Last year I bought some laser waterslide decal paper with a Randy Parpart dvd from @#$%&. Used it on a Dan Craft blank (color was like a light gray) and was very happy! Built a fly rod for my neighbor using a blue forecast blank this year. Applied a decal over a base of epoxy and could not see the lettering on the decal. Tried it on a Mud Hole MHX blank, color is slate, and could not see it either. Thought I would be real smart and bought a color laser printer. No matter what color I make the lettering on the decal for the MHX blank it is still hardly visible!. It is as if the color from the blank is showing through the lettering. I could put a base of thread down first, epoxy, decal then another layer of epoxy but I don't want to go that route. Any thoughts or ideas would be deeply appreciated. Thank you.

I gave up on trying to letter with waterslide and inkjet printers...Ink is too opaque. It can be done but I dont like the results. I bought a Cricut cutter used for scrapbooking. I use graphics quality vinyl and it works good. The machine makes die cut leters down to 1/4". I would like to find a better font program but haven't found one yet. Colors are endless, even chrome vinyl is pretty cool looking, woodgrain, metalics in all colors.

Thanks for your input Jim but after buying a new laser printer that I will probable only use for this one project I was hoping for something else. I have used a Brother P-Touch before but don't like the results. Decal connection is nice but everyone seams to like their own name on the rod (more personal) and not everyone has the same name!

Don I can help - click on my name and send me an email.

I've had the same problem with an inkjet waterslide decal on a dark rod, so my next step is going to be to try using white waterslide paper and coloring the background to closely match the rod. If this doesn't work, I'll continue to wrap a light colored area for the decal. Good luck.

Jeff I tried coloring the background the same as the rod and I can tell you that it doesn't work, at least on a laser printer.

did you use white or clear waterslide?

Clear, I don't like the white background. I prefer the blank color to be the background and I know that this is part of my problem.

Don, I sent you an e-mail. I wasn't sure about posting about products not sold buy the forums sponsors.

Not clear on your Decal Connection comment? You can order custom decals with any name you want on it! Also, an amazing collection of fonts are available. I find that using their decals in white or gold or Silver, they really stand out on the blank regardless of blank color.

I've never done waterslide transfers on fishing rods, but would like to. Where can I purchase materials & instructions, or a kit to pursue this?

Hi Don, I sell the EPSON line of printers. We have over 900 printers sold to rod builders. If you want, I can mail you samples from the printers for you to test or you can ask on this site what they think of our labels and printer.

Larry Tobin
LRT Group, Inc.
www.lrtgroup.com
larry@lrtgroup.com
954-257-6224

Don, I suggest you accept the samples Larry is willing to send you and see for your self what an EPSON printer can do. At lest check out his website.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Also not clear on your comments regarding Decal connection, They can do individual decals for a rod. I always use them and put the customers name on each rod.

The lines on my decals are line 1) CUSTOM BUILT FOR. line 2) customers name, line 3) rod specs. (each of these are different font)

As mentioned above they have lots of fonts and choices of type color.

Just Curious, is Randy Parpart still around?

FYI...Dons post is from 2012.