Decal question

[Seamas]

I am +putting a decal on a headstock. It is an ink-jet waterslide decal (printed backwards) where I applied gold paint inside the black outline.

I am in the process of putting a nitro/Lacquer finish on the neck/headstock. I am currently waiting for it to cure before final wet sanding/polishing.
Now I know I should apply further lacquer over the decal, so my question is:
Should I do all the wet sanding/ polishing before applying the decal and then do 2-3 light coats over that--or should I apply the decal now before all the finish sanding?

 

[mayfly]

In my experience, you need to sand it smooth and level at least in the area where you intend to apply the decal.  If not, you'll see air pockets under it and it will look like crap.

 

[stratamania]

You need a relatively smooth surface for the decal so it looks good but you don't need to do all the final wet sanding stuff. The decal is less likely to adhere to too smooth a surface.

Once you have the decal on, leave it till it is dry. Then spray a mist coat over it to seal it, then you build up coats, light level from time to time. The goal is to get the finish around the decal eventually to the same height as the lacquer over it. When it is and it has been left to cure for a decent amount of time that is when you do the final wet sanding etc.


PS You need to avoid sand throughs otherwise even Cagey may not be able to help with enough cuss words to help you out  :icon_scratch:

 

[Seamas]

Yeah, the very idea of sand-throughs has me anxious.

 

[rob91bob]

I do 2 coats of sanding sealer, flatten it with 400, apply the decal then 6-8 coats of gloss.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

PS You need to avoid sand throughs otherwise even Cagey may not be able to help with enough cuss words to help you out  :icon_scratch:

I’ve done it. Fear not: I promise you won’t run out of cuss words...

 

[BigSteve22]

There's some pretty detailed instructions on the Rothco and Frost web site:

https://www.rothkoandfrost.com/downloads/1518364846CLS002-CLS-Waterslide-Decals-Application-Instructions.pdf

Instructions for burying the decal in lacquer are on page 2. This is how I did mine, worked our very well. Rothco and Frost decals are very thin, but the process should work on your decal too. Maybe try it out on a scrap before committing. Good luck!

 

[stratamania]

I’ve done it. Fear not: I promise you won’t run out of cuss words...

I have avoided doing it, but I am sure I could come up with a few choice words if it did happen.

Per the Rothko and Frost instructions, I have used their decals and some made by others. I agree with the instructions but I think you will need more lacquer coats to build up enough prior to final sanding and buffing, if you want the edges of the decal not to appear as a ridge.

 

[Cagey]

When I've done it, I've covered the decal with several coats, then started carefully block sanding to reduce the thickness of the finish over the decal, then shoot a couple more coats, and again with the leveling. Might take 12 or more coats to get it to where it's even enough to finish sand and buff out.

Lacquer tends to shrink over time, so it's important the shrinkage remain relative or the edges will show up in 6 months to a year anyway. This decal is on now about 2 years I think, and you still can't see any edges to it...

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Those decals are reasonably thin, and it takes several coats.
Imagine having to get one of the metal Warmoth decals under a clear.
It takes a lot longer to get above the surface of those decals without risking sanding down to them, but I do love me the look of those metal decals under a clear coat :headbang1: