source of clear decal film

[JoeD]

Howdy,

I went to my usual source, Decals.com and there's a notice they won't be selling decals any more. I hope they change their name.  So I ordered a 50 pack of clear and got a 50 pack of white instead.  No returns of course and it seems they no longer have clear stock on blue paper.  Micro Mark used to have it in package form but now it's like $12.00 for two sheets, one clear and one white.  YIKES.  Any decal guys out there know of another source.  I would be needing packs of 50 or so at a time.

Thanks

Joe

[wazzou]

Microscale.

[thomasjmdavis]

I've used Micro-Mark in the past, but sure enough- they have white in 6 packs, but not clear- at least I could not find it.

Testors does make a clear film for inkjet. (Not sure if there is also a Testor film for laser- did not come up in my search).

Bare Metal Foil Co lists it on their site but only small quantities.  (and I have never used their product, so caveat emptor).  But might be worth a phone call to see if they will give you a quantity discount.
https://www.bare-metal.com/experts-choice-decal-film.html

I looked at the Microscale site earlier and could not find it. Would of course be a logical source.

[Chris333]

e-Bay

[reinhardtjh]

@peteski Will know.

[peteski]

My favorite is Bare Metal Foil (BMF) decal paper.  It is pricey but I like how flexible the film seems to be. And it doesn't go bad if it sits for few years unused.  If looking for larger quantity, give them a call to see if they can give you a better price.

The Alps printer users community also goes ga-ga for TangoPapa (TP) decal paper. He makes it himself and (while not mentioned on the website), he offers it in 3 thicknesses of the clear film.  Email or call for more details.  The decal and Alps cartridges is Tom's side business, so  he might take a while to reply.  He is a good guy to deal with.  The problem I had with his paper was that after it sat for couple of years, the clear film shattered into tiny pieces.  No such problem with BMF.  Other problem (when used in Alps printers) is that TP  decal film sometimes has small debris Embedded in the clear film.  Those can be deadly to the delicate Alps print head.

Microscale does sell sheets of blank decal paper (in couple of sizes) - it  should be listed on their site.

There is also a company called Elephant's Rocket (not kidding) in Japan. The service/repair Alps printers and sell cartridges, decal paper and stickers.  I have never used their paper and I suspect that the shipping costs would be quite high.  Also, their website (and I use that term very loosely) is really really hard to navigate.

Here are some useful threads on this subject:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28964
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=42401.0

[JoeD]

My favorite is Bare Metal Foil (BMF) decal paper.  It is pricey but I like how flexible the film seems to be. And it doesn't go bad if it sits for few years unused.  If looking for larger quantity, give them a call to see if they can give you a better price.

The Alps printer users community also goes ga-ga for TangoPapa (TP) decal paper. He makes it himself and (while not mentioned on the website), he offers it in 3 thicknesses of the clear film.  Email or call for more details.  The decal and Alps cartridges is Tom's side business, so  he might take a while to reply.  He is a good guy to deal with.  The problem I had with his paper was that after it sat for couple of years, the clear film shattered into tiny pieces.  No such problem with BMF.  Other problem (when used in Alps printers) is that TP  decal film sometimes has small debris Embedded in the clear film.  Those can be deadly to the delicate Alps print head.

Microscale does sell sheets of blank decal paper (in couple of sizes) - it  should be listed on their site.

There is also a company called Elephant's Rocket (not kidding) in Japan. The service/repair Alps printers and sell cartridges, decal paper and stickers.  I have never used their paper and I suspect that the shipping costs would be quite high.  Also, their website (and I use that term very loosely) is really really hard to navigate.

Here are some useful threads on this subject:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28964
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=42401.0

Ok...thanks.  I made the mistake of buying a few packs of the chinese stuff on EBAY and the carrier film pealed right off the paper on on 4 packages i got.  I'll check with Micro-Scale, they do a lot of our decals and they have the right stuff I need.

Cheers

Joe

[peteski]

Ok...thanks.  I made the mistake of buying a few packs of the chinese stuff on EBAY and the carrier film pealed right off the paper on on 4 packages i got.  I'll check with Micro-Scale, they do a lot of our decals and they have the right stuff I need.

Cheers

Joe

Joe, are you sure that what peeled off was the decal's clear film?  I have seen instances where the manufacturer covers the top of clear film decals with a thin peel able clear plastic protective film. Maybe that is what that was, and by peeling it off you simply made the decal paper ready for use?  Micro Mark used to sell this type of paper years ago.

But there is also a possibility that it was an inferior decal paper, and it was the actual clear film which peeled off.  I hear many horror stories about decal paper on the Alps Yahoo groups.