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 Posted - September 13 2011 : 08:02:02 AM
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Customizing Number Boards
I'm not sure if this topic has come up before in the forum, but I have been doing a number of old Athearn Blue Box diesels lately, and this applies for what I have run into.
These Athearns will have the printed number on the cab side, but for some reason, they chose to leave the number boards blank. The way I take care of this is to print my own decals, and put them in place. First, I make sure that the board is clean and dry, then take a brush, and put a light coat of Future Floor Polish (Johnson's Klear in the UK) over the lens. This will give it a nice smooth surface to go over, which is less likely to bubble or "silver". Let this dry for a day.
The decal is something I custom print on my inkjet printer. I use MS Word, and Arial 8-point font. This size will fit, and the font seems to work. First, I type the number, leave a few spaces for cutting between, then type more. I like to have a number of duplicates for "just in case". Once I print these on regular copy paper, and check size, I will print them on decal paper. I use Testors 9201, with the clear backing. They also make this with a white backing. Once printed, let this dry a day, then give it 2-3 light coats of Testors 9200 Decal Bonder. I give this a day to dry, then affix them like regular water slide decals. One thing, though, is to not let them stay in the water too long, or to rub them too much. The ink underneath is still pretty fragile. Let them dry, and you're done.
I have also done Mantua/Tyco boards the same way, with a little variation. The raised detail on the board has to be removed. I start with a needle file until the detail is gone, then wet sand starting with 400 grit, and working my way up to 1200 grit. Once I get to that point, it is more like a polish. Once these are dry, a dip in Future will bring back the shine. Once the Future is dry, I apply the decals just like on the Athearns.
It is a little work, but it gets the job done. Takes a little practice, though.
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Posted - September 13 2011 : 09:43:50 AM
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Hey FT:
Do you put a clearcoat over after mounting to protect the print?
Thanks for posting this btw, after railings good decals go a long way to a handsome unit...
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - September 13 2011 : 10:38:22 AM
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| In the past, I have dusted Testors Glosscote over the Tyco boards, which works well. Since the Athearns get done without removing the boards, I have put a light brush coat of Future over them when I was finished. On some of the Athearns that I have done recently, I just let them go, since they don't get a lot of contact.
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Last Visit: October 16 2017
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Posted - September 13 2011 : 10:52:26 AM
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Good to know, Thanks!
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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