Micro Set safe for Tamiya Decals?

[Deejay27]

Would it be safe to use micro set for Tamiya decals? From what I understand, MicroSol is too strong and will damage T. Decals.

[wkma7six]

It is safe for Tamiya decals. Make sure it is the blue labeled Micro-set and not the red labeled Micro-sol bottles. I learned the hard way a long time ago with micro-sol. I did an an Avex Dome Mugen NSX with Micro-set and it worked out very well.
-Good luck
Walter

[Deejay27]

Thanks for the info Walter....I'll have to pick up a bottle.

[primera man]

I've had no problems

[BWheel]

I've had no problems with Micro-Set and Micro-Sol. You just need to be careful with them both.

Micro-Set is good for initial placement of decals. Get them in the right spot, dry the area, make sure it's in the right spot. This will then look like a 'decal' though.

Micro-Sol then comes into play now. If you are putting a decal onto a curved place, or if you want that 'painted on' look you would need to use Micro-Sol.

Once you have it in the place you want, and have it mostly laid down (not that easy on corners), you paint on Micro-Sol with a brush. Once you have done this, do NOT touch the decal for at least 20 mins (or longer if it still looks wet). Maybe quickly use some blotting tissue to suck up extra fluid, but only very shortly after applying.

Micro-Sol makes the decal VERY soft, so it can stretch, and lay down into corners. This will make it very easy to damage - touch it with a finger or a brush, and you'll likely stretch it, or damage it, or get a roll-over. Just leave it to dry.

After this - if you have an air-bubble, or it still hasn't lay-down properly, prick the air-bubble with a blade, or try to flatten as you can, and then put more micro-sol, and go through the process again.

And one other thing - if you are going to clear-cote the model, make SURE that you leave the decals plenty of time to dry before spraying, as this could give more problems to your clear-cote finish.

Just take it easy, and take your time. Don't try to force anything, expecially with decals... I've rushed them, and paid for it myself.

Have fun - that's why we do modelling.

[Vric]

Originally posted by wkma7six
It is safe for Tamiya decals. Make sure it is the blue labeled Micro-set and not the red labeled Micro-sol bottles. I learned the hard way a long time ago with micro-sol. I did an an Avex Dome Mugen NSX with Micro-set and it worked out very well.
-Good luck
Walter

I have a red bottle.. what's wrong with it ? work perfect

[BWheel]

Originally posted by Vric


I have a red bottle.. what's wrong with it ? work perfect

Hey Vric,

He's probably referring to the fact that the decal will wrinkle when you put it on, before straightening out. If you try to fix this wrinkle, it wrecks the decal, 'cause it's so soft at this point.

Remember: When you have Micro-Sol (Reb Bottle) on the decal: Do NOT touch it for at least 20 minutes, unless you want to wreck the decal...

[Vric]

Originally posted by BWheel


Hey Vric,

He's probably referring to the fact that the decal will wrinkle when you put it on, before straightening out. If you try to fix this wrinkle, it wrecks the decal, 'cause it's so soft at this point.

Remember: When you have Micro-Sol (Reb Bottle) on the decal: Do NOT touch it for at least 20 minutes, unless you want to wreck the decal...

I know I have worked with it.. you can tutch it a bit to place it only if it's not a trasparent decal...

[daggerlee]

Probably meant using Microsol (the red bottle) as a setting solution - a rude surprise for anybody who tried, the decal would rip apart as soon as you touched it!

[wkma7six]

Sorry, but I forgot to mention not to touch the decal when using microsol. With microset you can still work and coax the decal to conform to less complex curves. i now limit myself to using the microsol when absolutely necessary with Tamiya decals. Microsol works perfectly with aftermarket decals. I use a bit of water diluted with microset to weaken it a bit along with the aid of a hair dryer. Microsol will always wrinkle your decals no matter which brand of decal.
Bwheel has good tips, but you must be patient and not touch when soft.
-Walter

[bvia]

Micro-Set id a cleaning/setting solution used to remove the greae/oil/etc from the surface onto which the decal will be applied.

Micro-Sol is a decal solvent used to chemically melt the decal onto the surface.

Some Tamiya decals do NOT like Micro-Sol (use a spare decal...like the little car silhouette to test on), but any decal from any manufacturer will benefit from prepping the surface with Micro-Set.

hth,
Bill

[Guido]

Both ahve worked fine for me on various Tamiya models. Keep the comments from the other in mind though