Hi, all. I'm in the process of assembling a custom Geddy Lee-style jazz, and I ordered some 70s Waterslides from to install on the headstock. I have installed these on a couple of necks previously with no issue, and they've always turned out great.
I applied one a couple of weeks ago, and it turned out....'cloudy'. As if the decal paper wasn't adhering to the headstock, or had air under it. I followed the instructions to the letter, as I had done in the past, but it just didn't look good. Since I thought that it could have been a bad install on my part, I removed it, and started over.
For reference, here's what I did:
1. Removed old waterslide.
2. Sanded (up to 400 grit) until smooth.
3. A few coats of Watco clear lacquer (same as I have always used).
4. Wet sand until smooth, let dry.
5. The next week, apply decal. Cut out decal, soak in warm water until decals just start to slide, then position.
6. Smooth down with wet paper towel, and let dry.
7. After adequate drying time, start lacquering - light mist coats, let dry, then heaver coats over a few days, and so on.
After a number of mist coats, and before I start applying heavier coats, I get the same thing: the decal looks as though there is air under it. See pic below.
Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong? Do I need to fully lacquer the headstock before applying the decal?
I have already contacted the seller, in the event that it was just a 'bad batch', but any help would be appreciated.
I applied one a couple of weeks ago, and it turned out....'cloudy'. As if the decal paper wasn't adhering to the headstock, or had air under it. I followed the instructions to the letter, as I had done in the past, but it just didn't look good. Since I thought that it could have been a bad install on my part, I removed it, and started over.
For reference, here's what I did:
1. Removed old waterslide.
2. Sanded (up to 400 grit) until smooth.
3. A few coats of Watco clear lacquer (same as I have always used).
4. Wet sand until smooth, let dry.
5. The next week, apply decal. Cut out decal, soak in warm water until decals just start to slide, then position.
6. Smooth down with wet paper towel, and let dry.
7. After adequate drying time, start lacquering - light mist coats, let dry, then heaver coats over a few days, and so on.
After a number of mist coats, and before I start applying heavier coats, I get the same thing: the decal looks as though there is air under it. See pic below.
Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong? Do I need to fully lacquer the headstock before applying the decal?
I have already contacted the seller, in the event that it was just a 'bad batch', but any help would be appreciated.
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