POWSIDES rubdown transfers

[Michael Waldron]

As a Brighton modeller, I have a number of Stephenson Clarke wagons to which to add transfers, as well as some Clarke Sharpe ones.
When I last used some POWSIDES transfers, they were mildly sticky on the rear side, which I assumed made them akin to the late Letraset letter sheets of the 70s. These worked well until they aged and dried out.

My POWSIDES sheets are pretty old, and feel rather dry, so I am concerned that they might not adhere properly.

Can anyone offer some advice as to
i) whether dried out rubdown transfers will still work, or if not,
ii) is there a successful way of using them in such a state?

I ask, because I once heard that you can transform dried out Pressfix HMRS sheets by treating them as Methfix. I’ve not tried this, but wonder if anyone actually has succeeded in the or any other way.

Thanks
Mike.

[petermeyer]

I can't help directly but I've struggled and had adherence problems with brand new POW transfers. IIRC the current instructions say not to use any transfix type solutions.

HMRS are I think water slide based so using the Methfix approach will probably not work on rubdown. I have successfully used that technique to resurrect old PC transfers (which in colour terms are preferable to the current HMRS offering)

My solution was, once I'd got them reasonably placed, to fix them with a coat of varnish and then weather. Have you tried to see if they work at all?

[Guy Rixon]

Pretty much all transfers are held on, in the long run, by a mixture of varnish and faith. Your problem is getting them to stick just long enough to varnish them.

My experience with aged press-fix transfers is that they adhere patchily, and not at all over raised detail. Also, they break up into flakes across the edges of the detail. Last time I used some, I ended up retouching the lettering with white paint.

Having decent tools for rubbing down helps. I bought some ball-ended tools sold (on eBay) for making nail art and they are both effective and cheap.

If you have some spare transfers and a test surface, you could see if the flakes can be aligned and held in place by transfer solvent long enough to receive varnish. I suspect they'll crinkle, but you won't know until you try.

Getting more lateral, you could try applying the transfers as a mask. I.e., paint the body in the colour of the lettering, apply the transfers, spray over the body colour, then pick off the transfers.

As a last resort, you could turn them into waterslide transfers by rubbing them down onto decal paper and varnishing in the flat. This preserves the letetr forms and lessens the problems of forming the transfers over the detail. You could combine this with the masking method.

[martin goodall]

I have used POWsides transfers, and they are admittedly a bit tricky to get down on the surface intact and without distortion. But, with care, it is possible. It may be easier if the transfer is cut into smaller parts, rather than trying to cover the whole wagon side in one go. If the worst comes to the worst, you may have to do a little bit of touching up with paint afterwards.

The instructions suggest pressing them down with a wide/thick rubber band. I tried this, and it proved to be extremely effective, pressing the transfers reliably into plank grooves and around rivet heads / bolt heads.

I protected the transfers with Dulcote lacquer sprayed from a can, which proved to be completely effective, and gave an excellent surface on which to apply weathering.

[Michael Waldron]

Gents
Thanks for your wisdom.

I have a contact who can produce almost anything in waterslide, so it’s worth the experiments first, then if they’re successful, then great. If not I can resort to plan B.
I just wish the Stephenson Clarke wagons didn’t have so much lettering on every side!

Fortunately the sides are mainly numbers!

Much obliged
Mike

[Will L]

HMRS are I think water slide based so using the Methfix approach will probably not work on rubdown.

Don't think that's right Peter, the "the use old HMRS pressfix as methfix" has been accepted wisdom for a long time and I don't think they have changed their transfers.

[Tony Wilkins]

HMRS are I think water slide based so using the Methfix approach will probably not work on rubdown.

Don't think that's right Peter, the "the use old HMRS pressfix as methfix" has been accepted wisdom for a long time and I don't think they have changed their transfers.

Certainly the HMRS website still lists them as Pressfix and Methfix, but it seems they are experiencing supply problems.
Tony.

[Michael Waldron]

Thanks for the corporate wisdom.
Notwithstanding I’m not sure if it’ll ensure a good outcome!

I’m sure there should be a way to “re-sticky” them! Maybe some 3M spray adhesive??

Mike

[martin goodall]

Some of the POWsides transfers I used were really quite old, and not at all 'sticky', but I still managed to get them down on the wagon side by the methods I previously described. Admittedly, one side of the wagon was less satisfactory than the other, but this seems to be par for the course whatever transfers one uses. If all else fails, a bit of touching up by hand is not out of the question.

[Will L]

...I’m sure there should be a way to “re-sticky” them! ...

If the "treat as Methfix" approach works on POWSGIDES that is eaxctly what the meths is doing as a solvent of the glue which has dried.

[dal-t]

I've used 3M* spray in the past, with limited success on (I think) Slaters rub-down letters - you have to remember that the spray doesn't know what is transfer and what is just backing, so letters like 'D', 'P' and 'O' need to be treated carefully ('B' would be a real bu$$er, but fortunately that only bugs Bolsover fans!). However, I wouldn't want to try it with whole-side transfers and for Pressfix I now only use the meths approach. You soon get used to the smell if you can't find the 'deodourised' variety, but the key is always careful application of varnish as soon after application/washing as possible.

*Apparently, most of my Ford is held together with it - not sure if that give me more or less confidence in the approach ...

[steve howe]

I recently found a load of old Blick rub-down lettering in the bottom of the 'transfers box', some of which in gold would be ideal for my current light railway carriages, but inevitably they have dried out and refuse to budge. So would an application of let-down meths as in Methfix transfers help?

Steve

[Will L]

I recently found a load of old Blick rub-down lettering in the bottom of the 'transfers box', some of which in gold would be ideal for my current light railway carriages, but inevitably they have dried out and refuse to budge. So would an application of let-down meths as in Methfix transfers help?

Steve

May do, only one way to find out.

[stephenfreeman]

Found this on an American site https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/rej ... -transfers

"Although my memory may no longer be quite clear on what I did, I did salvage some old dry transfers a few years ago. I think I dampened a cloth with lacquer thinner and touched it to the back (sticky side) of the dry transfers. The thinner must have dissolved or affected the adhesive just enough to make the letters adhere. It was a touch with the cloth before each letter was applied. Too much thinner dissolved the letters.

Try it and let us know if my memory is correct and the method works."

Don't know how well it might work on POWSIDES, nor indeed what type of laquer thinners is referred to.

[Knuckles]

My experience with aged press-fix transfers is that they adhere patchily, and not at all over raised detail. Also, they break up into flakes across the edges of the detail. Last time I used some, I ended up retouching the lettering with white paint.

YES.

This is an exact mirror of my experiences too. Usually end up with a good result though. Most my NW wagon's are POWsides rub ons.


FWIW - I have HMRS lining sheet transfers and I use them incorrectly as water slide decals. Perfect results every time oddly.

[stephenfreeman]

For what it is worth I see I still have some letraset type transfers, I will try and find time to test them.

[Stuart Firth]

I once bought some secondhand Powsides transfers for a Barnsley Main wagon that must have been very old as they were extremely brittle and had very little adhesion. I took the hint and made it a highly weathered wagon:

POWsides.jpg