Decals for LMS Signal Arms in 4mm Scale
These decals are designed to fit the arms of the Ratio 4mm scale signal kits; they may also fit other brands of signals, but this is not guaranteed. Decals are provided for both sides of the signal arms, and there is sufficient in each set for one kit – see below for exact quantities. These decals can be supplied on either transparent or white-backed waterslide decal paper.
Application Tips
Waterslide decals tend not to adhere very well to bare plastic, so some preparatory work is recommended: use a degreasing fluid (such as sold for preparation for painting), lightly roughen the surface using a fibreglass scratch brush or fine abrasive paper, or paint the arms white first – white minimises the apparent thickness of the arms when complete, and gloss is best for adhesion of the decals. Use of a proprietary decal fixing fluid (such as Humbrol's Decalfix) can also help the decals to settle around moulded detail, such as rivet/bolt heads; follow the manufacturer's instructions.
For those decals that also include the spectacle plates, the edges of that part of the arms will need to be touched up with black paint once the decals have been applied. Otherwise it's best to paint the spectacle plates black before applying the decals, so that the application of the decal gives a crisp edge to the border between the plate and the rest of the arm – in this case, use of the white-backed decals is best.
Where the signal arm moudlings feature holes for the spectacle lenses (or you pierce the mouldings yourself, using an appropriate drill and careful filing), the transparent-backed decals can be used to provide translucent lenses: apply the complete decal to the front face of the arm, but cut the spectacles off the decal for the rear face.
Once the decals have been applied, and painting is complete, it is recommended that an overall coat of varnish is applied (matt is probably most appropriate), to seal and protect the decals and unify the appearance of the whole arm, optionally followed by a dab of gloss varnish on each spectacle lens (where these are included in the decals) to give them a "glassy" appearance. Where the decals have been used over pierced spectacles, applying gloss varnish to the rear too, to partially fill the hollow behind the decal, can help the adhesion of the decal (just be careful not to "poke" the decal too hard with the brush, so that it pushes the decal away from the moulding).
Round Post Signals
Kit 476
These decals are desiged to fit Ratio kit 476. The arms in this kit have solid spectacles as standard. Each set contains decals for 6 home and 2 distant standard arms, 2 small arms, 4 ground signal discs, 4 diamond "T" plates and occupies 1/2 of a sheet of A5 paper. One set thus supplies sufficient decals for one Ratio kit.
Note: The decals for this kit are fully production-ready, but I haven't produced any finished signals using them, hence the lack of supporting photos.