Model Rocket Building Blog 
Model Rocket Building Posts
Generic Bars and Stars Decal Trim Sheet (2010-07-06)
Here's what I did with the other half of a 8 1/2" x 11" decal sheet. I needed decals for a large two engine cluster rocket but they only took up half of a full sheet. I know you can print up decals ... [Read More]
Home Printed Decal Tips Part 1 (2010-08-23)Here's yesterdays decal print. You can see the Nike Smoke decal, the nameplate decal for the Big Girtha and the " cartoony " line work for an upcoming (nameless for now) project. I'm fortunate to ... [Read More]
Home Printed Decals Part 2 (2010-08-24)After the decals are printed, you have to add the top coats. The top coat has to be thick enough so the print won't break apart or crack when sliding it off the backing paper. The top coat has to be ... [Read More]
Home Printed Decals Part 3 (2010-08-24)Be sure your clear top coats have dried thoroughly before trying to place them on your rocket. Fill a small dish with warm water and just a drop of dish washing detergent. Have tweezers and paper ... [Read More]
Fin Alignment Lines - TIP (2012-11-12)On TRF, Manny Trotta posted a picture of how he draws lines for fin alignment and gluing. Instead of a single pencil line, Manny draws two lines, the thickness of the fin stock. Enlarge the ... [Read More]
Decals - Tips (2013-09-26)DECALS! Whether traditional silk screened (provided in some kits), Ink Jet or Laser printed (provided in some kits) and home printed - All have different soak times . Play it safe and scan ... [Read More]
Decal Printing Screen Options (2013-12-10)On the forums, some builders have complained about decals being too transparent on painted models. You do have to configure your printer for best decal printing. On the right is a screen shot from ... [Read More]
Planning a Wrap Around Decal (2014-01-05)Did you ever get a wrap around decal in a kit that didn't quite match up or wasn't even? There is probably a few reasons why. There is no way a vendor can account for the thickness of your finish or ... [Read More]
Decal Soaking Questions (2014-05-27)From the Odd'l Rockets Email box, a question - "Waiting to finish an Estes Mini-Max, with waterslide decals. You use the drop of liquid detergent in the water, which has worked for ... [Read More]
New Kit Decal Problems (2014-06-19)A question from wz2p7j on YORF: "Is it possible to get bad decals? I'm trying to finish off a Photon Probe and the decals have to be the worst I have ever worked with. No ... [Read More]
Even More Kit Decal Problems (2014-06-27)Cl(VII) on TRF - Did a beautiful build of the Red River Rocketry Stratus. A catalog quality build. Check out the pictures at post #23 CLICK HERE "Now the first thing I was disappointed in with ... [Read More]
Moving a (Fresh) Decal? (2014-10-16)One side of the U.S. ARMY decal on my Patriot model wasn't centered. I noticed this the day after the decal was placed. You can't always get away with lifting and replacing a decal. This home ... [Read More]
No More Decals From Excelsior (2015-06-28)From Gordy of Excelsior Rocketry, posted on the forums: The time has finally come. I am closing my web site down, I guess, permanently. After wearing out 8 Alps printers I have one left with ... [Read More]
Decal Tips (2015-11-06)Daniel ( rocketn00b.blogspot.com) commented on the QCC Explorer decal post - The Rocket N00b November 5, 2015 at 12:43 AM "Looks perfect. I'm not bad with decals, but I never get them ... [Read More]
No More Sandman (Excelsior) Decals! (2016-05-24)From a post yesterday on Y.O.R.F. - See the posts: CLICK HERE Sandman Decals used the OOP Alps printers, a specialized unit that could print white and metallic decals. Home and office inkjet and ... [Read More]
Filling a Full Decal Sheet (2016-11-03)Here's a response to an email from Glen, he asked if I printed these on an "A4": Hi Glen, I wasn't sure what an A4 is! I worked in a print shop for years and didn't use that term. We just said 8 ... [Read More]
Fonts Matter (2016-11-08)Next time you pick out a type font to run down the side of your rocket . . . make sure the style fits the design. From the Design Cuts Facebook page. [Read More]
Pink Max Decal Fix, Part 1 (2016-12-01)I liked most all the Hello Kitty decals on the normal BT-60 based Pink Max rocket. Well, except for the iron cross and the "kills" decal. Compared to the standard Red Max model they were small. Big ... [Read More]
Pink Max Decal Fix, Part 2 (2016-12-02)I wanted to smooth out any scraping lines from the knife blade. To protect the area outside the image area, some masking tape was set down framing the smaller decal location. Even though the used ... [Read More]
Logo Decals? (2016-12-10)Estes logo decals are usually included in their kits. I rarely put them on a rocket. I'm the type of person who refuses to buy designer clothes or shoes with predominantly displayed logos. If they ... [Read More]
Home Print Decal Tips (2017-02-28)Home print water slide decals aren't the same as kit decals. The soak times and transfers are different. I typically soak a home print decal for about 30 seconds in warm water. Then set the wet ... [Read More]
Decal Gripe! (2017-05-13)A comment from Elsa (Directed to Estes): Estes, I make your rockets, because I made them as a kid, but - DECALS, Decals decals. You always seem to be messing up in the decal department. My MIRV, ... [Read More]
The "OLD" Estes Trident D.I.Y. Decals (2017-05-20)In a recent comment on the Decal post, Naoto Kimura reminded me about the decal treatment on the original Estes Trident kit: " The instructions mention "decal" but wording seem to imply that they ... [Read More]
Decals? Who Needs Decals? (2018-03-12)Not Stanton Ewert! Check out the hand lettering on his Estes Teros clone posted on the Model Rocketry Fanatics Facebook page - Those aren't decals! A small bottle of paint, a sharp brush and a very ... [Read More]
Email from Decalpaper.com (2018-06-15)Dear Customer, We are having a close out sale for our laser clear decal paper and other items on our website. Our company is closing so everything must go! Hurry while supplies last! B est R ... [Read More]
Home Print Decal Clear Coat TIPS, Part 1 (2018-09-29)No - this aint' no ugly puppet show. When spraying decals you should be wearing a mask and find some sort of cover for your hand. The UV clear gloss acrylic paint is sticky and is hard to remove ... [Read More]
Home Print Decal Clear Coat TIPS, Part 2 (2018-09-30)When you are spraying a lot of decals for different kits, it's easy to lose track of how many coats have been sprayed. I keep a Sharpie handy. Each small dot designates the sheet got one coat. Spray ... [Read More]
Goblin Decal Placement? (2019-08-18)Moot rocket nerd point of the month - I've brought this up before when I was assembling a Goblin kit a few years ago. Joe Hess posted a picture of a recent Goblin face card on the Estes ... [Read More]
I Wish They Didn't Do That - Part 2, Decals (2019-11-26)Decals are sometimes a crap shoot! You never know how that sheet is going to transfer until you soak that first decal. A suggestion for the manufacturers - On that decal sheet, add one or ... [Read More]
Soap In The Decal Soak Water? (2020-04-30)Over the years on TRF I had an ongoing feud with a builder/flyer named John Lee. His forum name was Micromeister. He build a lot of MicroMaxx downscales. He knew all about LPR and ... [Read More]
White Decals Done Right! (2020-07-04)From the Facebook, Estes Model Rockets page: Mike Nelson posted his recent build - "Time for Estes to bring back a line of Goony Birds. Here's my scratch I finished the other day. BT80 With a ... [Read More]
TAZZ / Gyroc Decal Available (2020-07-26)If you'd like your Estes TAZZ to look more like the original Gyroc design, a home print decal PDF is now available! The vertical bar roll pattern fits around the BT-50 body tube. There are plenty ... [Read More]
New BT-50 Sized DECALS for Patreon Supporters! (2020-09-03)More decals for Patreon supporters, This time to fit a standard BT-50 tube - Just what you might need to dress up a sport model. As mentioned earlier - Home print decals won't print as ... [Read More]
Quest Astra Stickers, Part 1 (2021-02-04)This won't be a full blog build. The Astra I is Quest's answer to the Estes Alpha. Both designs have three clipped Delta fins and an Ogive nose cone. The Quest tubes are Metric, this one is ... [Read More]
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