I picked up an ISP843-3 in Charlotte and notice it came with decals that give the rod info. I think they look good and want to use one on the finished rod but have never finished over a decal before. Can I just clean the blank well, apply the decal, then finish of it with Threadmaster or Flexcoat? Will the decal have bubbles, assuming I apply it carefully and can't see any at the time?

Bubbles aren't the problem, the slick surface of the decal can be, however. Slick surfaces tend to repel finish. For that reason, I always coated decals or labels with color preserver first, and then applied finish.

.........

A coat of finish, decal, CP, then finish. Let each coat dry well. Seems to work better.
Do not sand the finish before you put the decal on, will make it look cloudy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2006 08:15AM by bill boettcher.

Tell me again why to use finish under the decal vs. just putting it directly on the blank.

If the blank has a glossy finish, it's not nec... If it's an unfinished blank, the decal won't be "shiny" and won't look good. You'll need a coat of finish under (Permagloss or a 2 part epoxy finish).

Putter
Williston, ND

Okay, that makes sense. This is the shiny Forecast DB finish so I think I should be okay. It came with one fo the stickers already on it (in a place that will be covered by the grip) and it did not look cloudy before I took it off.

Finish under the decal just seems to work better
Also ad-hears better then to the finish of a blank itself. Possibly because it is softer.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2006 11:29AM by bill boettcher.