Need help on my decals. How do you seal your decals so that.

BlackKnight24 · Post by **BlackKnight24** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:36 am

How do you seal the decals so when I place my figure to sit down, the decals don't rip off? I use Krytal clear Krylon Spray, but for some reason every time I try to sit my lego figures down, the leg decals always comes off or rips off a bit. Please help.

shmails · Post by **shmails** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:53 am

Funny, I just came from the garage where I was sealing some new figures...

First, If the leg decal goes to high, it will probably rip no matter what you do short of grinding down the inside of the hips. There is almost no space between the leg and the hip.

Second, I use "Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer" in Clear Gloss. It works very well. I usually do three coats letting it dry for thirty minutes between spraying. I have used it on figures I sold on Ebay, so I am pretty confident in it, but as I said upper leg decals are almost always gonna rip.

Good Luck!

LEGOFREAK · Post by **LEGOFREAK** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:27 am

shmails wrote:First, If the leg decal goes to high, it will probably rip no matter what you do short of grinding down the inside of the hips. There is almost no space between the leg and the hip.

True dat ma brutha.
seriously - You need to take a x-acto blade and shave down the upper part of the leg. do it a few times - and don't cut yourself. Also - don't run with scissors, or pet stray dogs... (just a bit of "dadvice")
If you do this, and THEN seal it with whatever clear coat you desire (I actually use a coating from michael's designed for use with ukranian eggs (thanks Mom!!) and it works just fine.) Just don't use too much, or it will wrinkle your decal.
Freak

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:49 am

Depends on what kind of decals you're using. Are they waterslides?

Using the application technique I described a moment ago in this thread, I've applied many leg decals. None of them rub off, scratch, peel, or otherwise get damaged by moving the minifig's legs. I can take my minifigs and move the legs back and forth all day long without even a hint of any wear to the decal.

If you're using sticker paper or something like that.. well.. then nevermind.

Edit: By the way.. HEY FREAK! Good to see you around and well!

shmails · Post by **shmails** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 12:48 pm

Question #1: Is it the nail polish that stops the decals from being destroyed? I have done many, and find it is a crap shoot as to whether or not they rip, tear, etc. I do not trim down the hips, I will try that as well.

Question #2: How high up do your decals go. Is there a best height for the top of the decal? Could you post a picture of one so we can see?

Thanks for the tips and suggestions!

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:11 pm

Question #1: Is it the nail polish that stops the decals from being destroyed? I have done many, and find it is a crap shoot as to whether or not they rip, tear, etc. I do not trim down the hips, I will try that as well.

Yes. Again, I use 'Diamond' nail polish as it's the strongest clear polish I've ever found. And I use two coats of it, as I stated. These two coats create a layer over the decal, as well as helping to effectively 'bond' the decal to the plastic.

The Dullcote is only used as an extra protective layer and to remove the extreme gloss finish caused by the nail polish.

Not sure what you mean by trimming down the hips.

Question #2: How high up do your decals go. Is there a best height for the top of the decal? Could you post a picture of one so we can see?

Not sure if you mean leg or torso decals. Here are some minifigs that have leg decals which go all the way up until they're actually just -under-* the minifig's hip bar:

*By 'under' I mean the decal on the leg is extends further up than you can see, with the very tip of it being hidden beneath the hip-piece.

As you can see in the medieval minifig here - my torso decals are done to the exact shape of the minifig torso, so they (generally) cover from the top (either at or just below the contour toward the neck) to the very bottom edge of the torso.

shmails · Post by **shmails** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:34 pm

So, you are saying that it is smarter to have the leg torso go past the front of the hip bar? That is interesting.

I read someone's post that said you can trim the underside of the hip bar with an exacto knife. I would rather not do this, but was running out of options. I will definitely try the nail polish idea. Thanks for the pictures!

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:14 pm

I wouldn't say it's -smarter-. I'm saying that when properly protected, you -can- set your decals that high on the leg without ever worrying about them becoming damaged by the friction of moving the legs.

And you're welcome. Happy to help.

Chaotic Good · Post by **Chaotic Good** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:39 am

Wow. That's going to help me enormously, so thanks! Now to attend to those decals...