Rollester for my manager

[Drewby108]

Three of the higher ups left suddenly when they got into trouble with the mayor, so my department had to rely on the four people directly below them for about 6 months now. We're having a surprise thank you breakfast tomorrow (because that makes up for the stress of doing nearly two jobs for so long lol) and I made this for my direct boss. I was going to do more for the others, but I only found out about it a couple days ago and don't have any extra kits.

Gunmetal rollester with redwood burl from Wood128. Decal is of the City of Spokane logo. Decals still coming out a little cloudy, so I'm thinking I should be using a setting solution instead of squeegeeing the water out with a paper towel.

 

[TDahl]

Very nice. I am sure it will be cherished. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bstrauch]

Very nice indeed.

As far as applying decals...check your printer settings and printer head alignment (maintenance settings). I had the same problem and found that aligning the print heads on the printer and changing the resolution setting to maximum helps a lot. Also, make sure your software is not compressing the images. Depending on the decal paper, I have found that only wetting the bottom helps (of course you have to put a clear acrylic over the image to protect it, but keeping as much water off off the image also helps). I use a vinegar based setting/wetting solution (Micro Set) on the pen and then slide the decal on. I do not use the Micro Sol as it is too strong as just makes a mess. Then I use a q-tip to gently "roll" any of the trapped solution out from under the decal.

 

[Drewby108]

Very nice indeed.

As far as applying decals...check your printer settings and printer head alignment (maintenance settings). I had the same problem and found that aligning the print heads on the printer and changing the resolution setting to maximum helps a lot. Also, make sure your software is not compressing the images. Depending on the decal paper, I have found that only wetting the bottom helps (of course you have to put a clear acrylic over the image to protect it, but keeping as much water off off the image also helps). I use a vinegar based setting/wetting solution (Micro Set) on the pen and then slide the decal on. I do not use the Micro Sol as it is too strong as just makes a mess. Then I use a q-tip to gently "roll" any of the trapped solution out from under the decal.

I have the printer aligned and at 1200 dpi. The resolution hasn't been my issue, it's just the cloudiness of the decal separating at the first or second layer of CA. Because I'm just using water, I think the curing process is vaporizing the tiny amount of liquid that didn't get pushed out, which lifts the decal off.

 

[Fine Engineer]

When I do decals, after sliding them on the pen blank, I dry with a hair dryer for about a minute. The hot air does a great job of driving out all the moisture both above and below the decal. If the base coat of CA is sanded to at least a dull shine, the carrier completely disappears under the next couple of coats of finish.

 

[Bstrauch]

It could be a couple of things. 1) the actual decal film is not crystal clear; 2) make sure that the surface the decal is applied to is glossy surface (silvering is a common problem if the surface is not glossy); 3) I always let my decals dry overnight.

 

[Drewby108]

It could be a couple of things. 1) the actual decal film is not crystal clear; 2) make sure that the surface the decal is applied to is glossy surface (silvering is a common problem if the surface is not glossy); 3) I always let my decals dry overnight.

I micromesh to 12000, then lightly hand buff, so the surface is shiny. I use mod podge acrylic spray for the transfer. I usually pat dry and give a half hour to hour for drying since it's been so hot out on the porch.

Going to try a decal setting solution this weekend and see if it helps anything