New Decal Question not in FAQ

I want to add some mahogany wood decals to certain areas of the dashboard on one of the models i'm making. Specifically, I wanted to add a wooden look around the radio area down to the stick shift area. I'm using a sheet of Detail Master's mahogany wood grain paper. I just started cutting the decal paper to apply to the dash board. My problem is when i cut the paper, the wooden decal picture falls apart around the edges where the scissors cut. At this point its useless to apply the decal on the dashboard. I also noticed rubbing the decal picture softly will even make it fall off the sheet:frown:

I also tried first cutting masking tape to the shape i want to make my decals, then applying over the decal sheet, and finally cutting my decals. However, when applying the masking tape over the decal sheet, it pulls the decal picture off the paper and completely ruins everything.:shakehead

I tried brushing microsol over the decal sheet to soften the picture and then cutting it. It seemed to work a little but while cutting my decals, there were some areas where the wood picture still fell off.:disappoin

Does anyone know why this is happening?
Does anyone know of any solution(s)?

The instruction paper did mention applying clear over the decal to protect it. Im assuming they ment after the decal has been applied and has dried. When i do use clear, i usually apply my decals over it and not underneath it. I thought about spraying some clear on the decal sheet before cutting to make my decals. Now forgive me if this might be very dumb to try but ive pretty much only worked with decals when i apply license plates. Since im going to apply the decal over small, thin areas of the dashboard that has some curves, the decal will be bent. If i were to spray clear over the decal sheet, will there be problems afterwards when i try to apply and bend the decal? Will the clear make the decal stiffen up and hard to bend?

Can anyone help out?

Make sure you are using good sharp scissors. Cut the image a little larger than you need it to be. Use decal solvent to help make it conform, then trim the excess with a sharp knife.
Never put tape on the face of a decal unless you are trying to remove it and discard it. You can use tape on the back side (paper) of the sheet, but be careful and remember to reverse your design.
Decal solvent really doesn't help the adhesion, just the pliability.
Applying clear over it after it is applied is the preferred method, but in some cases it may need to be sealed with a thin coat of clear before use.
Test to make sure the clear is compatible with the decal before spraying the whole sheet. A thin coat is all you need, and decal solvent should still work with it, just a little slower... - Mark