Making your own waterslide transfers

[Freddy]

Gentlemen, first of all, Happy New year and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. No doubt, some stashes are better filled now than they were!

I have a question, if I may. I am busy trying to develop my collection of Dinky Toys army vehicles. I have a couple of hundred all together. I am slowly improving their finish through repainting and, in due course, adding the correct markings for the period (early 50s) I am modelling them. My difficulty is finding suitable waterslide transfers. In the past I used Almarks, but they have finished as far as I can tell. Of the remainder, most are in 1/76 which are really too small and 1/35, of course, too large. I know Dinky Toys aren't to a standard scale, but they're roughly around the 1/60 mark. Buying odd transfers here and there is hopeless being both too expensive and not having the ones I need - and, with 200+ models, I need quite a few and most of the same style. Formation signs, Arm of Service signs, tac signs, numberplates, bridging circles... there's a lot needed. The solution is either to get bespoke sheets made, or to make them myself.

Can any of you offer me advice? I would need large quantities of each style - so a whole page of A4, for example of purely infantry AOS signs with the appropriate numbering on red squares. Whole pages of numberplates in the correct sequences for the vehicle types...

I see it is possible to buy waterslide transfer paper suitable for inkjet printers - would they do? What sort of fixer would be necessary? Can anyone give me contacts for small companies which might make bespoke transfers? I'm also after transfer sheets for WWII British Army census numbers in a similar scale Ms and Ls, Hs and Ds, not just Ts! Any advice there? A lot of questions, but, as I say, I would be very glad of any advice you can offer (other than sell the Dinky Toys and buy Oxford Diecasts!)

Freddy

[iggie]

A4 sheets of clear or white decal paper are readily available and can be printed using inkjet or laser printers. Once printed they need to be sealed with liquid decal fixer to prevent the ink running (especially if using inkjet). A variety of products are available for this, but I've used Future/Pledge previously with good results.

[fredk]

I use a generic car lacquer spray to seal my home printed decals made on an ink jet printer. Two light coats sprayed on at right angles to each other

[Jaime]

You beat me to it Freddy - although I have a slightly different couple of questions for the group on the same subject;
1. I only really need a few 1/72 roundels (USAAF pre-1942) so what do you do with the unused portion of an A4 sheet? Can it be run through a laser printer again?
2. Any recommendations on decal paper?

[AndrewR]

You beat me to it Freddy - although I have a slightly different couple of questions for the group on the same subject;
1. I only really need a few 1/72 roundels (USAAF pre-1942) so what do you do with the unused portion of an A4 sheet? Can it be run through a laser printer again?
2. Any recommendations on decal paper?

If you only spray the sealant over the actual decals, then you can cut them off, and feed the sheet back into the printer for a second print job.

One thing to note, if you have an ink jet printer, then the colour intensity may be quite low. My ancient Brother ink jet does an excellent job with black and dark colours, but not with yellows. One way round this is to make two identical decals, and put one over the other. More modern inkjets might be better at the lighter colours!

[JamesPerrin]

With any light colours you either need to print them on white decal paper or only apply them over a white base. Inkjet inks are designed to print on white paper and do not have the particulates that paint does to block out the base colour.

For larger white decals it is possible to cut these by hand or use a vinyl cutter machine. Expense but may be worth the outlay if you have so many dinkys.

Companies like Phantasy Printshop will print custom decals the cost relating to the number of colours required. Again if you can design enough to fill a sheet you may be able to do most of the vehicles for a reasonable price.

[Freddy]

Many thanks for the various bits of advice. One of my difficulties will be making the master. I have tried on the computer, but failed miserably as I have been trying to achieve an "arm of service" sign which is a square split diagonally red/yellow with a number in white superimposed on top. My software won't let me put a number over both portions and nor will it let me shrink the finished article. I shall look at the Phantasy Printshop because, yes, I shall want whole sheets of identical transfers. I have tried using label printer paper which is OK-ish - black and white number plates are pretty good, but have a white edge where the paper has depth, of course. This method can be used where there is a good image on the internet to copy - so, again, OK here and there, but waterslide are so much more professional looking. I take the point about white waterslide paper, of course and the necessity to varnish the images before they are soaked off. I shall persevere!