Decals the True Earth Way

I recently saw a post, by True Earth, makers of water based weathering agents, about using one of there products for applying decals.  The product is called Crystal Lock, it is more of an acrylic gloss coat, but I am not sure what it actually is, but I do like it, and use it.  It is great for "locking" down pigments and other effects on the model.

So, True Earth showed how to used Crystal Lock to apply decals, so I though, why not give this a try for the  console decals for my current project for Armorama, the Dragon Sexton II.  To start I gathered the items I needed, Archer Fine Transfers "U.S. Gauges and Interior Stencils", Medium Wet Paper, and the rest of my decal applying tools.

So with the dry transfer applied to the Medium Wet Paper, I treat it just like a regular decal, and soak in water.  While the decal is soaking, I apply a little dab of the Crystal Lock to the area I will be applying the decal.

When the decal is ready to apply, I just slide it off into the little puddle of Crystal Lock.  Positioning needs to be done quickly as the Crystal Lock starts to dry and become sticky.  Once I was satisfied with the position, I apply another dab of Crystal Lock to "lock" decal in place.

Voila! A different method of applying decals.  To finish this, once dry I will apply a matt clear coat, then place a dab of "Future" to each dial to represent the glass on the dial.

This same method will work, regardless of the decal location, and is an alternate method to decal setting fluids.  I am not sure how it would work on irregular surfaces, but for flat surfaces, it seems to work great.