Decal Pro Pirep

[N8RV]

Originally Posted by William Slaughter

Hard to believe that we're all talking about the same product! As you can see in the picture above, the white label came out perfectly, and that was my second attempt ever. Just for the record, I have no financial interest in the company, and no axe to grind with those who like their stick-on clear labels; just wanted to share my results. As always, YMMV.

That's bizarre, IMO. Of all of the reviews of Decal Pro on VAF, the majority by far have posted the same comments -- that the learning curve is steep and frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, it's great.

When I took the easy way out and used the Brother P-Touch label maker and saw that it looked OK, I lost the incentive to put in the effort to use the Decal Pro system. I really only need a few decals, so probably not worth the effort. We'll see ...

[William Slaughter]

Originally Posted by N8RV

That's bizarre, IMO. Of all of the reviews of Decal Pro on VAF, the majority by far have posted the same comments -- that the learning curve is steep and frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, it's great.

When I took the easy way out and used the Brother P-Touch label maker and saw that it looked OK, I lost the incentive to put in the effort to use the Decal Pro system. I really only need a few decals, so probably not worth the effort. We'll see ...

I have a lot of experience making and working with water-slide decals. Perhaps there was more of skill transference than I'd imagined. For me learning to successfully set universal head rivets entailed the frustrating learning curve.
Once again, I'm not trying to sell this, only to share my positive experience that it can be done. If you want to do something else, I'm okay with that, whatever your reason might be.

[DonFromTX]

I have a P-touch label maker, sees to make some tough labels, how has it kworked out fo your plane?

[QUOTE=N8RV;When I took the easy way out and used the Brother P-Touch label maker and saw that it looked OK, I lost the incentive to put in the effort to use the Decal Pro system. .

[N941WR]

I was one of the early adopters of this system and it did take a long time to master the thing, which was very frustrating. However, the results look outstanding and after 360+ hours, they are holding up well.

Some of the labels are coming off but the majority looks as good as the day I put them on.

Like some of the others on this thread, I looked at using a label maker but in my installation, they wouldn?t work. The reason being is that I used a textured paint on my panel to cut down on the glare and stick on labels would never look good.

I am very happy with the finish of my panel and the DecalPro labels.

[pmccoy]

I used the decal pro system and ended up with great looking labels.

The problem was they scratched away with the slightest touch. I tried to spray mine with clear coat, but that didn't work either. The clear coat peeled away from my powder coated panel. I ended up scraping everything off and starting over. I had a name plate engraving shop laser etch the same lettering that I used on my LaserWriter with the decal pro system onto a thin black matte plastic label. I am very happy with the results they look great.

[gordodavis]

William, just checking to see how the Decal Pro is going. Are you still pleased with the process. I'm about to order a system.

If anyone out there is wanting to unload their Decal Pro system, I'm interested.

[William Slaughter]

Yes, still pleased with the system. I'll be applying the annunciator decals this evening and will post pics as soon as practical. I was already well equipped to make water-slide decals, but of course you cannot produce white text to apply to darker surfaces. That was the impetus for trying the DecalPro system. Make no mistake, you'll spend a lot more time and money than you would if you go with black-on-clear labels, but there is definitely an improvement in appearance of the finished product. Is it enough of an improvement to be worth it? For me, yes, but I believe that it's a lot like the fixed pitch vs. constant speed prop debate. Either choice will get a good result. Some people are willing to pay extra to get the improvement, others are not. I'm finding that applying the adhesive is the part that requires the most "art", as you can't really see what is happening. I watched the online videos and am trying to emulate their technique, but you just have to develop a feel for it. This step also has a strong influence on how durable the result will be. All of the other steps are just a matter of dexterity and following the directions. Those interested, stay tuned.

[William Slaughter]

Here are the results of the annunciator panel labeling:






I'm very happy with how this came out. I let the white lettering setup for a couple of days before coating it with a clear semi-gloss acrylic to kill the shine. The lights were done with black DecalPro, which was easier to work with than the white. I had one white image breakup on me during the fabrication process, but that's the only problem so far, and once you're all setup and running, the redo took very little extra time. I think I now have a pretty good handle on correctly applying the adhesive - the clear carrier around the image should have a frosted appearance, while still allowing you to see through it pretty clearly. I've already drawn up the rest of the panel labeling on the CAD program, so I'll be ready to go when I paint the panel itself. Now it have to wire this contraption up!

[N941WR]

Those look great!

[Sid Lambert]

That looks as good as any large manufactured piece. Much better than a p-touch could ever look.

Congrats.