The "other" industrial layout...

[Baronjutter]

Why not cut the decal to be a big round disk the size of the entire face of the tank?

[GaryHinshaw]

Seems like a good candidate for dry transfers.

[sizemore]

I kinda like the cracks. Weather it just right and it looks like aged paint.

The S.

[Chris333]

They are re-painted silver now.  I have to either dig up some more paper or run to Hobby Lobby.

I've never had great luck with dry transfers, even if the whole words were already grouped together I'd probably get them crooked. Then they would get a nice coat of hammer. 

I did think about painting them black and using stick on letters to mask it and spray silver, but then I wouldn't have the font.

[davefoxx]

Is it possible to add a thin black ring around the edge of the decal approximately (or just smaller than) the size of the diameter of the tank?  If so, that could be the division line and would camouflage the decal.  If, on the other hand, you are matching a prototype, I'll withdraw my suggestion.

DFF

[wcfn100]

Those letters are mostly straight lines.  You could print it on paper, lay some masking tape on some glass and use the print out to cut a letter mask in the tape.


Jason

[Sokramiketes]

They are re-painted silver now.  I have to either dig up some more paper or run to Hobby Lobby.

I've never had great luck with dry transfers, even if the whole words were already grouped together I'd probably get them crooked. Then they would get a nice coat of hammer. 

I did think about painting them black and using stick on letters to mask it and spray silver, but then I wouldn't have the font.

Someone with a Silhouette cutter should offer to cut a vinyl mask for you!

[GaryHinshaw]

I've never had great luck with dry transfers, even if the whole words were already grouped together I'd probably get them crooked.

I find that hard to believe, but fair enough.

[Chris333]

I find that hard to believe, but fair enough.

I can take photos of rolling stock that only has ine good side 

[Chris333]

OK this is getting ridiculous.  I found some ink jet decal paper, it says to set the printer for gloss photo paper. I print it out and the head is working, but no ink is on the paper. So I change out the ink cartridge and still no ink comes out. Set it to regular paper and it prints, but there are black square outlines around them because I printed it with autoCAD.  Try it with XNview on gloss photo paper setting and no ink comes out. Tried it on transparency setting, hey ink comes out now, but it is all small dots and looks grey instead of black. Set it to regular paper and it comes out all splotchy. I've taken out a perfectly good cartridge and wasted 5 sheets of decal paper and still have nothing usable. I bet this doesn't happen with stamp collecting.

[Baronjutter]

I always print on plain paper first then tape a tiny piece of decal paper to where it printed then run it through again, no wasted paper.

[peteski]

Chris, that makes no logical sense. 
Did you try the recommended settings for printing on decal paper but fed a piece of standard paper?  Basically, fooling the printer that it is printing on decal/photo paper but giving it plain paper? Is the image printed then?

I know that I shouldn't say this, but inkjet printing is not best for decals. Laser or Alps MicroDry (or any other wax-thermal)  printers really work well. 

[Chris333]

I tried like 8 different paper settings and all the ones for glossy paper came out blank while the other settings were not a solid black. I'm gonna have to get laser paper and try that.

[peteski]

I tried like 8 different paper settings and all the ones for glossy paper came out blank while the other settings were not a solid black. I'm gonna have to get laser paper and try that.

Unless I'm totally missing your answer (or you point), I don't see you testing to print on plain paper. Not decal or photo paper.

Load plain paper (not decal or photo paper) into the printer, then set the printer properties to one of the settings which you are supposed to use while printing on decal paper.  In that scenario, does the image appear printed or does the plain paper come out of the printer blank?   You should be able to perform that test, no? 

[Chris333]

Regular paper on gloss photo setting comes out blank. In the setting it shows resolution and color. Color says "automatic", but when I change to gloss paper the color changes to "PhotoREt" and no ink shows up on any paper. I have converted the artwork to true color (even though it's black) and that made no difference.

Makes me wonder how I made the first set of decals