Answers.Body: <p>Oh, those look sad! Stickers with white designs on them are notorious for peeling/cracking. </p>
  
  <p>I have found that the best way to protect stickers like these is to apply a thin layer of clearcoat to them while they are still new. Wait until the clearcoat dries, then apply the sticker to the LEGO set. You can use pretty much any acrylic clearcoat, medium or varnish available at hobby and craft stores. Anything in the scrap-booking/decoupage section should be safe, but it is a good idea to test them on a small corner of the sticker-sheet. Always apply the clearcoat thin. You only need a thin layer over the sticker. If you apply too much the clearcoat can yellow with age.</p>
  
  <p>Once stickers are already damaged it would be pretty much impossible to repair them. Even if you try to put a clearcoat on an already damaged sticker, it will continue peeling, so it is not worth it. It is much easier to just get and extra sticker-sheet for any LEGO set on Bricklink. The stickers for your set above are <a href="http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=10019-1" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p>
  
  <p>I have actually made it a habit to always pick up 1-3 extra sticker-sheets on Bricklink when I buy a new set. While the set is still new and readily available the sticker-sheets are much cheaper (often just a few pennies) than trying to get a pristine stickers-sheet for a set that is 10 years old. Just place them in a ziplock bag, and store them away from heat and direct and sunlight. They won't deteriorate that way.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-09-09T22:12:18.737Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-09-10T15:21:47.360Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2013-09-10T15:21:47.360Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: TheBrickBlogger
Answers.Body: <p>Replacement stickers from a third-party site are an option, but they can be expensive - the sticker sheet for this set is currently between $75 and $200!</p>
  
  <p>You can repair printed paper stickers, if you want to take the time and care to do it. The basic steps are:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p>Remove the sticker from the piece. I use a razor blade. Hold it
  nearly flat against the brick and very carefully start around the
  edges of the sticker until you have enough pulled away that you can
  hold an edge with your fingers. Then it's a matter of pulling evenly
  at the sticker while separating it with the razor blade. This takes
  patience. Go slow.</p></li>
  <li><p>Once the sticker is removed, flatten out the wrinkles and re-align
  the torn spots as much as you can. I usually do this on a piece of
  waxed paper. Any glue left over on the sticker will hold on the waxed
  paper, but it can easily be peeled off. Once you have it flat and
  smooth again, put another piece of paper over it, then a piece of cardboard, then some heavy books or even a brick. Leave it under weight for a couple days.</p></li>
  <li><p>Clean the sticker residue off the brick. You might be able to rub
  most of it off, but I have also used products like Goo Gone (which is
  petroleum-based, so use <em>very</em> sparingly). After getting the residue
  off, wash the brick with warm soapy water.</p></li>
  <li><p>Take your sticker out from under the weight. You can do some cleaning
  of the sticker, if needed, using a kneadable eraser. If the sticker
  is mostly intact - that is if the layers of paper haven't peeled
  apart - you can now carefully remove it from the waxed paper and
  reapply it. In some cases, there will be enough glue on the back that
  you can just re-apply it to the piece as is. In other cases (like the
  example above, for instance) glue is missing or the layers of paper
  have peeled apart. </p></li>
  <li><p>In the case of peeled layers, you can re-glue them together using a
  thin layer of glue - like from a glue stick. Carefully apply it to
  the top of the lower layer of paper, position the printed paper
  smoothly over it and put it back under the weight to dry. If part of the backing paper has torn away (and is left stuck on the piece, for example) you can replace it with very thin tissue paper.</p></li>
  <li><p>If the layers are intact, you can restore the stickiness using
  "repositionable" glue. This is glue that you apply and let dry for a
  minute before putting the sticker back on the piece.</p></li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-09-15T18:25:53.753Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-09-15T18:25:53.753Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: 62Bricks
Body: <p>Does anyone have any ideas on how to repair and protect cracked/peeling decals, like these pictured in my 10019 set:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wAk8O.jpg" alt="10019 peeling decals">
  Some kind of film or lacquer?</p>
  
Tags: <repair><stickers>
Title: How to repair cracked/peeling decals?
UserDisplayName: autenil
ThreadText: # How to repair cracked/peeling decals?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2013-09-09)
  
  Does anyone have any ideas on how to repair and protect cracked/peeling decals, like these pictured in my 10019 set:
  
  ![10019 peeling decals](https://i.sstatic.net/wAk8O.jpg)
  Some kind of film or lacquer?
  
  **Tags:** repair, stickers
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2013-09-09. Score: 3
  
  Oh, those look sad! Stickers with white designs on them are notorious for peeling/cracking.
  
  I have found that the best way to protect stickers like these is to apply a thin layer of clearcoat to them while they are still new. Wait until the clearcoat dries, then apply the sticker to the LEGO set. You can use pretty much any acrylic clearcoat, medium or varnish available at hobby and craft stores. Anything in the scrap-booking/decoupage section should be safe, but it is a good idea to test them on a small corner of the sticker-sheet. Always apply the clearcoat thin. You only need a thin layer over the sticker. If you apply too much the clearcoat can yellow with age.
  
  Once stickers are already damaged it would be pretty much impossible to repair them. Even if you try to put a clearcoat on an already damaged sticker, it will continue peeling, so it is not worth it. It is much easier to just get and extra sticker-sheet for any LEGO set on Bricklink. The stickers for your set above are [here](http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=10019-1).
  
  I have actually made it a habit to always pick up 1-3 extra sticker-sheets on Bricklink when I buy a new set. While the set is still new and readily available the sticker-sheets are much cheaper (often just a few pennies) than trying to get a pristine stickers-sheet for a set that is 10 years old. Just place them in a ziplock bag, and store them away from heat and direct and sunlight. They won't deteriorate that way.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2013-09-15. Score: 0
  
  Replacement stickers from a third-party site are an option, but they can be expensive - the sticker sheet for this set is currently between $75 and $200!
  
  You can repair printed paper stickers, if you want to take the time and care to do it. The basic steps are:
  
  * Remove the sticker from the piece. I use a razor blade. Hold it
    nearly flat against the brick and very carefully start around the
    edges of the sticker until you have enough pulled away that you can
    hold an edge with your fingers. Then it's a matter of pulling evenly
    at the sticker while separating it with the razor blade. This takes
    patience. Go slow.
  * Once the sticker is removed, flatten out the wrinkles and re-align
    the torn spots as much as you can. I usually do this on a piece of
    waxed paper. Any glue left over on the sticker will hold on the waxed
    paper, but it can easily be peeled off. Once you have it flat and
    smooth again, put another piece of paper over it, then a piece of cardboard, then some heavy books or even a brick. Leave it under weight for a couple days.
  * Clean the sticker residue off the brick. You might be able to rub
    most of it off, but I have also used products like Goo Gone (which is
    petroleum-based, so use *very* sparingly). After getting the residue
    off, wash the brick with warm soapy water.
  * Take your sticker out from under the weight. You can do some cleaning
    of the sticker, if needed, using a kneadable eraser. If the sticker
    is mostly intact - that is if the layers of paper haven't peeled
    apart - you can now carefully remove it from the waxed paper and
    reapply it. In some cases, there will be enough glue on the back that
    you can just re-apply it to the piece as is. In other cases (like the
    example above, for instance) glue is missing or the layers of paper
    have peeled apart.
  * In the case of peeled layers, you can re-glue them together using a
    thin layer of glue - like from a glue stick. Carefully apply it to
    the top of the lower layer of paper, position the printed paper
    smoothly over it and put it back under the weight to dry. If part of the backing paper has torn away (and is left stuck on the piece, for example) you can replace it with very thin tissue paper.
  * If the layers are intact, you can restore the stickiness using
    "repositionable" glue. This is glue that you apply and let dry for a
    minute before putting the sticker back on the piece.
  
  
  ---
  
  