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Another Decal Pro failure story

acam37

Well Known Member
After reading every thread and using up all the toner transfer foil supplied with the kit, my friend Justin has admitted defeat trying to make labels for our RV-4 panel. He says he tried every suggestion and read the instructions to the letter and still could not get one single label to work. Is there another method similar to decal pro that is easier to do? Currently we are thinking of just going with vinyl decals.
I would even consider paying someone to make the transfers for us.
 
I just had my entire panel covered in a sheet of vinyl with the labels printed on it. All you need is a good CAD file over your panel and where you want which labels, print it and lay it up. Best part is changing it in the future is a one-day job once the CAD file is created.

The guy that did mine is Byron Kypfer with Turbine Aircraft Graphics in San Angelo.
 
Just type all the labels you want into Word, exactly as you want them, and send it to SteinAir with a few bucks. You get back very good decals. Water-slide them into place and shoot a few coats of matte two-part clear. Done.
 
Took 10 hours to lean.

Arlie I feel your pain. I too had trouble to the point of wanting to throw the whole thing out the window. I used up the first color transfer also and had to order more. I searched the web and found a site of electronic geeks who use it all the time and they had a video on slowing down the laminator speed. A simple process of flipping one little plastic gear. It made all the difference. After making the print out on a laser printer( the only one that will work) lay the color film over the print and rub it down over it real vigorous with a clean paper towel.
Run it thru the laminator at least four times then cool it down. After pulling off the color film rub the print lightly with the clean paper towel. Then put the clear transfer film over the print and also rub it hard on the print so it sticks nice and flat. Run that thru the laminator 4 times and let cool. Then carefully lay it in a sink of water and walk away. Sometimes it takes 5 to 10 minutes to release but let it work. You'll find the film floating with your lettering intact. Then lay in on a clean paper towel and blot it dry. Let it sit there for 10 minutes or so then spray it lightly with the temporary adhesive. Then it's just a matter of rubbing it in place on your instrument panel. I found better results without using the alcohol or the blue tape. Took me about 8 to 10 hours to master it but now 8 out of ten tries usually ends up with a nice transfer. I even changed the lettering 4 times till I got the right color I wanted and got the switches in the right positions. When I was completely satisfied, I clear coated it with satin poly urethane. People that have seen it think it's silk screened. After spending all that money on the kit, laser printer, panel design program and laminator I was determined to make it work. It's one of the most frustrating jobs I've ever done but once you get it mastered, it takes about 15 minutes to make a professional looking transfer. :)
 
Forget about Decal Pro and go with the water slide decals through Stein or other of your choice. Far simpler.
 
Thanks for the replies. I didn't want to re-hash and old topic but I don't want to build an awesome panel only to have it jacked up with some cheesy labels.
We used a couple of the samples that came with the kit and they turned out really nice on a test panel. We did several different types of graphics including vinyl and some other kind of system he had that prints onto a clear adhesive. Then I clear coated the panel to compare the differences. By far the decal pro sample looked the best. So I wish we could make it work.
 
After reading every thread and using up all the toner transfer foil supplied with the kit, my friend Justin has admitted defeat trying to make labels for our RV-4 panel. He says he tried every suggestion and read the instructions to the letter and still could not get one single label to work. Is there another method similar to decal pro that is easier to do? Currently we are thinking of just going with vinyl decals.
I would even consider paying someone to make the transfers for us.

I used decal pro on my panel and interior with good results. I admit that the learning curve is quite steep and the system is finicky, but once you learn to make it work the results can be quite good (and rewarding for the complete "do it yourself-er type). Here's my panel:

DSC_2832small.JPG


Skylor
RV-8
 
I printed my own water slide decals on decal paper I bought online. I was not happy with the results at first as you could see the sheen on the decals if the light hit them just right (cheap and unprofessional). I then researched and bought a bottle of "Micro Set" http://www.amazon.com/Microscale-Industries-Micro-Setting-Solution/dp/B0006O9K4W and Micro Sol. Setting the decals with Micro Set seemed to melt them on and I am very happy with the results now. I tried the Micro Sol but it melted the decal too much. I like the fact that I can add or change anything I want without having to order anything from anyone. It took several tries to get the size and shapes that I wanted.
20140130_173524.jpg
 
Water slide decal

I think we will try the water side decal paper on the next try. That looks like the easiest way to go.
 
I had dry-transfer decals made up by this company: http://www.drytransfer.com/?gclid=CNGW3c2Aq70CFWXl7Aodp2oA-w

Applied to my painted panel and then covered with polyurethane matt clear. Came out great. The plus over water-slide decals is that I could transfer entire sections at once. For example, all the circuit breakers labels and border were applied in one shot. Same for the switches along the bottom of the panel.

FP10022014A0001Y.jpg

FP10022014A0001Z.jpg
 
I feel vindicated. :D

I discovered Decal Pro several years ago, and bought the setup to make some decals for my side panel switches and a few other markings on the panel. Even had to buy a laser printer. I made some "temporary" clear labels with a label maker that I already had in the shop until my fancy decals could be made.

After buying the kit and unpacking it, I started reading the stories of issues people were having with the system, and the more I read, the less I wanted to even try. I packed it all back up and shoved it onto a back shelf. The box is still there. And my "temporary" labels are still on my panels. ;)

If anybody wants to try the system on the cheap, make me an offer I can't refuse and it's yours. ;)
 
I would try another laser printer. When I first tried this several years ago, the owner of Decal Pro said some laser printers do not work with the process. I cannot remember which ones were a problem, be he said the cheaper printers seem to work best (depends upon what toner is used).
 
window decal film

After My friend Justin's miserable failure with DecalPro he remembered his wife had some clear decal film that she used with her vinyl cutter. It only needs an ink jet printer. He printed our labels and stuck them to the base coat panel. All it needs is a top coat of clear. I think this will work fine. And BTW, he's sending back the other stuff for a refund.
http://[URL=http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/aconner7/media/F90E10F1-9E94-4F50-8667-118B366D0836_zpsahqoh6ab.jpg.html][/URL]
http://[URL=http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/aconner7/media/0F630EA0-9252-424A-B6D0-8285B34E7229_zpswi443v8u.jpg.html][/URL]
http://[URL=http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/aconner7/media/05F1DCE9-C6B9-4148-AA5A-742B7E8D711B_zps1sikrd2g.jpg.html][/URL]
 
Water Slide

I did my last panel with water slide and will do the same to the -8.

You cannot print white slide decals as far as I know. Perhaps someone makes a white inkjet that I'm not aware of.

I made a design in Visio and saved it as a PDF (moving between computers mac/windows). I purchased inkjet water slide paper at a local hobby store for something around $12 for 3 sheets.

Be aware inkjet and laser printer water slide paper is different, use the correct one.

I also used the special spray they sell with it. I would avoid this as it caused some minor problems with the panel.

I my panel with rattle cans and other than some minor imperfections around the labels due to the use of the special spray it looks great.

Primered/sanded/primered/sanded to 400 grit until the panel was smooth. Then painted with color a few coats with sanding 600 then 800 grit. Then a coat or two of crystal clear followed by a light sand at 800 grit.

Applied my decals, then did a few coats of crystal clear and a light sand at 800 to 1,200 grit. Followed by a couple of coats of satin clear.

I first tried to use Stein at $40/sheet by sending PDF. For some reason the decals back from Stein where a tiny bit smaller, I don't know why or where the problem was, probably mine. In the end it was just easier to do it myself.
 
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