Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Evening all,

I've some old window transfers from the 1950s, each is only a couple of inches square. They look in good condition but have been rolled up with an elastic band around them for most of the time. They're similar to those that come with Airfix kits, ie you dunk them in a bowl and slide them off when they're separating from the backing.

What's the best way to straighten them out for use? Wait until they've soaked in a bowl and hope that they unfurl ok and slide off in one piece? Or gently try to flatten them out over time, before trying to soak and apply them?

RJ
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[Roger-hatchy]

Rick
You will find that one of two things happen when water slide transfers are soaked.
They either roll up or straighten out, I have used lots of larger waters slide transfers, done a lot of model making up to 1/4 scale.

We also used water slide transfers, 6x9 inch, for Battery and Regimental logos.

If they roll up in the water it's easy enough to roll them out.

One thing to be wary of though, with older transfers, they can become brittle and crack making them difficult to slide off the backing.

Don't be too worried about trying to flaten them before use, this might crack them.

Roger

[MVPeters]

YES soak them first, but not for long, before you try anything else. Once they are wet, apply them.

Try your local friendly model shop for "Decalset" or something similar - it's a softening & wetting agent for transfers/decals. They'll also have a very fine varnish aerosol in matt, semi-matt or gloss.

If you have infinite patience, good eye-sight & tweezers, even cracked old transfers are salvagable.
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Mike - MVPeters at comcast.net
2002 MINI Cooper 'S'

[ukdave2002]

Hi Rick

You can buy "transfer paper" for inkjets and laser printers, I think the stuff for lasers is waterproof the inkjet stuff needs a lacquer after fitted if its to be used outside.

To renovate tatty gauges, I have been considering scanning some of the Morris gauges, touching up the scan and then printing the transfer, and applying to the gauge face. They are the waterslide like the Airfix.

May be worth scanning your transfers first in case it all goes belly up when you use them !

Dave

[Rick]

Interesting idea, I could scan them but only if they'll unfurl ok. I have two or three identical transfers so I may experiment with one and see what happens.....

R
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[Rick]

I think I need to try and find some of this transfer paper, as mentioned by ukdave. I tried a couple of the old transfers and they simply disintegrated, so badly cracked were they. I found some transfer paper for sale on ebay but it looks quite an involved process, requiring special inks and so on



RJ
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[Greg]

Hi Rick,
have you come across this site? : http://stores.ebay.co.uk/I-Say-Ding-Dong-Decals-Stickers Although not 'Waterslide' transfers they do self adhesive and the old style 'Self-cling' ones. They make hundreds of different styles, some good repro's of old style labels.
All the Best,
Greg

[BigJohn]

Isaydingdongs self adhesive stickers are very good, I used them when I painted this oil bucket in my old mans old company colours, It's now got the correct wooden handle knob, not a cut down bog flush!!

[MVPeters]

Somebody was looking for Esso bullets a week or two ago - it looks like they have those too.

No Tiger Tails, though.
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Mike - MVPeters at comcast.net
2002 MINI Cooper 'S'