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Packing tape decal question

I picked up the tip about using clear packing tape to make decals from lazer color prints and passed the info on to the antique radio restorers.

A question quickly arose. Will the tape turn yellow and/or degrade over time? Can anyone here give us an answer?

I did a test the following way;

1 - Pressed the tape on the image, soaked it in water and rubbed the paper off, leaving the ink trapped on the tape

2 - Brushed the ink side of the tape with a very thin coat of cheap acrylic white paint to provide opacity to the image.

3 -Glued the painted side down on acrylic painted wood using Minwax's Polycrylic, an acrylic emulsion used as a finish on some woodwork, that makes a pretty good glue.

4 - Cleaned the tape and gave it two coats of spray can Deft lacquer. I think it loks terrific! Glued down as it is, and under coats of lacquer, I feel confident it could last for years, but info from someone with past experience with this would be helpful to all of us.

I am posting this on two other model groups.

Stewart

Reply to
genus
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Why not make real decals? I use the blank paper sold by Micro Mark. For black decals I use my laser printer. For colored ones I take a color printout from my inkjet, and a blank sheet of decal paper, to copy shop to have them transfer the image to the decal paper.

Decal paper is 'softer', and will go around compound curves better than tape.

snipped-for-privacy@ncweb.com wrote:

Reply to
Don Stauffer in Minnesota

Don,

Antique radios of the 1930s often were not covered with real wood veneer. They had a photo print which we call photofinish on them Some had real veneer on the radio, but also had decorative photofinish strips on them of very exotic woodgrains.

For instance a couple Zeniths of that era had 1" wide Zebrawood strips on them. One is 20" long.

The only 11" x 17" decal paper I have found is Lazertran's. Trouble is, this paper will only work on older copiers that used silicon in the copy process. Silicon can cause serious problems for lacquer.

I bought some 8" x 11" decal paper for laser printers, but all three places I went to refused to run decal paper through their printers. That's why I'm looking at the tape.

Stewart

Reply to
genus

Ah! I assumed the decal was only for the logo and controls ID. That is all I have ever used decals for on a radio. I didn't realize it was the case finish itself that you are doing.

Reply to
Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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