I have used the vinyl press and stick decals on 2 rods now, and have done some testing on scrap blanks. I have run a coat of epoxy before putting the decal on. I have tried them on just a smooth finished blank. I have used them with and without color preserver. I have used Krylon clear spray on. I have used Flex coat Lite, and Thread Master lite. I have yet to get a decent finish over these decals. I don't know what I am doing wrong. There has to be a technique and Finish that works.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

I typically put a coat of CP over them and do fine.

...............

Mike

What specifically is the problem? Epoxy lifted corners, fish eye, lumps / bumps / waves?

You pretty much hit all of the problems.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

I've had my struggles with those as well. Try this: peel the paper off the back, put it on, cover it with one layer of blue painters tape and wrap over it really tightly with thread. I use size "E" so it doesn't break. Take off the thread and tape then carefully lift off the clear layer off the decal. (confession, the first few I did I didn't realize you were supposed to take off the clear layer). That should smooth down the edges and force out any air trapped under the decal.
Some people use scotch tape and leave it on but I've never tried that.
I use high build flex coat and the only issues I've had with it was getting it too hot with a heat gun and the corners lifting up.
There's a club here that fishes thresher sharks and I ruined a bunch of them trying to get that long tail to stay down. This method has worked out pretty well.
Good Luck!

With my own decals, I spray the whole sheet with fixative before cutting them out. With commercial or rod source decals which come as singles and are colorfast, I don't spray them. If the blank is dark and the media is white, darken the edges of the cut out decal with a black sharpie.

Clean the blank with gentle scotchbrite, wipe clean (no solvents or water), apply the decal. While protecting its surface with the backing, very carefully and aggressively rub the decal down with a smooth tool, like your wrap buffing tool (that's not the real name), paying special attention to the edges. But carefully apply pressure with your tool to make sure the decal is in intimate contact with the blank. Fingertip pressure is just not enough. With a paper wrap to protect it, wrap a layer of electrical tape over the whole thing, stretching the tape to generate a lot of tension. Leave overnight. (I have tried the thread wrap process but sometimes got little ridges that didn't come out)


Cover the edges with CP, won't hurt to cover the whole thing, but if you're having problems with getting a smooth finish, another possible source of waves may want to be avoided.

Leave overnight. I use Flex Coat epoxy, and warm the bottles for about 2 minutes under hot running water before measuring. Be sure to keep the water off the bottle tips. When applying the epoxy your last strokes should be longitudinal to avoid local buildups that cause thick/thin areas. Be sure to bust any bubbles, then keep it rotating until hard. I usually need two coats to make the seams disappear.

The biggest problem with decals is their length. Being much longer than guide wraps, there is the opportunity to get varying thicknesses of epoxy on, and that is the source of the waves. You want the epoxy to level well (warm) and you want to apply it at constant thickness (longitudinal strokes, watching for uniform thickness).

The source of fisheyes and other things like that is probably contamination from hands or other stuff being used to clean the blank.

Mike,
I just do one thing.
A couple of days before applying the Decal, I either take the decal if no cutting is required or else cut out the decal for use.
Then I take a rod that is at least 1/3rd smaller than the blank to which I am going to apply the decal.
I lay it over the rod, and then lay a piece of paper over it and wrap the rod, so that the decal forms to the smaller rod. Then, I top it off with a piece of blue painters masking tape to hold the decal and paper in place.

Then, when it comes time to use the decal, the decal is shaped to the size of the rod. I apply the decal without touching the decal with a finger. I use tweezers. Then, use paper towel to insure that it is well attached to the rod.

Then, I apply thread finish to the decal at the same time as I apply it to the rest of the rod. No issues. No coatings, No Cp, No krylon, No fixative.

Be safe

Good idea on the presetting the decal, Roger. I've seen you post that before, will try it on those stubborn holographic decals that tend to pick up on the edges.

I use Decal Connection exclusively and apply them as follows.

I first apply a thin coat of Threadmaster light, when this has cured just past the (it will fingerprint stage), I apply the decal and rub aggressively with my thread packing tool, before removing the cover sheet. It is then ready for the top coat(s) of epoxy. With this process, I have never had an edge lift or other type of issue. I believe the reason is, that the underlying epoxy is still soft enough to help grab the decal adhesive.

The lumps, bumps and waves are not caused by the decal, but by the epoxy application process.

I take super glue (liquid, not the gel form) and run a very thin streak on the edges of the decal and let dry for a few minutes. The glue will have somewhat of white look when it first dries, but will turn clear and completely unnoticeable when finish is applied. I then apply high build over the decal (while the rod rotates) and use a torch to remove bubbles or extra finish. Comes out perfect every time.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 04:08PM by John E Powell.