The Cutty Sark - a build log {part 2}

   I left off the first part, with a shot of the Cutty with some of the decals on it already.  I saw a point in the build where I could apply them without hindrance from parts that would be in the way later in the build.  I couldn’t wait to use the decals that I had gotten from Revell.  the decal sheet was perfect in every way….no yellowing and free of bends or creases.  as I cut out the decals I was to apply first, I daydreamed of how this ship was to look, sporting her new decals.  I wanted this ship to be perfect…I still do.
     I was going to put the scroll work on the bow, dipping the decal in the water, I waited sufficient time for it to release from the paper backing.  I was immediately horrified by what I saw next.  when I slid the decal, it broke up in hundreds of tiny shards……the victim of age and micro cracking!  I tried another with the same results.  needless to say, I was beside myself….what was I to do?  I tried to send in another missing parts request…..but they were unable to complete the order, stock was depleted.  I put a post on the Model’s Buzz….an A.P.B. for these decals, but even that was a bust.  in my search for these decals, I had heard of products out there on the market, where I would be able to create my own decals.  I dismissed it however, I wanted these decals to be perfect….and not the product of an experiment.
     I had read about a person that did it here on the Buzz, so I sent him a letter, along with a scan of the decals that Jean had sent me {after I had written to him about the problem I was having}.  I got a letter back within a few days, a refusal, simply saying that he couldn’t print gold.  “That takes care of that,” I thought to myself and i turned back to the idea of making them myself.  Testor’s had a kit, sold at the new hobby store.  My wife, in one of her errands the next day, picked it up for me.  she came home with the kit and a package of paper {1/2 sheets}, each item costing $10.00.  I installed the “sure thing decal maker” into my computer, via the CD supplied and I was well on my way.  the decal maker program is it’s own paint shop.  once the decal is created in the program and sized according to the desired scale, any inkjet printer can print these decals onto the decal paper.  there are two types of paper you can use, either clear or white, depending on the type of decals you are making.  I, being of limited graphic knowledge….a deer in the headlights, in a vernacular of speaking….was totally clueless in the trip I was about to embark on.  I never even knew that this existed until this was brought to light.  I paused in my ponderings, when I came to an important conclusion….I needed ink cartridges for my printer!
    my wife’s printer was on it’s last leg, so on to the department store we went. I figured that I would just get a color cartridge for the moment.  the cost of a cartridge for my printer was $33.98….wow!  my wife found a printer she liked….I was shocked to find that it cost $10.00 more that the cartridge!  we walked out of the store with two new printers, each one had a scanner built in.  we checked out the cost of the cartridges and found that they were half the cost of our existing printers….we are going to save big….all the way around!  we hurried back to the house to set them up.
     Once we were set up and ready to rock ‘n roll, I started by importing the scan of the decal sheet into the decal maker program.  I had sized it to 1:96 scale ahead of time and was ready for the next step.  I soon found that the decal maker kit didn’t have the ability to import outside projects into it.  I soon found myself looking at the Testor’s website for answers.

     what I found out was true….the kit did not have the capability of performing such tasks.  but, the “decal maker standard edition” did….so, I ordered that, at the cost of $18.00 with postage. it took about a week to get to me.  I promptly installed it into my computer, after uninstalling the other one……and NOW I was ready!  soon, I had a 1/2 sheet with the decal sheet {shown above} on it.  it seemed like such a waste of decal paper, that I did a second page in the project that had the sheet in triplicate……taking up the majority of the 1/2 sheet.  I also did one in white, just in case.  after the decals were printed, they had to be sprayed with a product called “decal bonder”, that I had gotten from the kit {the only waste in buying the kit, was the program itself}.  I started to spray them with it….one spray told the story….the stuff stinks really bad!  My wife came up with the idea to use the range hood as an exhaust fan…she is so smart {that’s why I married her, you know}.  it worked great….I spread newspaper on top of the stove and sprayed them there, letting them dry overnight.  the range top fan sucked up the odor and vented it to the outside.  I have a paint booth now!
    the next day, after having all night to dry, I set about the task of applying the new decals, my first attempt at making them.  first i did the bow…both sides.  they were a little yellowed, but they looked real good and I was satisfied with my accomplishment.  then, the decal for the stern was next.  I should have sprayed the bonder a little thicker, because the stern decal started to curl up as soon as it left the paper.



     It took a couple of tries {and decals} to apply the stern decal.  it curled up as soon as it left the paper.  it was also very elastic and started to stretch, if I pulled it in any way.  the wheel house was next….they were not bad at all….they were tiny decals….what’s not to love about putting them on.  I did the trail boards next, but they were not installed on the ship until i got to the stage where I could install and suspend the anchors.
     the last decals to go on, were the depth markers…..and this is where decal making took a turn for the worst.  when I slid them off the paper, they were transparent!  they were white on the paper…..what the heck happened!??  the hard rule for any printer, except the alps printer {which are now extinct and hard to find}, is that printers do not print white.  this is supposed to be where the white decal paper comes into play.  again, my graphic skills reared it’s ugly head…..the decal was white, but the decal background was there also……a greenish yellow!  some of you folks out there are quite astute….you must be thinking to yourselves…..”he didn’t mention anything about the depth markers from the original decal sheet….the one he got from Revell.  he could have sprayed them with the bonder and saved himself a lot of trouble.”  truth be told folks….I threw them away!  I ditched them at the beginning of my little problem. I have thought about this, believe me……the idea of the bonder and how it could have revitalized those decals…..i kicked myself many times already {I asked my wife to do it…but she refused}.  it just goes to show you folks, an experienced modeler like myself can make mistakes too.  modeling is far from being a textbook craft.  all of the ideas that you see in other builds, come from years of accumulated imagination and study.
  in my next chapter of “how to get out of a sticky situation”, I will tell of just how I got myself out of this one.  printers that don’t print white….but, they do print an acceptable gold.  it may not have the luster, but it was good enough for me.  I should be able to bring you up to where i am now with the progress of the Cutty build.  until then, keep your x-actors sharp…and your wits too!