Date:         Mon, 31 Jul 95 13:15:22 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: lick my decals

On Sun, 30 Jul 95 10:42:45 CDT Wes Neuenschwander said:
>Well, actually, my decals just about have me licked!  My Westy decals,
>that is.  The factory original, pop-top, "Westfalia" decals on my '91
>Vanagon started to work loose around the edges after about 2 years,...
>Well, less than 10K miles and 12 months later, we're flapping in the
>breeze again!  As much as I like these decals, I'm not about to devote
>$100 a year to their maintenance!
>...        Any thoughts about causes or cures most welcome.

well ... on model airplanes, you have similar problems with the decals ...
and one solution is to apply the decal, allow it to completely dry, then
spray some clear overcoating. the overcoating "seals" the decal to the
surface, preventing any moisture or wind or whatever from getting up under
the edges.

as a sidenote, ALL the decals i've ever worked with, if left untreated, :)
will eventually begin to curl up at the edges. but i've never gotten a
satisfactory answer as to why they do this. if you use the clear overcoating
they don't do it. model stores have the overcoating in gloss or dull.

joel