How do you take care of the stickers?

[ks6349]

Stickers is made of paper that is not happy with water or moisture, and could go yellow over time in the air.

Just never use the stickers? Or any tips to keep the best condition of the stickers over time? For example. Palace Cinema has a number of stickers which makes me feel hesitated about this set although it really looks good. Without handling carefully, the stickers probably get damaged in a year and it really ruins the overall appearance.

What do you think?

 

[ShaydDeGrai]

More often than not, I skip the sticker sheet entirely, but that's just me.  I used to know a guy who took just the opposite approach and meticulously applied every sticker in advance of actually adding each brick to the model and would make the stickers "permanent" by painting over them with several coats of clear nail polish.  He said he'd stumbled over the method when the stickers started peeling off of his Star Wars blockade runner a few years back and tried using clear nail polish as both a glue and a sealer for the old curling stickers.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this though.  Most nail polishes are acetone based and (pure) acetone eats ABS plastic, so I think what this guy was doing was not so much gluing down a sticker to a brick as he was fusing the paper into the slightly dissolved surfaced of the brick.  For cosmetic purposes I'd assume the solvents are pretty mild, but still, the idea of chemically dissolving/pitting/melting my precious Lego for the sake of a sticker just sounds wrong.  If you really want to go the multiple protective top coat route, you might want to explore enamel paints (specifically clear top-coats) designed for use with ABS such as those produced by Testors.  But even then, test the coating on a sacrificial sticker and tile first to make sure the chemical isn't going to either soften the brick or cause the ink in the sticker to bleed

Again the best I can offer here is second-hand knowledge and a few cautions born of too many hours stuck in science classes, most of my sticker sheets are safely stowed in the instruction books.

[ks6349]

11 minutes ago, ShaydDeGrai said:

More often than not, I skip the sticker sheet entirely, but that's just me.  I used to know a guy who took just the opposite approach and meticulously applied every sticker in advance of actually adding each brick to the model and would make the stickers "permanent" by painting over them with several coats of clear nail polish.  He said he'd stumbled over the method when the stickers started peeling off of his Star Wars blockade runner a few years back and tried using clear nail polish as both a glue and a sealer for the old curling stickers.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this though.  Most nail polishes are acetone based and (pure) acetone eats ABS plastic, so I think what this guy was doing was not so much gluing down a sticker to a brick as he was fusing the paper into the slightly dissolved surfaced of the brick.  For cosmetic purposes I'd assume the solvents are pretty mild, but still, the idea of chemically dissolving/pitting/melting my precious Lego for the sake of a sticker just sounds wrong.  If you really want to go the multiple protective top coat route, you might want to explore enamel paints (specifically clear top-coats) designed for use with ABS such as those produced by Testors.  But even then, test the coating on a sacrificial sticker and tile first to make sure the chemical isn't going to either soften the brick or cause the ink in the sticker to bleed

Again the best I can offer here is second-hand knowledge and a few cautions born of too many hours stuck in science classes, most of my sticker sheets are safely stowed in the instruction books.

I agree with you. That's why although how much I like Palace Cinema, this is a set that I have to skip because I don't want the stickers peel off over time

[JopieK]

I reproduce the stickers that I like and keep the originals :) Applying stickers would be best by using mild dish washing soup with water to be able to precisely position them.

[Cylo]

I usually put them on, as they do give the model a  more finished look, and I try to position them as perfect as possible although they can still go wonky sometimes.

[Johnny1360]

I pretty much apply them the best I can and call it good, unless it's a set I plan on just using for parts then I leave them off. I don't really have any reason to save them for later as I am not trying to resell the sets later, I say use and enjoy them after all that's what they are for. I take no special care of them either. I think it's better to put them on when the pieces are new as well, since they will never be as clean or scratch free ever again. 

Seems to me they are made out of vinyl  nowadays instead of paper,  not sure but they are fairly durable, I have removed them months later and reapplied with no noticeable wear and they still adhere quite well. 

Edited November 21, 2018 by Johnny1360

[deraven]

I've had Palace Cinema since release and the stickers look as good now as the day it was assembled.  Hasn't been in direct sunlight or anything like that, which I'm sure could affect the longevity of the stickers, but it hasn't had any special storage considerations either, just sitting and displayed with other modulars.  This really isn't an issue other than with the batches of stickers in the past that have been known to be a problem; that was a production quality issue.  Likewise, the stickers on things like some of the Galaxy Squad sets that actually had some play time (with 6-10 year olds) still look fine.

If I were you and you're talking about sets made recently and not vintage stuff (with paper or coated-paper stickers), I wouldn't be concerned about it.  The vinyl stickers hold up fine and I, like others, apply them for display sets or where it really makes a difference in appearance, but not when the set is mostly purchased for parts (and in the past rarely applied the stickers at all, when they were worse about STAMPs)

[Vindicare]

I too have had Palace Cinema since day one & the stickers are all just as they were the day I applied them. 

[Mylenium]

13 hours ago, ks6349 said:

Just never use the stickers?

Correct. Stickers are just plain evil. ;)

Mylenium

[MAB]

13 hours ago, ks6349 said:

I agree with you. That's why although how much I like Palace Cinema, this is a set that I have to skip because I don't want the stickers peel off over time

Apply them to clean parts and there shouldn't be a problem, so long as you don't display the set in bright sunlight on on top of a heater or other bad environmental conditions.

[ks6349]

9 hours ago, MAB said:

Apply them to clean parts and there shouldn't be a problem, so long as you don't display the set in bright sunlight on on top of a heater or other bad environmental conditions.

but I need to clean the bricks with water, at least, with damp cloth, it hurts the stickers. Sorry Palace Cinema.

[dr_spock]

For sets that I review, I put the stickers on.   On other sets, I usually don't.  Sometimes I do if it looks better with stickers. I play with the adult version at work called shipping labels. Lots of practice at work makes it easy line up those LEGO stickers straight. 

 

 

[MAB]

20 hours ago, ks6349 said:

but I need to clean the bricks with water, at least, with damp cloth, it hurts the stickers. Sorry Palace Cinema.

Why do you need to use water? If you put it somewhere relatively clean and give it a blow every so often dust is minimised and you shouldn't need to use water to clean the parts. Plus the vinyl stickers can be wiped if need be.

[zux]

On 11/21/2018 at 8:55 PM, ks6349 said:

but I need to clean the bricks with water, at least, with damp cloth, it hurts the stickers. Sorry Palace Cinema.

Stickers will survive even if you put them into water for a short while, so wiping with damp cloth is going to be fine.

[Johnny1360]

On 11/21/2018 at 1:55 PM, ks6349 said:

but I need to clean the bricks with water, at least, with damp cloth, it hurts the stickers. Sorry Palace Cinema.

Can you not separate the stickered bricks from the unstickered bricks and wash them in a more appropriate manner. 

[AmperZand]

I mostly don't use stickers. On the rare occasions when I do use them, I apply them using a trick recommended by LEGO: wet the pieces with a bit of window cleaning solution, place and adjust the sticker, and press out any air bubbles and excess liquid. And Bob's your uncle!

I also get extras of any stickers I use. They are generally pretty cheap on BrickLink.  

[samurai-turtle]

3 hours ago, AmperZand said:

And Bob's your uncle! 

Am I missing something here? Or is it some sort of saying? 

On 11/21/2018 at 3:20 AM, Mylenium said:

Correct. Stickers are just plain evil. ;) 

I am surprised some hasn't said throw them in the trash, where they belong.  

As for my sticker placement, it comes down to what my thinking is on reusing the part. For example titles will almost always get stickered, I am thinking I could always get another title piece. 

[MAB]

9 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

Am I missing something here? Or is it some sort of saying? 

 

 

It means everything will turn out right. Just ask Fanny.

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by MAB

[paul_delahaye]

Although it's quite a costly option, I've started buying the parts from a seller in Germany, who litho prints the stickers onto the parts.  For the big sets, I've gone down this route rather than applying the stickers.

they look great on the Technic Claas tractor.

 

[ShaydDeGrai]

On November 26, 2018 at 6:47 PM, samurai-turtle said:

Am I missing something here? Or is it some sort of saying? 

"bob's your uncle" is a uniquely British catch phrase dating back to 1887.  British Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a. Lord Salisbury) appointed one Arthur Balfour to the prestigious post of Chief Secretary for Ireland.  Lord Salisbury was better known to Arthur Balfour as "Uncle Bob" and when the public got wind of this, the appointment was seen as blatant act of nepotism, "Bob's your uncle" became a popular sarcastic comment applied to any situation where the outcome was preordained by favoritism.  Eventually the phrase lost its political edge and became a synonym for "no problem."

[RobNL]

On 11/27/2018 at 8:37 PM, paul_delahaye said:

Although it's quite a costly option, I've started buying the parts from a seller in Germany, who litho prints the stickers onto the parts.  For the big sets, I've gone down this route rather than applying the stickers.

they look great on the Technic Claas tractor.

 

This sounds interesting, do you have a shop name?

[paul_delahaye]

4 hours ago, RobNL said:

This sounds interesting, do you have a shop name?

steindrucker.com 

To clarify I have no affiliation.  I find the translation to English on his webshop difficult, it's not Mac compatible, and the basket is a nightmare when converting to english.  I usually order via my parents PC.  The shipping costs to the UK are also a bit steep, but mainland europe is probably better.  but the quality of the printed parts speaks for itself as I've ordered a couple of times now.

It would be quite good if you could ship the new parts from your set to Steindrucker and he would then print them and return them, I'm sure half or more of his costs must be buying some new/quite rate parts to print on which then become spares for you.  But I can also understand if he allowed people to do this, they would probably send in poor quality used parts which would be a nightmare to print onto.

Here are the printed parts on Claas.

Here are the printed pieces on the Porsche

And here are the pieces awaiting the build of the Bugatti!

 

 

[RobNL]

On 12/16/2018 at 12:39 PM, paul_delahaye said:

steindrucker.com  

To clarify I have no affiliation.  I find the translation to English on his webshop difficult, it's not Mac compatible, and the basket is a nightmare when converting to english.  I usually order via my parents PC.  The shipping costs to the UK are also a bit steep, but mainland europe is probably better.  but the quality of the printed parts speaks for itself as I've ordered a couple of times now.

It would be quite good if you could ship the new parts from your set to Steindrucker and he would then print them and return them, I'm sure half or more of his costs must be buying some new/quite rate parts to print on which then become spares for you.  But I can also understand if he allowed people to do this, they would probably send in poor quality used parts which would be a nightmare to print onto.

 

That looks great! Thanks for sharing this. Unfortunatly i don't see the bricks for either the GT3 nor the Chrion, but i can contact and ask regarding the possibilities for specific sets. The upcomming 42096 would be a perfect example for printing :D

[paul_delahaye]

On 12/17/2018 at 4:17 PM, RobNL said:

That looks great! Thanks for sharing this. Unfortunatly i don't see the bricks for either the GT3 nor the Chrion, but i can contact and ask regarding the possibilities for specific sets. The upcomming 42096 would be a perfect example for printing :D

They are there, just challenging to navigate, they are under set bundles.  Follow the link below

https://steindrucker.com/lego-set-buendel

 

[RobNL]

18 hours ago, paul_delahaye said:

They are there, just challenging to navigate, they are under set bundles.  Follow the link below

https://steindrucker.com/lego-set-buendel

 

I must have overlooked them, thanks for bringing it up!