DIY transfers

[David Holman]

Anybody here got any experience of making your own waterside transfers and therefore advice on the process?

 Seems to me the main issue is that if you want to print your own, via a computer, how do you get white? So many Irish wagons have white lettering, but your average inkjet printer doesn't do that, instead relying on paper being white - not much good for a clear transfer sheet.

 Have been looking around for years for various Irish prototype sheets in 7mm scale, but always end up either hand lettering or picking bits from other transfer sheets. The latter now running low. 

 Would very much like Swilly and Donegal logos, but all I've found so far is 009 stuff, which is too small, so will be interested to hear of alternatives, please.

 

 

 

[Flying Snail]

2 hours ago, David Holman said:

Seems to me the main issue is that if you want to print your own, via a computer, how do you get white? So many Irish wagons have white lettering, but your average inkjet printer doesn't do that, instead relying on paper being white - not much good for a clear transfer sheet.

 

 

 

There are a small number of white-toner printers on the market - i.e printers that are designed to print white details with white ink, so if you're in the market for a new printer thats one option. You would want to make sure you can easily get the ink cartridges though.

Another option is to see if there are white ink cartridges available for your printer - these would be typically available from 3rd party suppliers. If there are, you can just swap out the black ink cartridge for the white one and print monochrome images and text. That is, you would print out a solid black image/text and because you're using white ink instead of black - the printed image would be white.

[Bob49]

White is a big problem. You can buy white transfer paper but it only works if you can exactly match the background colour. I have used it on my NSWGR wagons but only for the brake marking panel not lettering.

If you want a lot then POWsides or Light Railway Supplies might be a good point to start.

Marc

[Mayner]

Might be cheaper than buying a new printer to ask Steve Bell (Railtec) eghamrails@hotmail.com or PM on RM Web if he can help.

There is a set up cost if he has nothing suitable available, but service is 1st Class.

 

[murrayec]

@David Holman Check out 'Ghost' printers online, these are setup to print white. Fine for white only. The problem is if you want to print colour on a white background the sheet has to go through the printer again- which causes problems with registration ie;- lining up! Your talking £600 - £800 for the printer.

Loads of videos on youtube- type in 'ghost Printers'

One can print inkjet/laser on white decal paper, but the decal has to be cut out by hand. Printing inkjet on transparent sheet is useless the model colour bleeds through the inks, laser is slightly better!

Eoin

 

 

Edited February 28 by murrayec

[Brack]

Out of interest did you read the article on laser cutting stencils in the latest review? He cut them in masking tape, so single use. I wonder if there would be a way to do a multi-use stencil in very thin plastic?

[Galteemore]

10 hours ago, Brack said:

Out of interest did you read the article on laser cutting stencils in the latest review? He cut them in masking tape, so single use. I wonder if there would be a way to do a multi-use stencil in very thin plastic?

Must be possible with a CriCut or similar. Or one of the laser cutting kit companies might do a commission ? 

[Bob49]

You could the spray white paint onto waterside transfer paper. Varnish, cut up and use. It would be like screen printing.

Maec

[David Holman]

Thanks again folks, but am starting to think my time would be better spent working on my hand lettering skills. That said, fine white marker pens are hard to find, so looks like I need to practice more with my lining pens!

[Bob49]

On RMweb there is a thread on scratch building in S7 and the chap who posts his wonderful work hand letters everything.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/122168-s7-scratch-building/page/146/#comment-5451193

Marc

[David Holman]

For Ian Rathbone's book on painting and lining and he does the same. Reading about it not quite the same as doing it though!