Applying and Firing Recommendations for Waterslide Decals

 

  1. Place the decal in 20°-23°C (68 °-73 °F) water. The room and ware temperature should be 18-25°C (64°-77°F). Only place enough decals in the water that will be used in about ten minutes. If the decal sheet drys out, the motif will adhere to the backing paper and become unusable.
  2. Once in the water the decal will curl up.
  3. After approximately ten seconds the decal will start to uncurl.
  4. Remove the decal from the water before it lays flat and separates from the paper. Place the decal on a towel for approximately 30 seconds (time is required for the water to activate the adhesive).
  5. Take a wet squeegee and wet the surface where the decal will be positioned.
  6. Take the decal from the towel and slide the decal off the backing paper on to the clean ware. For a small decal, it is easier to use tweezers to remove the motif from the water and towel. Because of step five the motif should easily slide into position.
  7. Squeegee the decal from the center to remove water and air.
  8. Take a dry cloth and remove excess water from the decal and the ware.
  9. Before firing the ware, make sure the ware and decal are completely dry.
  10. The firing should be in an oxidizing atmosphere with good ventilation to burn off the organic materials in the decal. A slow firing rate(~4°C/, 7.2°F/minute) is required until the organic materials are burned off (454°C, 850°F). A fast firing rate during this period will trap gases under the decal producing pinholes and blisters in the final design.