Decal issue -- need advice on repairing

[jmwallac]

It seems I am destined to never build a model without some sort of issue...

I had the car decaled and cleared with about 4 or 5 layers of automotive 1 part clear (duplicolor) taking extra caution to apply thicker layers at the edges and near high points that typically get "burned through" at the polishing stage. After all polishing was done (and it turned out great...) I masked off some areas that needed to be painted flat black; I used the green 3M automotive tape. When I pulled up the tape, the clear coat and the decal came with it!!! What the f#*@! Luckily I have a spare decal but I need to know what's the best way? Do I sand down the area, add the decal and reclear? Should I worry about the decal next to it? Is it possible to "feather" in the clear so there isn't a valley or a bump?

BTW, I'm using an airbrush. Thanks!

[godfather23]

That is the exact problem I had with my CLK-DTM. I found it rather easy to remove the destroyed decals. I replaced them using an extrasheet I luckily had. Afterwards I clearcoated the whole body.
What I´m not sure about is whether your clearcoated body will look diverse because of the different numbers of layers you have on different parts of the body. One solution would be to sand down the clear coat on the whole body, but be aware that you might damage other decals as well.
So my suggestion is to apply clear coat to the whole body without sanding the clear down before spraying. Afterwards you might correct the different thickness of clear coat by sanding and polishing.

Hope this helps!

Robert

BTW: I was so mad in the first moment, but afterwards it looked the same it did before. It is just an extra step you need to take. Right now the mess-up is not visible at all.

[Adam Baker]

I woudl think your best best would be to carefully sand around the area that came up, to help feather the edges, and hopefully give the new clear something to bite into after its layed down.

How long did you wait between clearing and masking? When you say 1 part clear, are you talking about the Duplicolor Paint shop clear? I have the same clear that I have used once, and hopefully will be able to use more in the near future. This would be something I'd definitely like to know about.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Pics would help diagnose.

Decals don't stick to paint nearly as well as paint. Just because you clearcoated over the decal doesn't mean you won't peel off a decal that's been clearcoated and masked. You learned it the hard way! You might be able to put another decal over the area, not sure if it peeled any clear other than what was over the decal, and then perhaps use Future over the decal.

Rule of thumb: never mask over a decal unless you are prepared for a disaster! I would have done all the masking/2-toning before applying decals.

[godfather23]

I guess that the decal was not covered well enough with clear...so the masking tape was not adhering to the clear but to the decal...?

[M4tt83]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

Rule of thumb: never mask over a decal unless you are prepared for a disaster! I would have done all the masking/2-toning before applying decals.

If you clear coat over decals, I think you always need to mask it afterwards to paint the window rubbers.

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by godfather23

I guess that the decal was not covered well enough with clear...so the masking tape was not adhering to the clear but to the decal...?

Most likely the decal wasn't adhering to the paint all that well, and pulling the tape up caused the decal to lift.

There's alot to be said for a low tac tape like Tamiya tape. 3M tape I've used is much stickier, and that comes with some risk. Also peeling the tape straight back instead of straight up will reduce the lifting force on the decals- maybe enough to eliminate this problem in the future?

[jmwallac]

Originally Posted by M4tt83

If you clear coat over decals, I think you always need to mask it afterwards to paint the window rubbers.

That was my thought as well. Bob, how do you do window rubbers and other parts that need to be flat black or semigloss?

I went ahead and sanded out the decal and the clear and will try to reapply it. Not sure why this decal choose to rip off? I just hope to be able to smooth out the new clear with the existing clear. So much for the perfect paintjob...

[jmwallac]

Originally Posted by MPWR

Most likely the decal wasn't adhering to the paint all that well, and pulling the tape up caused the decal to lift.

There's alot to be said for a low tac tape like Tamiya tape. 3M tape I've used is much stickier, and that comes with some risk. Also peeling the tape straight back instead of straight up will reduce the lifting force on the decals- maybe enough to eliminate this problem in the future?

Yeah, the Tamiya would be better, but unfortunately I don't have access to it. The 3M is a great product but it is terribly strong. I'm sure my technique didn't do it any favors.

The new decal is on, so I'll see how it turns out...

Thanks for all the replies!

[Adam Baker]

You can always reduce the tack level of the tape. If you've got a piece of glass, or ceramic tile, or something like that. Take the tape, and apply it several times to the glass, and it will help lower the tack level.

[935k3]

I have allot of issues with Tamiya's newer decals not sticking well. I started puting white glue under allot of them, especially the smaller ones. This is why I use Future and wipe it on. I can go arouund areas that need to be flat. Also ammonia on a Q-tip can be used to clean off any errors. I have no guts which is why I stick with Future and with Zymol Wax over it I get a pretty nice shne that is not out of scale thick.

[Didymus]

As someone said, it's best to do all the masking before applying decals. But if you have to mask off a decal, try shielding it with a piece of aluminum foil cut slightly larger than the decal itself. The foil can be attached with a dot or two of weak glue, like Micro Liquitape, and then taped over.

You can re-clear just the damaged area if you're using a lacquer clear coat like TS13. Feather the edges lightly. The "new" clear will melt the surface of the old clear, so the new will adhere perfectly and the demarcation will be invisible. (Because new and old lacquer coats melt together, you don't have to scuff the surface before applying a new coat.)

That doesn't work with acrylics, enamels or urethanes, by the way. Once they're dry, new paint won't dissolve the surface. If you're far along with the model, you have a big problem: the only way to repair damage is to strip and repaint the whole car.

See why I love lacquer?

Ddms

[jmwallac]

Originally Posted by Didymus

As someone said, it's best to do all the masking before applying decals. But if you have to mask off a decal, try shielding it with a piece of aluminum foil cut slightly larger than the decal itself. The foil can be attached with a dot or two of weak glue, like Micro Liquitape, and then taped over.

You can re-clear just the damaged area if you're using a lacquer clear coat like TS13. Feather the edges lightly. The "new" clear will melt the surface of the old clear, so the new will adhere perfectly and the demarcation will be invisible. (Because new and old lacquer coats melt together, you don't have to scuff the surface before applying a new coat.)

That doesn't work with acrylics, enamels or urethanes, by the way. Once they're dry, new paint won't dissolve the surface. If you're far along with the model, you have a big problem: the only way to repair damage is to strip and repaint the whole car.

See why I love lacquer?

Ddms

The Al foil trick is a great idea; I'll have to try that out. I agree with lacquers as thats all I use. This is duplicolor's lacquer decanted and sprayed with my AB. I've found it to be very good to work with.

I just don't see how you'd mask off the black area before doing decals as I almost always clear over them (except for the D2 Mercedes DTM which I chickened out on). It's definitely repairable...

Thanks for the tips!