BaronSchwab

I have a image that I want to put on my vertical stab. mimicking the bear on the Cub. The image is on my computer and I don't know the best way to put it on my plane. I am covering with transparent Ultracote. I can I print the image on the covering or am I better off trying to make it a vinyl decal?

Any help is appreciated.

saramos

You can get decal paper and sealer at the LHS or online. You can get Testors or other brands. You print the image on the decal paper, then coat it with the sealer/waterproofer. Then cut, soak and apply like any water transfer decal. You do have to be careful because the ink from an inkjet printer is water soluble. The sealer does a pretty good job, but if you leave it soak too long, or work the decal, you can smear the ink. After the decal is on and dried, I'd give it a light clearcoat to protect it.


In the photo below, the emblem and nomenclature, except for the Baby Bea V, are decals made this way. The Baby Bea V was done with a hand cut frisket mask and airbrush.


Scott

Don41

Not sure what you're up to but if you just want the Cub bear set you can buy the decal from Sig for just 2 or 3 dollars. You float it on with something like Windex. The decal is fuel proof (up to 20% nitro). Above that level and discoloration can set in over time.

John 38

Mirror image to reverse the image, then printed it onto piece of transparent film which is taped to sheet of A4 with the protective film removed and the adhesive side up to be printed on. This works best if done on clear transparency which is then stuck onto covering which is already shrunk onto framework. You then avoid any distortion due to shrinking. Give ink time to dry before handling.

John

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I have had decals made by a local vinyl sign printer print mine. I usually have my AMA number, tail and wing numbers, and any logos or decorative items made all at the same time. I take it to him on a floppy or CD and he loads it on his computer and takes it from there. The stuff they use for outside signs seems to be fuel proof.

Mike

Showtime100

Avery makes a clear 8.5x11 sticker paper that you can print on using an inkjet printer. Walmart, Target, etc seels it. I used it to put a new name on my P-51's cowl. I let the ink dry for a couple hours and then I sealed it with a clear sealant from a testors decal kit. It is completely fuel proof and it stuck very well. The clear means no white background so no pain in the butt cutting. Just cut as close to the image as you like and then peel and apply. Looks very similar to the stock decals that came on my ARF.

BaronSchwab

No this is not a Cub bear. I'm actually using Tux the mascot for Linux. I just want it in the location and size on the vertical stab as the Cub bear.

I tried to print directly onto the back of Ultracote with my inkjet printer, but I think I handled the product too soon. I'll try that again and let it dry overnight before handling. If that does not work, one of my friends is a vinyl sign printer for putting stuff on cars and I will probably have him print it.

Showtime100: is the Avery stuff like clear address return labels?

Thank y'all for the info.

BaronSchwab

Printing on the backside worked. It turned out a little liney (kinda like an old B&W movie) but I liked the look.

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

anyone know of a good product to use in a color laser printer?

I don't want to use "ink jet" papers in a laser just because the fuser might melt the materials.

also one thing to think about when designing your logos.. Ink jets and lasers don't print white.. it's always left as the background color.
I"m not sure how you would get around that problem

saramos

Decal paper for ink jet printers come in both clear and white. This still won't really work for white letter nomenclature as it would require you to still cut out all the letters. For white, if possible, using a vinyl mask and paint, or ordering decals online are the best choices.

Scott

Rv7garage

My Feedback: (10)

maybe you could use white-out if you were careful enough...[sm=bananahead.gif][sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

Ok I found something cool and bad at the same time..
http://www.atttransfer.com/whitetoner.html
This company sells a printing system with white toner..
It's a heat transfer system so you could iron on your logos right onto the covering.
They have toner and drums for my laser printer.. An Oki C5200n

The bad.. Well it's a heat transfer system.. most of our coverings would shrink and distort the image though I suppose you could just print onto some clear media and attach that somehow.
I did find clear and white water slide paper for laser printers so thats one option.

bad part 2. It's $675 for the toner setup plus $400 more for clean drums. OUCH!

I'd have ot find alot of people who want white logos to make that pay off.

Stew99

I have used decal paper for laser printers from [link=http://beldecal.stores.yahoo.net/moddecpap.html]Bel Inc.[/link] with good success. I found that you need to make sure the printer is warmed up and use the cardstock setting for the paper type otherwise the black toner will not fuse to the decal film and flake off. I coated them with clear LustreKote to make them easier to handle. Here you need to be careful not build up too heavy of a wet coat of paint because it will dissolve some of the toners and make them run together.

Jim Connell

Hi BaronSchwab

I have alternative to decal paper that I use to create decals for my planes. It involves creating scale photographic prints of the insignia you want and then removing the photographic paper backing. When you do this you end up with a very thin ‘decal’ which can be then easily applied to your plane using a weak solution of white glue and water.

This method has many advantages over decal paper.

• Using photograph paper creates higher quality insignias.
• Photographic paper already has a top layer protective coat, so it cannot smear like inkjet decal paper images.
• It is a less expensive than printing onto decal paper.
• You don’t need access to a high quality printer.
• Photographic paper will not fade as quickly as decal paper images.

I described this method in detail in a kit build thread that I posted at:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383680

Starting at post #13.

If you have any other questions you could email me.

Hope this helps.

Jim Connell
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

BaronSchwab

Well I went with the print on the back of Ultracote method. It worked well. Here are a few pics of the completed plane. It is a Starduster by Midwest. I suppose one could call it a 4*40. However, I would hazard to say that this flies better than a 4*40. I have flown many 4*40's, a couple 4*60's, and a 4*120. It may not fly any better, but because I built it myself it sure seems like it.

Showtime100

The Avery sticker paper is a clear 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that works in injet paper. I got mine at CompUSA.
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...a=&cm_ite=feed

I'll try to post a pic of my P-51.