Rice paper decal mistake - need advice

Submitted byBrad Grimm onSat, 07/25/2020 - 14:26
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Kayak Building

In my zeal to get the hulled glassed I completely forgot to apply the decorative kingfisher decals we had printed on rice paper.  Now I'm wondering if I can epoxy them on and put a few layers of epoxy over them for protection before sanding the hull prior to varnishing.  What do you think?

Alternatively, the print shop that printed the rice paper also printed the design on plastic with an adhesive backing.  So I could wait until after varnishing and stick those on, but I'm concerned they may peel off in the salt water.

JohnAbercrombie

Sat, 07/25/2020 - 14:46

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Either choice should work OK. 

You'll need to be really careful sanding over the epoxied paper labels, but you can do that.

I've used clear plastic labels with black printing on several boats (round 'Bjorn Thomasson Design' and rectangular 'Built by John' labels) and they are surviving just fine. The critical thing is to have an absolutely smooth (and clean) surface for the label to stick to. If there are any tiny 'blebs' or bits of dust in the finish, there will be air bubbles under the label.

See: https://www.westcoastpaddler.com/community/threads/my-covid-19-project-thomasson-panthera.8771/#lg=thread-8771&slide=17

JohnAbercrombie

Sun, 07/26/2020 - 14:57

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No, nothing over the logos ('decals' - though I still think of water transfer decals from plastic models of the 1950s and 60s when I hear that word...) they are the last thing that goes on before the boat leaves the shop.

 

I do store my boats under cover so they only get UV when being paddled, and UV isn't extremely intense here in BC. That said, some of those labels have seen weeks of tripping.

John, what process did you use to do the clear plastic graphics? Thinking of trying after I'm done varnishing. I've got bow and midship graphics that I did under the glass and wanted something on the stern but I don't want to put off getting it in the water any longer.

Thanks.

JohnAbercrombie

Wed, 07/29/2020 - 18:28

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UHBlackhawk asked:John, what process did you use to do the clear plastic graphics? 

I get all my logos from my local sign and graphics company :Signwave in Sidney BC. Excellent service and products. Owner: Colin Franks

JohnAbercrombie

Thu, 07/30/2020 - 01:51

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Colin Franks at Signwave takes care of all the details - I leave it to the expert!

He'd probably mail logos to you? Anyway, feel free to contact him and use my name, if you want.

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