Any suggestions for making white on dark decals?

[Jeff Lassahn]

I'm thinking of scratch building a Dyna-Soar, like this:

but I can't figure out a good way to make light lettering on a dark painted background.
I could always do a full wrap, print out a big sheet that's mostly black with light lettering, but I'm guessing it's not going to work great.
There's companies that will do full color stickers on clear backing that would probably work, but they're not very cost-effective if you're only getting one. Might be worth a try anyway.

I can't be the only one who's had this problem, so what do y'all suggest?

 

[lakeroadster]

Vinyl, from a vendor such as Stickershock... or find somebody with a Cricut machine?

 

[neil_w]

Vinyl, from a vendor such as Stickershock... or find somebody with a Cricut machine?

+1 on this. The white lettering would work well as cut vinyl, and then the dark lettering could be done as standard decals on yellow paint.

Other options:
1) Print on white-backed decal paper with black background. It can come out pretty good if you cut tightly around the lettering and print using inkjet paper.

Here's the same thing done with Stickershock23 printed vinyl; in this pic you can *just* make out the outlines up top:

In both cases, you can see the decal outline, and the black doesn't match up *perfectly*, but it's pretty good.

2) Find some pre-made white decal lettering and piece it together. There are sources for this, although I don't have any at my fingertips. Whether you could get the exact size and style you need, I'm not sure.

 

[Cape Byron]

The black on yellow 'NASA' could be done as a cut-out in yellow vinyl. Goes over the black paint. Saves painting yellow...

 

[JohnCoker]

Vinyl is great for MPR and larger rockets, but it's kind of thick for modrocs. There are ways to print water slide decals with opaque white. This is done a lot in model railroading for example where engine numbers are often white on various colored backgrounds.

The ALPS printers were great for this, since they printed in various ink colors, including white, but they're out of production now. Of course you can get custom decals made from companies like MicroScale, but that's not cost effective for one use.

One thing that's a lot of work, but is possible, is to cut a "negative" decal in vinyl and use it like a stencil for paint. Most vinyl decals peel off cleanly before they get old, but of course test this before going through all the work on your finished model.

 

[Jay Rairigh]

Of course Tango Papa Decals will print you some white waterslide decals for a modest price.

 

[BABAR]

There is the backward approach.

go to your local hobby store and find stick on letters and numbers that match your preference. Color doesnt

prime the rocket and lay down a good coat of white paint or primer.

Put your decals in place. Press down HARD, consider putting wax paper over it and burnishing with hotel card.

put one or two good coats of same white paint or primer OVER the decals. This “seals” the decal edges and reduces chance of final color “bleeding” underneath the decal. Allow to dry completely.

paint your final color, as many coats as needed to get the look you want.

with a blade,carefully peel off the decals.

consider clear coat after testing compatibility on a scrap tube and waiting to be sure all paint is dry

 

[Back_at_it]

Vinyl and a Cricut. Makes anything you like.