Well I knew there was a reason I used water slide decals exclusively... (until tonight) Arrgggg!!! And starting tomorrow, I'll be back to water slide exclusively.

I know that some guys can attain perfection with SA decals and my hat's off to them. Hopefully it won't be so bad when the finish is cured and the fluorescent bulbs aren't 6" from them... but there is no way you should ever "see" the decal... and I can clearly see it. I cut the edges at an angle, used tweezers and rolled them lengthwise to remove any air.

I just didn't want to wait 3 days for DC to make up a set of WS. Lesson learned. Luckily it is just a utility rod for me or my fishing guests. If it were for a customer, I would eat the whole rod and start over.   :-[

Hey flechero,

Ever try Micro Sol on the thicker peel & stick's, it always helped with the St.Croix and older Loomis stickers. Another thing to try is stop looking at rods under such close scrutiny, and take it outside and look at the rod under the same conditions that other anglers are going to see it.

Finished up the first run NFC blank I got, looks good even with Gary's new peel & stick on it...

Just a thought...

Tight Wraps!...

Hey Flechero,

Funny, I put some decals on last night - peel and stick - was thinking about how much I like them over water slide!  Like the fact I can get them on and immediately finish, or as I did last night, immediately put some CP on to keep the edges from lifting. 

I just like the peel and stick because I do not have to wait for them to dry.  I have to add an extra coat or two of finish seems like to get a nice smooth finish, but I do like the convenience.  I have to use the DecalConnection with the large protective sheet so I can "position" without touching then apply.  The mfg'rs are harder for me to get just right.

I agree with Reel Mech. - we (myself included) are truly are own worst critics.  Need to take pride in our work, which we do otherwise we wouldn't care, but the fact a decal is off by 0.002 of a degree shouldn't take away from a well designed and crafted rod.

I'm the same way though.  Want it to be perfect so got to do the same.  I like the idea of the Micro Sol - will have to give that a shot.

Eddie

Yup the reason I feel Micro Sol is a help, is because no matter how level it looks (finish) it isn't..

Micro Sol changes the makeup of the decal material and thins it enough to conform to small imperfection in the finish or the area that the decal is being applied to...

The main reason imperfections in peel & sticks show is because they are basically made for placement onto the bare (level) blank, not a layer of finish then the decal and then more finish.

Its the small imperfections showing up that cause you to see the decal edges or even the main body of the decal...

Tight Wraps All! 

David.....

Well it's better than it first appeared but it's still not what I'm happy with.  They are not even straight.  I will buy some of the sa setting solution so I can adjust if I use any other blank decals. I'm sure if I spent some time working with sa decals I would get better at them. Anyway, here is how it ended up... and the reason the finish is so far onto the rod is when putting it in the dryer, the strap slapped the finish and ran it up onto the blank so I just wiped what I could and extended the line out about 2-3 mm further. ...lol A comedy of errors- at least it was all on one and all on my own!

Keith, I think that looks nice!  Bet you would be the only person that would ever notice.

Eddie

Hey flech, to the untrained eye, I am sure they wouldn't notice.  To the perfectionist, they might.  I can barely tell, but I am one of those perfectionists, that would look at it and notice it, but not say a thing about it.  It doesn't affect the fishability of the rod, so it really won't matter...  It still looks great, and I don't think I could have gotten it that straight! 

Flech - there is an alternate approach to working with SA decals that is used by custom auto shops when they create/apply a custom car bra - which is nothing more then hand cut and applied 3M protective film. The process is as follows:

Get a small spray bottle, fill it with water and 3-4 drops of dish soap or baby shampoo.(xpel highly recommends J&J No More Tears).  Spray the object (rod) and the sticky side of the 3M tape.  Get both good and wet; also spray your fingers so it won't stick to you and leave nasty prints.  You will also need a stiff plastic sqeegee.  You could use a plastic putty knife or something similar.  It's helpful to have a good edge on part of it as you may need it for tight areas and working over decals.

While it's wet, you can slide the film around easily.  As you squeegee the water out, the film will adhere. Keep working with the squeegee in small areas.  The harder you press the more it will stretch so remember it will get longer towards the ends.  This is important if you are trying to avoid overlap.   Be sure to let it dry for a day or so before putting the object (rod) to use.  If any areas get problematic, you can use a hair dryer to soften the film and make it even more workable, which will also accelerate the drying process.

Go to xpel.com as they have good installation instructions and videos to better explain the process.

Just something to consider.

Not a good idea......

The number one problem with that technique is that you are putting soap onto the blank when it isn't even advisable to use denatured alcohol before any finish/decal aplication is used on the blank.

Nothing is applied to a rod blank before any use of finish. This is a hard and fast rule of custom rod building.

That is why we use a wetting agent like Micro Set for the placement of the decal, and, Micro Sol for thinning of the decal to conform to unevenness..

Tight Wraps All!!!

As rare as I'll use them, it's not a huge issue.  I will probably buy the setting solution for self sticks which will fix one of the issues. 

The decal itself was a little scuffed/beat up so even if my work was perfect, it wouldn't have been.  One thing I dislike about blank decals is that often times they are beat up by the time I get the blanks. (which is one of the reasons I went with Decal Connection in the begining)

RM - I wouldn't dismiss it so overtly; get some stickers and play with it. The concept is the same as the wetting solution, and the above approach is used on far more delicate surfaces than a rod blank. You'll find your issue is the same - whether you get the wetting solution on the blank or slightly soapy water. I can assure you I didn't invent this technique nor am I the first/only one to use it on rod blanks.

Have any of you tried making your own decal with white waterproof vinyl?  It is easy and the decals are easy to apply.

Fletch it looks good, I guess like they say, you know how good you are so you're your own worse complaint.

Bowtech where can I find info on waterproof vinyl? I like what I see