Terry,
I was thinking about your decal and I have another suggestion. First, I
wondered if the numbers are raised, can you paint around them with black
paint?
If you can't do that then using decal paper on silver can be another
option. I actually like it better than printing on plastic that I mentoned.
I cut a small piece of decal paper and soaked the film off. Rinsed it
under water to remove all the glue that held the film to the backing. I
put it on a gold jar lid and brushed on a coat of Microscale's decal
setting solution. After it dried, I had to hold it at angles under a
light to tell there was a decal there. The gold looked just as good and
I could read the writing on the lid just as clear.
To do this, it would be best to use decal paper made for laser printers
because you wouldn't have to worry about water bothering the ink.
If you use ink jet decals, use a larger piece of silver than you need
and have the decal film go out on all sides around the actual printed
area. I would say at least an inch or more. This is to give the water
less of a chance to seep back under the decal and affect the ink. You
can trim it after it is dry.
Let's go back over some things, remember that you want a black decal
with the number areas blank;
You need an editing program so that you can duplicate your dial in black
outlined letters. You use ink or markers to blacken all the space around
the letters. I 'm not sure about simply scanning your dial and
correcting the damage.. I don't know if the silver will print as a grey
or not. It would be worth it to give it a try and see what happens. I
mentioned about doing any "art work" as large as possible and the
reducing it to the correct size. If the silver does show grey, maybe it
would be easier to use white paint and a very small pointed brush to
make it white.
Now, about the decal. The film is weak and can be fairly easily torn.
Doing large sizes can cause problems in getting it spread out evenly.
And sliding a decal off the backing does not get rid of the glue.
Print your dial image IN REVERSE and put it UPSIDE DOWN on the silver.
Brush water on the backing until you can lift it off. Brush clean water
on the decal and blot it off to remove the glue. You will be using the
brush to smooth out the decal as well as cleaning it. Use the decal
setting solution so the decal will stick. Always use a very soft brush
and don't hurry anything when working with decals.
At this point you can decide if you want to put Krylon clear over your
decal to protect it. It would probably be best to do a test piece first.
Now the bad news. Decal paper sold in hobby stores is 8 and 1/2" x 11".
If your dial is longer than 11", I don't know if longer decal paper is
available or not. Have to check the Internet.
I'll leave you with some good news. If your dial is small enough that
two copies will fit on the decal paper, the color copier can be set so
two images will print on one page. You get two for the price of one.
Stewart
