Great West Road - transfers & I’m not talking football!

[southern42]

Yeay! 🥳

 

One transfer transferred! Second attempt though. The first - in water & washing up liquid - took ages to free up and, by the time it was eased into place on the hopper, the ink was coming off some of the letters.

 

Take 2. Return to DecalFix. Quick result & no damage to lettering.

This one will be 19221. I will have a go at the other one with the same branding - 19223 - when the first one has dried. Then it will be the other two sides to do. Talk about long winded! Still, this will be the only rake I will do to this extent. Though will I bother to renumber my same-numbered box wagons? I doubt it it! But you never know!

 

Hope you are having a good laugh! 🤣

Polly

[southern42]

Happy, now! 

19223 done on both sides. 19221 in need of a pair of black diamonds. I will sort them out tomorrow.

 

 

Time to chill out!

[southern42]

More progress. 🤓

 

JGA 19221 now has its black diamonds and 19224 has its number plate but only on one side. On the other side will be a bit of graffiti which covers it. The number plate was printed on white transfer paper and it looks like I did not cut back far enough on the top and right side edges. A dab of orange paint should fix that. My printer 'orange' is a bit off but. by the time it has all been weathered, hopefully, it will not be as obvious.

 

 

Creating Number plate for #19224

The number plate was made from two photos of some RTS (ready to stick) transfers which I have for the other wagons.

 

Merge photos of #19229 and #19244 (cut n shut), insert into document (Pages, Word, etc); resize as required; print onto transfer sheet, cut out and place on hopper.

                              |1922|9|< remove

             remove >|1924|4|

          becomes > |1922|4|

 

Mugadecaf time. More dabbling is planned for tomorrow.

Thanks for your support. I feel out of my depth, sometimes, or worry about silly things like the precise measurement, position, levelling, etc etc etc... 🥴 ...shrug shoulders...sigh...

 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by southern42
Wording error.

[southern42]

Update: The Lady changes her mind!

 

Last night, I was saving a photo to file when I came across a Title: "19224 Clear transfer". Would you believe it! And, yes, it is printed out!

 

Cut out and Swap 'em over?

 

Nah! Too much bother.

 

This morning...

 

The transfer is a tad too far to the right but I am hoping it will not be as obvious (to me, at any rate!) when I add the weld line down through the "R" and the whole thing is weathered. I shall have to make the sides a little more slippery, next time, to give me more time to position into place without damaging the transfer. This one was transfer number #3!  I should not worry about this one - it is the other side that will be on display showing off its graffiti! 

 

Hope you all have some good fortune, today.

Polly

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that I had made the orange background of the JGA number plate transparent before printing on the clear transfer paper so no colour issues this time.

 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by southern42

[southern42]

‘ evening all. A bit late tonight - playing on the computer!

The three hoppers are in their box while I deal with the next three: RMC diamond on its own, black diamond on its own, and black diamond with black rectangle.

 

Session one: the rectangle transfers I have printed off are not the right size. No.19220’s rectangle goes right to the end of the wagon beyond the last letter of roadstone. I should like doing this transfer, though - the rectangle slopes downwards , for real!
Now, no shouting out if I get the angle slightly wrong. 🤣

 

Session two. Sorting out the graffiti for another homemade decal took up quite a bit of time. Starting with a screenshot, I had to do quite a bit of manipulating to disguise the distortion caused by the camera angle, but so long as it looks the part when done, I will be happy. Hopefully, printing will happen, tomorrow.

 

Mugacocoa to unwind then off to bed.

Polly

[southern42]

Quote

Hopefully, printing will happen, tomorrow.

Unquote

 

Well, that did not happen!

 

The transfers were a bit off the mark on the test print, so back to the drawing board MacBook.

 

The grafitti was run through the editor and given some added brightness and contrast. Hopefully, it will print clearer and a bit more orangey. The black rectangle was not long enough! I obviously misread the measurement on screen as it said 53mm instead of 58mm!* Now corrected. Another attempt at mounting tomorrow...

 

* should've gone to supersavers! Oh! I did.... 🤓

 

Test print looking promising. The hopper will be weathered accordingly - nice and grubby. This one is just lettering whereas the lettering on 19224 has been spray painted.

 

A test print for 19224. This one needed expanding upwards. I think I brightened this one up a little as well.

 

Another late night and another mugacocoa, methinks!

Polly

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by southern42
typo

[southern42]

Wow, 15 days since I last posted!

I did get one RMC diamond transfer on hopper no.19243 but it took all five images to do it. The last one went on successfully, but on leaning over to put the lid back on a bottle, I caught the transfer on my arm... <rats!> Another few images ready for printing... I am just waiting to see if I need to add a few more - I have black diamonds and rectangles to mount yet. Hopefully, that will go a little better.

 

In the meantime, I have been looking at and dithering about another lot of graffiti.  Should I bother or not bother? The graffiti is the full length of the wagon and in white/pale blue lines on the orange background so would not be an easy transfer to put on. I thought of a way round it by tracing and drawing-cum-painting it by hand*. I will do a test on something else before I decide.

* E.g., using chalk on the reverse of the paper and tracing the shapes with a cocktail stick. Then outlining the shapes on the hopper with white and blue pencils. Retrace with a fine brush dipped in baby oil which, according to the pencils manufacturer, gives a painted look. Sounds good in theory!

 

First, though, was to get an image of the graffiti in question. Great photo but not taken square on so a lot of perspective issues to tackle.  This took a few days of measuring, creating, cropping, and stretching slices of the image until the graffiti matched up with the side of the model.

 

Photo, below. Hopper No.19235 on its side with the resulting print of the concocted image sitting on top. The dirty lower section will also be replicated - a large Bottle of Black Ink and weathering powder lie in-waiting off scene!

 

Or (thinking on the spot) I could modify the image to straighten up the weld lines and just paste a print of the graffiti on the side instead.  Because the lower half of the model will be grubby, it may be easy to disguise the lower edge of the printed image with a dab of orange paint along the white edge and a good dose of weathering followed by a coat or two of matte varnish. Any thoughts on that, anyone? It certainly seems the easier solution or does it?

 

 

Polly

[Barry O]

I have done a bit of graffiti on a weathered wagonor two. I used ink in a bowpenfor a lot of it. It was easier to do than I thought it would be,

 

Baz

[southern42]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

I have done a bit of graffiti on a weathered wagonor two. I used ink in a bowpenfor a lot of it. It was easier to do than I thought it would be,

 

Baz

 

Ta da....

It must be getting on for 40 years old or more. 

The masking tape is to give me a better grip when using it.

[ChrisN]

I know some people use prints instead of transfers, so doing the graffiti like that would be worth a go.

[Barry O]

I did these a while ago

 

white  marks from Railtec transfers

 

 

White poster paint  and blue ink on this one.

 

Baz

[southern42]

Quote

White poster paint  and blue ink on this one.

Unquote

 

Hm. I hadn't thought of that combination - paint and ink.

 

Hm #2 I have some seacows, too.............. <Cheshire cat sitting on the rails grinning>

[southern42]

Some black transfers transferred onto No.19220 came out better than expected, including some damage and slight discolouration on the diamond* as would be on the real thing, though a few attempts were made.

Wastage: Diamonds 1 : Rectangles 2 - some improvement, there!

The rectangle, over the word "roadstone" on the real thing, is on a slope as on the real thing, so, no, I was not tipsy when doing it. Hic!

* Due to my mishandling.

 

Tomorrow, hoping to get the other side done...

 

Polly

 

Edit: Oops! Just thought of something! Checked it out and, yes, the wagon is the wrong way round! I forgot to check before doing the job! Ooops!  Maybe it is, similarly, aligned on the other side! I will check it out! 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by southern42

[southern42]

10 minutes ago, southern42 said:

Snip...

Snip...

Edit: Oops! Just thought of something! Checked it out and, yes, the wagon is the wrong way round! I forgot to check before doing the job! Ooops!  Maybe it is, similarly, aligned on the other side! I will check it out! 

 

Just checked it out...

The black rectangle on the other side is lower down the panel and looks reasonably straight! No! Definitely no! I am not redoing it.  Rather, I think, I may have to adopt the slogan: It's my railway blah blah blah! Just don't tell the chap in the bowler hat!

I must remember to put the graffiti on the correct side regardless of which side the slopey bit is on, if, that is, I want to maintain a vestige of originality about it all.

[southern42]

A few more transfers mounted. These are the vinyl self adhesive JGA and sole plate number plates. They are rather thick and give the impression of being mounted on a board.

 

 

The number plate looks neat, though, so I am hoping the edges will blend in better with some orange paint and weathering. I have also made a set of the numbers I need from photos as I have already wrecked one of 19220! I can remedy it but I shall see what a waterslide one looks like first before changing it. Size is ok, it is the ink colour that varies.

 

The soleplate number is good for being so stout. It presses into the ] channel shape nicely and its thickness is not so obvious. By the time the chassis has been re-weathered I doubt l’ll notice it and it is rather small!

 

 

Still to do - for starters...

1. 19220: black rectangle

2. 19243: RMC diamond 

3. 19235: black diamond x2,

4. Add number plates

5. Varnish transfers,

6. Add weld lines to 6 wagons (transfers)

7. Add graffiti x3. 

 

Hopefully, it will progress a little quicker, now.

Edited July 6, 2022 by southern42

[southern42]

It has been a few days but I have finally mounted a few more transfers after having to spray a third layer of clear glaze on the transfer sheet. Not 100% successful though.

 

A corner of one RMC diamond refused to leave the backing sheet leaving a tear; and a second one also played hard to get off but was eventually coaxed off after another dip or two in the water bath.

 

The long black rectangle came off the backing sheet no trouble, this time, but did acquire a vertical crack. When mounted, the orange of the hopper showed through but a few dabs and smudges with black Rotring ink soon masked it off. I had already tried the ink out on some of the other black transfers where the printer ink had got (accidentally ;-) rubbed off so I knew the crack was not a disaster.

 

Thus, today, 19235 obtained its second black diamond; 19243 received its second RMC diamond; and 19220 was adorned with the long black rectangle.

 

The graffiti image is a paper test I did earlier. It needs to be 1mm deeper and printed on white transfer paper. The pale grey-almost-white lettering did not print very well on the transparent transfer sheet, the hopper's orange colour showing through when mounted. Hopefully, the white sheet will show up the lettering better.  I am also going to try a darker version and do a weathering patch test on the hopper to see how I can make the two blend in together. I shall have to root around for my weathering powders. They have probably given up on me and gone into hiding!

 

More tomorrow, I hope.

[southern42]

It has taken a few sessions to get all the rest of the number plate transfers onto the six hoppers...

 

...bar ONE, the soleplate number of No.19224.

This one had to be made as it was not included in the sticky back transfer sheet from Model Transport Graphics.

 

I had printed the number plate onto the clear transfer sheet. When it was on the hopper, I photographed it to make sure it had mounted OK. The first one had got crumpled and no efforts uncrumpled it, so I cleaned it off and did it again.

The next photographed attempt showed the original numbers showing through the yellow background giving a shadow effect. A right mess!

Removed!

Next? Paint out the original number and remake the transfer....

But not today.

Too zonked!

🥱

 

I will, however, indulge in a mugadecaf.

Polly

[southern42]

' evening all.

Just a little update.

 

Three of the six hoppers I am currently working on: 19223, 19221, and 19224. 

 

The weld lines went on quite well, although it took a bit of gentle nudging to get them square, especially as the surfaces bend away from each other. Each was checked with transparent ruler with guidelines (see photo, below) as perspective and glasses tended to make them look out of square.  Four more side panel weld lines to add to the top one. Then onto the next hopper.

 

The photo is from a post on the previous page.  I found the ruler when looking for one with a metal edge (top edge on this one). This one is 30 cm and is marked: "Jakar Ref 3063 Stainless Steel Cutting Edge." Certainly helpful for this job.

 

Time to get on.

Thanks for popping in.

Polly

[southern42]

Woah! Another two weeks or more gone by but I have completed a few bits in that time, despite the hot weather.

 

The weld lines on JGAs 19223, 19221, and 19224 are all on. Three down, three to go!

 

And, no, I did not make a mistake with the layout of the weld lines on 19224. It seems there were two different sets of measurements, so I am pleased that the numbers I selected reflect both because I sure did not notice the difference when choosing them!

 

The graffiti on 19244 is only placed on. There is a small (orange) projection - on the real one, there is a hole through it -below the diamond that needed to be negotiated in the form of a slice cut out of the transfer. The image is printed on white transfer paper because the white/pale grey areas came out transparent, the orange of the panel showing through. I think it will be easier to colour the white edges appropriately - orange (top) or dirt (sides) - before I put the transfer on. That should help blend them in with some weathering. I hope it will, anyway.

 

Thanks for popping in and for your ratings. Much appreciated because I have found it a bit of a struggle to wander  around other's threads lately. Hopefully, soon.

 

Take care in the heat.

Polly

 

[southern42]

Pleased to say that, at the third attempt, I got 19224's graffiti transfer on. The first transfer just crumpled up once it decided it would free up from the backing sheet.. The second crumpled though not as much but was, nonetheless, unusable. Even on this one the lefthand corner crumpled and I did not notice until the rest was evenly seated. A small rubbing down tool and/or some weathering will cure that.

 

I had painted the edges of the first transfer but that meant leaving it overnight for the paint to harden before placing it in a tray of water. I did not bother with the next two as I wanted to get the job done. It will all be weathered, eventually, anyway.

 

 

Deep breath...

Three more JGAs to weld up...

but for now, a mudgadecaf sounds a good idea.

 

Polly

 

[southern42]

Almost another two weeks have passed...and things not going my way...but where there's a will...

 

I have had a spot of bother with adding the weld line transfers to the rest of the JGAs. When putting them on, they crumpled and/or fell apart and/or lost bits of ink. Thinking I may have had the water too warm when soaking them, I used cold water, today, straight from the tap but it made no difference. My next assumption is that, maybe, the spray varnish did not cover that area of the sheet properly. Some of the transfers are already cut so they are getting a couple of light coats of Clear Kote Flat varnish brushed over them. Hopefully, that will cure the problem. If so, I will do the same to those still to be cut out or just give the sheet a few more coats of spray varnish.

 

On 27/06/2022 at 23:32, southern42 said:

 

I am still thinking of doing this graffiti by hand and considering using Rotring pens to do it. I have had great results from them in the past and they may just be the thing I need, together with a bit of gentle brush work.

 

Ever the optimist.

Polly

 

[cctransuk]

24 minutes ago, southern42 said:

Almost another two weeks have passed...and things not going my way...but where there's a will...

 

I have had a spot of bother with adding the weld line transfers to the rest of the JGAs. When putting them on, they crumpled and/or fell apart and/or lost bits of ink. Thinking I may have had the water too warm when soaking them, I used cold water, today, straight from the tap but it made no difference. My next assumption is that, maybe, the spray varnish did not cover that area of the sheet properly. Some of the transfers are already cut so they are getting a couple of light coats of Clear Kote Flat varnish brushed over them. Hopefully, that will cure the problem. If so, I will do the same to those still to be cut out or just give the sheet a few more coats of spray varnish.

 

I am still thinking of doing this graffiti by hand and considering using Rotring pens to do it. I have had great results from them in the past and they may just be the thing I need, together with a bit of gentle brush work.

 

Ever the optimist.

Polly

 

 

You may well find that the Clear Kote Flat will have soaked into the cut edges of the transfers, thus preventing them from releasing when soaked.

 

I would recommend cutting off the transfer edges, if possible, before soaking.

 

CJI.

Edited August 26, 2022 by cctransuk

[Barry O]

Polly,

 

The rotring pens should be fine but you will have to choose your ink colours carefully as some (red for example) don't seem to want to show up. Might be you try different colours to get then correct

 

Baz

[southern42]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

Polly,

 

The rotring pens should be fine but you will have to choose your ink colours carefully as some (red for example) don't seem to want to show up. Might be you try different colours to get then correct

 

Baz

 

I have ordered white for this job. Any other colour, to weather it down if need be, I can (hopefully) do with acrylics or water colour. The ink is said to be waterproof so it should be ok for adding on top when dry, I shall have to do a test job first. When I was doing screen printing on an employment training scheme, I learnt to print in white on top of dark colours before adding other colours, such as red.  Of course, you need a decent substance to start with.  I followed someone's advice once on painting figures black, adding white on top. The white paints I had just turned grey! I shall just have to hope that the white ink is as good as the original spray paint on the JGA.

[southern42]

4 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

You may well find that the Clear Kote Flat will have soaked into the cut edges of the transfers, thus preventing them from releasing when soaked.

 

I would recommend cutting off the transfer edges, if possible, before soaking.

 

CJI.

 

The transfers are already cut as narrow as I dare BUT.... I do have a very fine sanding block which may do the trick along the edges. 🤞