HCFR Technician - Painting: WRAPPING-UP!

With the blessed day 48 hrs. short of a fortnight away, I am well on the home stretch with the HCFR bust. . . 

While things are drying and settling down for the final push this long weekend, I thought I'd share my experiences with DIY custom decaling--including PAPER-CALS!!!

The Special Ops turnout gear is significantly different than the firefighter's bunker gear, at least in HCFR. One of the distinguishing aspects are the unit/departmental patches: while these provide abundant visual appeal, they are also virtually impossible to render in scale--at least for this ol' dinosaur!  

Enter the custom decal--or in the case of the patches, the PAPER-CAL!!!

Needless to say, you have to create an in-scale digital file of the item you want to reproduce. How you go about this, I will leave in your good hands; however, 1) not having access to vector graphics is not a deal-breaker in most instances; and 2) work at a minimum of 300 dpi.

PAPER-CALS. It is always a good idea to print a trial run on regular paper before committing to the decal paper: this is where you will determine the acceptability of the size, color, and legibility of your creation. HOWEVER. . . in the case of patches, especially silk-screened patches, this is as far as you will need to go!

Decals are great for reproducing painted "insignia"; but lose a significant amount of depth and relief when the item to be reproduced is a cloth patch. SO. . . just use your paper print-out! Sim- ply treat the plain paper exactly as you would the decal paper (see below), use white glue as an adhesive, and you should be good to go!

Back to the decals. . . First and foremost: DO NOT handle decal paper with your bare fingers! The oils on your fingers will cause the ink to “smudge” and “bleed”. I would suggest wiping the printing surface down with a soft clean cloth prior to printing.

Printer settings. Testor’s recommends Plain Paper, “Normal” (360 dpi) print quality. This appa- rently works with some printers and/or inks; but with an Epson Stylus Color 740 Printer, your settings should be: Photo-quality Glossy Paper, “Best” (720 dpi) print quality.

Let dry at least overnight (I let mine dry 18 hrs.; some people swear on a minimum of 24, prefer- ably 48). Then apply the Decal Bonder Spray (many swear by Krylon, but I have zero experience with that product): I would recommend 2 light mist coats, allowing each coat to dry before apply- ing the next; let dry 24 hrs.; and then apply one wet coat. Eh. . . VOILÀ! As to the application, follow the instructions of the decal paper you are using. . . 

In closing, as you might have read elsewhere, there is indeed a quite narrow window where paper, printer, and ink will synergistically work to yield decals that are not only usable, but better (read: more realistic) than their commercial counterparts! For small, specific applications, it is an invalu- able tool with a relatively flat learning curve. ENJOY!!!

UPDATE 08.10.16. . . Bust is permanently mounted on display base. 

UPDATE 10.10.16. . . Bust is DONE! 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003