Decal information

[emjaybee]

Not a problem as such, more that I'm wanting to understand the mechanics of this situation.

I've recently bought some Railtec decal rivets for a particular project. I'd ordered up some Micro Sol and Micro Set and boned up on the best way to use them.

On opening up the Railtec decals I read the instructions, which state to use 'Plain tap water', and to 'avoid using Micro Sol or Micro Set'.

I've started applying the rivets, so far so good, but I'm curious as to that particular instruction. I'm hoping that @Railtec Transfers may be able to explain the reason, as I say, just to further my understanding.

'Tis all.

[Railtec Transfers]

Not a problem. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible (we'll see how that goes) yet informative in the hope that it may help others too.

Experience has taught me over the years that one method which may work well for one modeller may not necessarily work well for another. The scientist in me will logically say that the same method under the same conditions should be consistent throughout. Frustratingly however it doesn't always appear to be true, and without physically being there in person in each (albeit isolated) instance it can be difficult to understand why / why not.

The MicroSet/Sol advice in the instruction leaflet is one such instance. To the best of my knowledge many people have used it successfully, though there have been the odd one or two over the past 10 years where it has been problematic, and performing the exact same tests here with the exact same batch threw no light on the situation. Given that a few drops of PVA in regular works just as well - better according to a growing number of folks I chat to - and that it's cheaper, it seems the most sensible approach to recommend if applying to anything other than a regular surface.

Of course, the way in which the model has been prepared prior to the transfers getting anywhere near it can introduce a number of variables too. Some folks use all manner of home-made concoctions to prepare and seal them in, and it can be an ever-moving goal post to try to accommodate and test for every method with every product. Factor in not just the product but the method in which they've been stored and later applied, and you can perhaps begin to get a picture of how many variables there can be. (Not long after Railtec first began there was a customer who struggled to understand why spraying a Halfords can of varnish 5cm away from a transfer might cause a problem). I recall one instance where a model had been painted with heavens-knows-what, and even spraying varnish without any transfers in situ caused a horrible reaction with the paint.

Like I recommend to anyone using the product for the first time, just start off with plain tap water. Whilst there's not one specific recommended method per se, it works for me and countless others. That said, I use Derbyshire tap water, and I can't comment on the purity of what comes out of the tap elsewhere 

[emjaybee]

Thanks for the info, it's always useful to get it from the horses mouth as it were.

I've been making some progress with your 'rivets', which is interesting!

[RailGooner]

..
That said, I use Derbyshire tap water, and I can't comment on the purity of what comes out of the tap elsewhere 

Good point that not all tap water is the same. I hate the tap water down here - Thames Water by name, Thames water by taste! I use bottled water for all my modelling. Nothing fancy, just supermarkets' own-brand still water. Works a treat with Railtec transfers for me.