Stickers...how to glue them

[cmartins1963]

Do you guys have any tips on gluing big stickers???

[RCFX]

Put glue on the sticker, then apply...

But for seriously, if you are glueing on lexan, use xxxmain pic glue, or you can use modge podge (hobbylobby, ect). Apply it to the back evenly and press it into every nook and cranny on the body, no bubbles! With practice you can do some neat stuff.

Thats my tip

[cmartins1963]

Thanks RCFX
But I was reffering to the stickers you glue on the outside of the lexan.
I'm about to finish the painting of this body and there is a huge sticker to be glued on both sides.
I'm afraid to mess with it and ruin them.

[Divman]

I'm guessing the sticker isnt self-adhesive..if it is just as RCFX says for inside, same for outside...make sure theres no bubbles etc.

If it isnt self-adhesive, then I dont know sorry, as a guess, i would put a thin covering of glue all over the back of the sticker, then just push out towards the edges as u apply it, then clean the excess glue off before it dries. As I say tho this is guess-work, I'm sure someone will have the actual solution for u :D

Good Luck

Dave

[RCFX]

Are you sure its not an adhesive sticker?? If it came with the body, I can't imagine they would give you non-stick decals... Let me know how it turns out

[LD3Furious]

A great tip for any sticker on lexan...get yourself a cereal bowl, fill with a little warm water and a dash of dish detergent. Peel the sticker off of the backing, then soak it for a couple seconds in the bowl. Doing this will allow you to move the sticker around for a few seconds while it is wet. Also, if you run in to a situation where the sticker has to go around a compound curve, you can poke a small hole in it, or cut a tiny "groove" where it creases, then overlap the cut on itself slightly. Hard to describe with words...I hope you understand. Good Luck.

[Divman]

Remember to show us how it comes out :D

[NotWalkinBlind]

In this case, it would be best to have the body mounted so it is stable while you press the sticker on... if you tried to put it on unmounted, it would be a lot harder. Or you could have somebody hold it.

Position the top edge of the sticker up there near that roof seam and get it rubbed down and in place, holding the rest of the sticker out from the body... press on the top of the head of the bounty hunter and adhere it to get started, then move your finger or fingernail slowly from left to right across the sticker as you slowly adhere the guy's neck and shoulders stick... then come on down the rest of the way.

When you come to a indented or raised horizontal seam, you can use the tip of a plastic picnic knife to press the sticker down into places where the sticker could be prone to "bridging over"... rubbing back and forth with the knife from left to right the same way as when using your finger.

When you get to the bottom, if there is some sticker hanging past the body, just trim it off. Now you know why you start at the top, right?
:D

[NotWalkinBlind]

Also, in the picture, it looks like the words...

Bounty
Hunter

...are slanted up a bit from left to right... that is probably on purpose. Before you pull the backing off the sticker, position it on the body so you can see how it will need to be aligned so when you begin pressing on the guy's head, it will be in the right place so that slant is there and so the "B" doesn't end up in the front wheel cutout... and you also need to make sure the guy's shoulder is gonna be the right distance from the side window.

[SpamCake]

I think what's being asked here is something along the lines of "I've got these massive stickers to deal with, and I'm afraid of messing them up, how do I get it right the first time?" Stop me if I'm reading wrong.

There are two possible methods to use.

1) Cut the sticker, still on its backing, away from the excess material - scissors work fine here. Then peel and cut just part of the backing away -- like about 1/3 or so of the sticker. You can then slide the sticker around on the remaining backing, while keeping the sticky bit away from the body surface - this'll help with positioning. Once you've worked it to where you want it, you can press the sticky bit down. Pick a spot on the sticker, and work slowly along with your finger pressing it down and hopefully keeping most of the air bubbles out from under the sticker.
Now, what you have is the sticker half-stuck, and its backing on the rest of it. You can bend the sticker up to get access to the backing, and sortof 'roll' it out from under the sticker, exposing the adhesive a bit at a time, working it down as you go. Try to do it just a bit at a time, so you're in effect rolling the sticker onto the body surface. This'll keep the opposite edge for example grabbing the body or itself and making a big mess.
Once you've got it all down, you can with a brand-new sharp blade cut tiny slits in whatever air bubbles did get away from you, and press out the air.
When it comes to ornery curves in the surface you're working with, you can heat the sticker with a hair dryer - this will soften the sticker material and it'll be easier to coax around corners or into crannies. This is something you want to do as you lay the sticker rather than after it's done. Don't use a heat-gun, they run too hot and will more likely melt the sticker.

2) Cut the sticker out with a sharp blade, then peel it completely from its backing, and dip it in a bowl of water into which you've dissipated a small amount of dish detergent. This will allow you, as mentioned in an earlier post, to slide the sticker around the body with relative impunity while the water is in place. In the case of a very large sticker, you might even consider spritzing the body directly with some of the soapy water as well - no harm in having some extra lubrication in place. Once you've got it positioned where you want it, you can squeegee out the water with a credit card or some other such implement.
This method allows you freedom to fiddle with the placement, and pretty much eliminates air bubbles in the process. The one time I tried it though, I had a hard time keeping the sticker in place while I pressed out the water, and while the remaining residue dried. Personally, I prefer the first method -- a bit risky, but with care it's worked fine for me... for the few stickers I have applied, anyway. A bit of a habitual painter, I am. :D

Anyway, I hope this helps. All the best luck for your stickering adventures!

[cmartins1963]

I did what LD3furious said and worked fine.
I was worried about the size of the sticker and because the glue was kind of strong.
Here is the result.
Sorry about the poor quality pictures.

[cmartins1963]

Front view

[EvaderSTKid]

Not bad. What kind of truck is that?

[cmartins1963]

It's a two speed Thunder Tiger SSK with a TT 0.15 engine

[Joe Brinduse]

Looks good

[cmartins1963]

I have another car.
It's a SSR Thunder Tiger.
if yoiu guys, want to take a look, the adress is:

http://cmartins1963.multiply.com/

and if you like bikes...watch the video