Hi.

I've never used decals before when building rods and I'm a bit worried since the rod that I'm going to put one one has spiral finish.

Do I need to put one layer of epoxy to make the surface smooth before putting the decal or will sticking the decal on the blank and then applying epoxy be enough (I think that there's a high risk of air being trapped under the decal and that won't look good)?

Cheers

Sakari:

If you put the decal down on a blank without finish under it first, you will get air trapped and the decal background will be seen. With a layer of finish underneath, the decal background will virtually disappear.

Doug Weber
Weber Rod Works

If it's a water based decal you can get it down without air under it. If it's a sticker type, then I'd put a layer of finish down first.

It's a sticker type decal. I'll put a thin layer of finish under the decal to make the surface smooth.

Cheers