questions on decal removal and future floor wax

[appleseed]

hi guys.

thanks for the warm welcome and to primera for his help.

i have two additional questions that i hope you guys can help me with.

first off, is there a safe way of removing applied decals without damaging them? i've laid on out which needs a bit of tweeking. the model has been left to dry for about three days now the decals on. any hope left in removing them?

secondly, i've heard of folks using future floor wax as a sealer for the paint or as a finish. can i use this even on the clear parts such as the windshields without having them cloud up or distort the transparency?

thanks for listening and thanks for the help in advance!

a.

[tonioseven]

I've had success using Scotch tape to remove old decals.

[daggerlee]

Yeah, some high tack tape will remove decals pretty good. You can definitely use future on windshields without loss of transparency/distortion, etc. just make sure not to get any dust on it while it's drying.

[flyonthewall]

I'm sure you wont be able to use tape to remove the decal if u plan on repositioning it. You won't get it off the tape! With small decals it is possible to remove them by applying water - just dont soak the entire model!!! You could then reapply it with tthe aid of setting solution - Microscale Micro Set and Humbrol DecalFix to name 2.

[appleseed]

thanks for the suggestions guys!

i went out and got myself some future floor finish/polish today. this would be the first time i tired future on any of my models (this is my first time building a car model as my experience has been in gundam and sci-fi modles.)

i basically airbrushed future right out of the container at low pressure. the first pass was light as i did not know what to expect. when it came to the windshield, i got a bit nervous. it did not have an even finish and settled to what appears to be an orangepeel-like gloss/finish. i did nto get worried at this point but left it alone as it may just need time to straighten itself out. after the third coat, it got worse and the translucence was affected by this finish and basically kissed the crisp translucence good-bye.

is there any way to correct this or buff it out? i don't know if i can use rubbing compound on this or not but has anyone had similar experiences? i went to a hobby store in my area (sf, ca) and the attendant told me that there's nothing anyone can do with acrylics.

anyhow, this might be a complete loss. however, for future reference, what would be the proper way to apply future to get desired results on the windshield?

thanks to all who would listen and respond!

a.

[freakray]

When it comes to applying Future, I actually brush it on by hand as it tends to even itself out without any problem this way. The only special thing I could say I do is that I have a dedicated brush that I use, it is a 1/2" wide soft brush and its sole purpose in life is to apply future, when I am done, it gets washed, left to dry, and when dry it is hidden away until the next time I need it.
Perhaps you should try brushing a coat of Future onto your model to see what result you get? I have also heard that ammonia will remove the Future without damaging the paint, I have never tried this though so can not guarantee results.
Hope I helped a little?
Ray

[daggerlee]

Ammonia will definitely remove future, so try soaking your windshield in Ammonia. I think you might have airbrushed at too low a pressure and caused the future to "stipple" i.e. splatter which gave you an uneven finish. Future is self-levelling and I have had better results brushing it on than using an airbrush.

[appleseed]

thanks for the infor guys! but i think its too late as the windshield was already on the car with the decals on it... tired to use alcohol as it removes acrylics but that ended up with white streaks on it. with a bit of buffing on the plastic, i ended up airbrushing more future on it to at least give it some trasparency. my poor car... all that work only to disappoint myself at the last step...

but then i got a clk gtr to brighten up my day! i've got some *supposedly* good ideas for this kit. i'll keep you guys informed.

a.