down and looks painted on. Micro Sol does the same but not as aggressive.
Mr Mark Softener is also not for all decals and you should try it on a spare or unused decal first. I have had occaision where the decal kind of explodes into hundreda of small pieces.
There are other brands and I'm sure the guys and girls will pipe up with their faves.
James
Click to expand...


Is Mr Mark softener comparable to Solvaset James ?

I have had numerous problems with decals over the last five years or so .

Some lay down good and some will not lay down for anything.

Back in the Micro set day, the Micro sol/set were perfect for their brand of decals.

Anymore , decal manufacturer all seem to have their own idea of how to make decal .
My best approach to decals as of late has been start with the milder solution and as that fail to work, step up to something progressively hotter chemical till I find what works .

Sorry, not scientific at all..... :(

Cheers, Christian B)
 
I've been fortunate to be writing reviews for more than a few decades and in that time, Micro-Scale (SuperScale as well) have been the go to bottles but I have also tried the following:

Champs was the best. No longer made. Stronger than MicroScale's products yet never damaged any decals (especially Monogram's thick film).

DACO (Danny Coreman's) Decal Set - is a very hot decal setting solution designed for his decals and worked very well with other sheets but a bit too hot for many kit decals.

Solv-a-Set is another standby and what Walthers' used to replace Champs. Strong too. It is a mix of both setting and solvent.

Others have mentioned Gunze Sangyo's products (you know, the people with the creative marketing team... what should we name it? Add a Mr. at the front!)

Note that setting solutions smell like (and likely contain) vinegar. This acetic solution softens the film and floats the decal while you position it.

The solvent solution further softens the film to the point the film seems to disappear.

Here are some handy PDF files:


Here is a product review where I show my approach to decals (click the photo where you can see several of the products I use):


Regards,
 
I'll add to it my last bottle of OOP Champs Decal Solution that I came back in possession of. I've doubled sealed it and will take on any rawhide decal out there, but I'm going to be stingy with it going forward. Think it's been off the market for 5 years and this stuff is just fermenting.
 
I use solva set religiousely. I get the decal ready and brush a coat of set onto the model . Place the dercal pat it with a soft cloth brush a second layer of set on top and walk away.Perfect everytime.
 
135engineer said:
I use solva set religiously. I get the decal ready and brush a coat of set onto the model . Place the decal pat it with a soft cloth brush a second layer of set on top and walk away Perfect every time.
Click to expand...

Me also ... Never fails to be gentle, solva set for decal placement & solva sol to melt the decal to a irregular surface :good:
 
Awesome. Thanks guys. I feel a little more edjumacated about decals now. I wasn't aware most of the prevalent solutions were basically 2 part systems. The more you know... :v

The hobby shop in town actually had some of the Microset & Microsol in stock, so I snagged some on the way home. Figure you can always go more aggressive later if it needs it...but you can't take it back if you go too far the first time.

You guys rock! Cheers.
 
That was going to be my question : Your good luck with decals and solvent .

Is that based on aftermarket decals or kit decals .

Most of the time , the difference between the quality of decals can be vast.

Cheers, Christian B)
 
phantom II said:
That was going to be my question : Your good luck with decals and solvent .

Is that based on aftermarket decals or kit decals .

Most of the time , the difference between the quality of decals can be vast.

Cheers, Christian B)
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I have had success with some kit decals. Eduard's have been great, but most of those are printed by Cartograph. I honestly have had good success with Tamiya decals although many people tend to think they are too thick. Probably isn't a end all be all answer for this question....
 
Skinny_Mike said:
phantom II said:
That was going to be my question : Your good luck with decals and solvent .

Is that based on aftermarket decals or kit decals .

Most of the time , the difference between the quality of decals can be vast.

Cheers, Christian B)
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I have had success with some kit decals. Eduard's have been great, but most of those are printed by Cartograph. I honestly have had good success with Tamiya decals although many people tend to think they are too thick. Probably isn't a end all be all answer for this question....
Click to expand...

I have had mixed issues with kit decals . Some are comparable to cardboard but some like the Eduard's you mentioned are very good .

Sometimes you are just stuck with what's in the box .

I need to try the step mentioned in Saul's post about drying them 1 st . Perhaps that would overcome the problem ones .

Cheers, Christian B)
 
phantom II said:
Skinny_Mike said:
phantom II said:
That was going to be my question : Your good luck with decals and solvent .

Is that based on aftermarket decals or kit decals .

Most of the time , the difference between the quality of decals can be vast.

Cheers, Christian B)
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I have had success with some kit decals. Eduard's have been great, but most of those are printed by Cartograph. I honestly have had good success with Tamiya decals although many people tend to think they are too thick. Probably isn't a end all be all answer for this question....
Click to expand...

I have had mixed issues with kit decals . Some are comparable to cardboard but some like the Eduard's you mentioned are very good .

Sometimes you are just stuck with what's in the box .

I need to try the step mentioned in Saul's post about drying them 1 st . Perhaps that would overcome the problem ones .

Cheers, Christian B)
Click to expand...

The dry method seems scary to me, but I did like the tidbit of using distilled water. That never even clicked until now!
 
The dry method seems scary to me, but I did like the tidbit of using distilled water. That never even clicked until now!

Yes, the dry method sound a bit scary but thinking about it, It would make little difference anyway if the decals were bad to start with :rotf

Cheers, Christian B)
 
I use MicroSet and MicroSol. Another thing I do is use warm water to soak my decals in. It helps with making the decals more flexible. I have a friend who used a hair dryer when placing his. Heating up the decal made it more flexible. This is an old trick from the sign industry when applying vinyl decals.
 
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