I've had good luck with just water using a spray bottle and just a little bit. I've heard about windex as well but have only used water in a spray bottle myself. HTH!

did you sand everything down to the wood? or are you applying the new decal over the old one? dry method is what it implies...wet method can be part dove dish soap and water or windex. Old decal should be removed before new one is applied.

I have applied many decals, I use water with a squirt of dawn dish soap (more than dishes, but not too much)

I've only used the soapy water method. It has worked well. There are some good how-to videos on youtube.

I do recommend sanding down to wood, primer, and paint before putting on new decals. This will give you the best surface to apply your decals to.

Very important to use a primer first.

I'm not sure what the finish is on Demo Man but use an oil based enamel like Rust-o-leum.

Spend a few bucks a buy a bottle of Rapid Tac instead of using soapy water - Rapid Tac provides better adhesion of the vinyl artwork.

I do sign and vinyl graphics for a living ... DO NOT USE WINDEX!!! ... It will break down the adhesive over time.

Make sure you wipe cabinet down with 91% rubbing alcohol before you apply vinyl.

I agree with the rapid tac or any vinyl application fluid but you can make your own as well.

Option 1.Fill a spray bottle with water 1 drop of dawn dish detergent and a cap full of the rubbing alcohol.

Option 2 Spray bottle of water and a couple drops of baby shampoo.

Hope this helps

Make sure to give the paint time to fully cure. I can't recall the timeline for oil based paints but was thinking it was a couple weeks. If you do it to soon it can cause the decal to bubble or start to come up. I'm about to do a restore on my cab and I have 2 weeks in my timeline for the cab to dry. May be overkill but I figure better safe than sorry.

Head decals are so easy, just apply dry.

http://www.autobodynow.com/products/rapid-tac-application-fluid-for-vinyl-wraps-decals-stickers-4oz-sprayer?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=376054053&gclid=CM376qXuu8ECFTMQ7AodencAqA

Wet install is foolproof ... Dry can be pretty intimating if you have never done it before.

A little expensive for 4 oz

ebay.com link: like

I would just prime it and let it cure for 2 days........

Can't locate the thread but there was one recently that talked about paint for cabs. Saw several saying that non-automotive takes a week plus to fully cure. I was talking to my cab decal guy and he told me 10-14 days would be a good idea as if the paint isn't fully cured there could be some separation.

Would love to know for sure but I figure better safe than sorry so I'm going to wait.

The pros use water and a few drops of baby shampoo all the time instead of paying for the app fluid ... You will be fine with homemade app fluid.

I think at least a week to let the paint cure makes sense. I wouldn't do it any sooner than that.

Ok, remove old decals, sand down head, apply primer, sand, paint with oil based enamel, sand, either buy rapid tac or make my own solution then apply decals.

The wood grain will swell and raise slightly after the primer/paint is applied so you will need to sand it again with a finishing grit. The surface really needs to be smooth or any blemish will show through the decal. I usually do two coats of paint (sanding after each). I can't state this strongly enough the quality of the finished job will greatly depend on the prep work on the cabinet (sanding and painting).

On the black paint every game is slightly different, but semi-gloss black is typically a pretty good choice. With two coats you can always adjust the gloss on the second coat if you don't like it.

Remove the old decals using a heat gun and scraper or you will pull up a lot of wood and have to patch the area before proceeding.

From the olympic paint website:

Oil Based Paint ~ Dry Time 6-8 hours – Cure Time 3-7 days. It can be sensitive to water or chemicals during the curing process.

Water based paint can be up to 30 days.

Sand it smooth and apply the decals dry, Doug Huse cabs are directly to the wood .

You don't have to wait a week between each coat of paint. For oil based paint a couple of days should be enough. If you start sanding and the paint kind of rolls up into small balls as you work and the sandpaper seems to grab, then give it another day and try again.

The week is just on the final step to let the paint completely cure.

I did new vinyl decals on the TOM that is for sale on pinside right now in Maryland. straight on the wood and they look great ... no issues at all.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/ad/15189

Assuming heat gun and scraper best way to remove old decals?

Yes - or a Festool

You're going to gum up a lot of expensive sandpaper trying to remove decals with a Festool. I use a heat gun and scraper.

Yes, for head decals attack it using a heat gun/scraper first then go over it with an electric sander to remove any remaining white residue and wood grain imperfections.

Rest the running heat gun on the blade of the scraper about halfway up the metal blade until it heats up sufficiently and then slide/scrape in one continuous motion.

Like a hot knife through butter.

I do use a Festool with an attached vacuum hose when doing a full cabinet stripdown because of the increased surface area/time factor. Happy to pay for more sandpaper in this case if it saves wear and tear on my back.