I have a couple of rods I want to put the specs on and I was wondering if anyone has tried writing on water slide decal paper or a clear address label, sealing them with Krylon, applying them to the rod and epoxeing over them. Will this work or is there a better procedure?
Any advice or input is appreciated.

Thank you,
Tom

Why not write directly on the rod. Here's how some of us do it....

[www.youtube.com]

Yes, I use Pilot extra fine point Gold or Silver Marking pens. The first ting I do with plain decal paper is spray a thin coat of Testor's Dull Cote, helps keep the decal from falling apart.. Once dry, write on the paper, give it 24 hrs to dry and give it another light coat of Dull Cote. Then use normal procedures for apply the decal, no reason for an over coat of Krylon. The Dull Cote is much thinner than Krylon. This is the process I used successfully for 30 years as a kit model builder and model railroader.as a method for water slide decal application.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

You can write or print on decal paper. There are sources for waterslide decal paper available, but the material tends to be brittle and tears easily so lots of care is needed.

Before you transfer the decal, be sure to coat with Krylon fixative or the ink will run when it gets wet.

Many of us write directly on rods. Caligraphy pens with a fine point and silver ink usually gets the best success. Using acrylic paint as ink is a little trickier as it has to be thinned to work properly in a calligraphy pen. Gold ink also works but not as easily as silver ink. I think the gold particles are bigger than in the silver ink.

Paint pens are also used, but I always found them to be too "fat" for my liking. Your milage may vary so give them a try.

Terry

You can write on Papilio clear stick-on decals with sharpie type pens, use ultra-fine to get a look a lot like the old Heddon hand written specs, then coat with a sealer like papilio's or krylon. I seal the edge of the decal with CP to help keep the epoxy from attacking the edge. Make sure to use a piece of the decal backing over the decal as you are going over the decal with a plastic burnishing tool or something similar to make sure the decal is really stuck with no little gaps or air pockets. The backing protects the decal from scratching. On really dull rods you might want to put a coat of epoxy down before applying the decal.

With practice and the instructions given above, and with a groove to place the blank in while writing, you can get very good at writing directly on the rod blank. I prefer that so I don't have to fiddle around with the idiosynchrosies of decals, whether water slide or stick-on.