I can see the bottom edge of my decal after finishing the rod. Can you tell me why this happened?
Thanks

See it how? The edge protrudes from the finish? If so, sand it gently off and refinish. Other than that, provide more details on type of decal (water slide or peel and stick), color of decal relative to color of the blank, is it a color issue?

It is a peel and stick from the Mudhole MHX Fly Rod Kit. It is covered with finish, but instead of it appearing likes it is floating on all 4 sides, you can see a cut mark on one edge. I trimmed it as close to the print as I could before I placed it on the rod. Maybe it was not meant to be trimmed. I hope that is more clear.

Did you apply it on a first coat of epoxy? If not, I find if I apply the decal, on top of a coat of epoxy that is just cured, there isn't any visible edges after the coat on top.

No. I just applied it directly on the blank.

Bruce,

For that kind of sticker, people seem to get the best results doing what Phil suggested. Apply a thin base coat of epoxy to the blank first, let it cure overnight. Then put the label on top of the epoxy and cover the area with a second coat of epoxy. You should see better results this way.

Make sure to check the edges and wipe away any label adhesive that might squeeze out without lifting the label edge. Wipe from the center of the label outwards. Do not use any solvent, just a soft cloth. Resist the temptation to wipe along the edge of the label.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2015 10:04AM by John E Powell.

I presume the decal is clear? And you're seeing only one edge, and the edge is not protruding from the epoxy? There is still the chance that the edge lifted a little. In addition to what the others are suggesting, be sure to use a hard tool to aggressively rub the decal to be sure all of it is in really intimate contact with the blank (use a protective sheet, usually the decal backing, to prevent damaging the decal) . With light colored labels going onto dark blanks it helps to darken the edge by running the edge of a sharpie along the edge of the decal. I often put a strip of CP along the edges to prevent attack by epoxy at the edge. I don't trim factory decals because I have trouble getting a straight edge, but I don't think trimming is part of the problem unless your tool may have taken off a little adhesive at the trimmed edge.

I presume the decal is clear? And you're seeing only one edge, and the edge is not protruding from the epoxy? There is still the chance that the edge lifted a little. In addition to what the others are suggesting, be sure to use a hard tool to aggressively rub the decal to be sure all of it is in really intimate contact with the blank (use a protective sheet, usually the decal backing, to prevent damaging the decal) . With light colored labels going onto dark blanks it helps to darken the edge by running the edge of a sharpie along the edge of the decal. I often put a strip of CP along the edges to prevent attack by epoxy at the edge. I don't trim factory decals because I have trouble getting a straight edge, but I don't think trimming is part of the problem unless your tool may have taken off a little adhesive at the trimmed edge.

Oops, my bad.

Also I find the Krylon Fixatif works better then CP for covering decals and edges

Bill - willierods.com