Old Letraset sheets that won't release

[K5083]

I brought this question up in passing once in a build thread, but thought I would post a general query/plea for help.

I have about a dozen sheets of the old Letraset branded dry transfers created for plastic models. Some have markings almost impossible to get today.

They won't release from the carrier film, even onto clear decal sheet. You have to rub hard enough to tear through the carrier before they release.

I have tried various chemistry including water, naphtha, isopropol alcohol, etc., applied either to the transfer or to the receiving surface. Some of them release the markings, but they also melt them.

I have tried Pledge/Future/Klear applied to the receiving surface to make it more tacky. No dice.

I have thought about heat, maybe trying to iron the stuff on, but haven't tried it. If I have to iron the entire Letraset sheet onto a clear decal sheet to save the markings, I'm willing to do it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or experiences you can relate.

August

[jssel]

I will be tuned in to this one. I have the same issue and do not have an answer.

[beany]

Hi August. If you are thinking of transferring the whole lot onto decal film then why not just scan the sheets, save the files, and then print those scans directly onto decal film - you can do that over and over again then with the scanned images!

Cheers
Al.

[K5083]

Al,

For a few designs that might work, but there's that problem in the post-ALPS era that if you print on clear, you've got transparent decals that need a white undercoat, and if you print on white, many designs are very challenging to trim. If the transfers are of white markings, then scanning and printing produces -- a blank sheet of decal film! So there's no full substitute for a sheet of either decals or transfers.

August

[DavidWomby]

http://www.letraset.com/shopcustcontactspecial.asp

Have you asked Letraset if they have any advice? The company still seems to be active.

David

[K5083]

Great idea David. I've just sent them a note. It may at least create some amusement in the Letraset offices.

August

[jssel]

Heck. I didn't they were still around.

[AndrewR]

There's a thread here on LSP

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index ... opic=33561;

It recommends xylene as a solvent. be cautious if you try this, xylene is evil

[K5083]

I like to think things like this over before I try them, so I contemplated this for 8 years or so, and finally tried it this week.

Based on my experiments, the xylene does help. The method that is working for me so far is to swab the xylene to the transfer side of the transfer, then wait 10 or 15 minutes before applying. It should not still be wet when you rub it down; that causes bits of the transfer to float around and mess up the design. I am rubbing mine onto clear decal paper. I am not getting anywhere near a 100% success rate, but I have salvaged a few markings that otherwise would be junk.

August