Laying decals straight -flight decks and other applications.

[nuclrhorseradish]

I got through about 6 pages of threads before my eyes started to glaze over....

Anyway, Im soliciting some help on laying down deck decals - chemically Im fine, and my decals look really good , no silvering apparent. My problem though is much simpler. How do you experts get decals to actually go on straight? Specific example - Im putting down flight deck markings on a 1/350 USS Independence, and cannot get these things straight. Very frustrating! Any pointers would be great. I considered using masking tape as guide, but this seems like a dangerous thing right to remove after a decal has been applied.

Thanks in advance!

--Josh

[Dave Rowe]

You might consider cutting the length into shorter more manageable pieces.

[nuclrhorseradish]

So it really is simply a matter of patience and eliminating caffeine from decal days ? I must be just bad at this then - even these two inch strips are giving me fits. Nobody has some nifty method for getting these buggers on straight? A ruler? Maybe Ill see if I can rig up a laser level or something to give me a target line.

[djandj]

No real magic I'm afraid. The best I have come up with is a lightly drawn pencil line(s), but the pencil will likely run or smear with the water from the decal, so it only works until you put the decal down. You could use a brand new x-acto blade and make a light score on either side (but I wouldn't recommend it)

[Jon]

Pencil line was going to be my suggestion. That doesn't work for dashed lines with clear spaces between. I've cut out templates and airbrushed in cases like that. As for solid lines, I've also done it where I wet all the decals for the line at once and then put them on the ship and kept them wet and set them all at once. Line your eye up so you view the line of decals end on and line them up till the entire row is straight.