"Rub-on" or dry transfers?

Curious: I have found something that I'd like to put on a rocket, but it appears that it's only available on a dry transfer or "rub-on" transfer sheet.

I tried something like this (stencil letters) on my Flechette with less-than-inspiring results, but it could have been because I was trying to put them on the satin Krylon paint.

Is anyone out there using dry transfers with any success, and would you care to share some tips?

Thanks in advance.

I've used dry-transfer lettering before, but not on rockets. Technique should be the same:
1. Smooth undercoating for good transfer and adhesion works best. Your satin paint may indeed have been the source of your problems.
2. If you are trying to transfer lettering that you want all nice and even, layout lines in very light pencil on the substrate to use as a guide.
3. Burnish, burnish, burnish! There are commercial burnishing tools, but a worn out ball point pen works well, as does a smooth, pointed hardwood dowel.
4. Finish with a clear coat to protect the transfer.

Dave:
Dry transfer lettering was one of the many ways we did custom decaling on Scale models back in the stone age

Well before I even owned a computer, we were using many available dry trsnsfer type styles (especially white) for marking on all kinds of models.
the 13.25 Scale (BT-80)Bomarc below is all Drytransfer and hand lettered markings.
All of what rimfire just posted is right on particularly the Burnish, burnish, burnish... before you ever move the backing It is a bit trickier on curved surfaces and your gonna mess up a few letters in the learning curve.
Hope this helps

Originally posted by Micromeister
Dave:
Dry transfer lettering was one of the many ways we did custom decaling on Scale models back in the stone age...

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Do you remember rubylith and stat cameras? And using hot wax to stick things to the bristol board?

Dry transfer can be a problem on irregular surfaces.

What I do is save the "blank" parts of a decal sheet when I use Excelcior's decals.

With a hard surface under it apply the dry transfer to the blank decal sheet.

Overcoat it with Microscale liquid decal film.

Cut it out and apply it like a regular decal.

Thanks, fellas. I'm going to have a go at this on some painted balsa, and try Sandman's decal idea (since I got some decals from Excelsior recently, I got some of that decal solution stuff to play with).

Final tip on the decal film idea.

If the lettering is not quite perfect you can easily remove a bad letter or two with some cellophane tape.

Then just do it over again.

Originally posted by shrox
Do you remember rubylith and stat cameras? And using hot wax to stick things to the bristol board?

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Sure do, I still use rubylith 1/4" tape as a low tac sub material on hand lettering jobs and now make centering rings out of some of the old bristol boards and Sho-card stocks Funny how we incroporate our job materials into our hobbies LOL.

I tried to detail my TLP HAWK (NO STEP) with rub on lettering. I did not harden the balsa in any way. I ended up creasing the area I was trying to transfer without much transfering. My 2 cents.

Originally posted by Judo
I tried to detail my TLP HAWK (NO STEP) with rub on lettering. I did not harden the balsa in any way. I ended up creasing the area I was trying to transfer without much transfering. My 2 cents.

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I had a similar experience on my Flechette, but it was trying to transfer the letters onto the body tube. Very little of the letter actually stuck, and it looked like someone had scraped something along the surface, which knocked the satin out of the paint (it left a shiny "scratch" mark).

This rocket is going to be painted with gloss paints, so I'm hoping it's going to go better.

Ahh, the days of letraset, 'Benday screens' and various other shapes, shades, and graphics from the letraset company. And that custom ordered text that dissapeared the night before the presentation, only to be found on the bottom of your sock...

Remember the days, of physically laying up a circuit baord? 4:1 with the black crepe tape?

I can just about remember using Letraset for laying out control panels.

My entire model railroad "Empire" is lettered with Letraset!