sealing in transfers

hi all,
My lister d was restored about 25 years ago but the transfers were never added. Now i have got the transfers and applied them but now i don't know how to seal them in to protect them from oil, water ect. the problem is that i only want to apply the varnish to the area of the transfer, but i know that a varnish will never really have the same finish as the paint work. thus leaving you with a random glossy or matt splat over your transfer and surrounding area. will it really be noticeable baring in mind that my engine isn't gleaming and new looking? or is there another way to seal transfers in?
thank for you help and i will post a picture up soon,
callum.  

Never used varnish on an engine in over 30 years, just put them on, they will be fine.

if thats the case i won't bother with the varnish. are they relatively resilient to oil and the like?
thanks,
callum

callum12 wrote:if thats the case i won't bother with the varnish. are they relatively resilient to oil and the like?
thanks,
callum

Yes they should stand oil and fuel once they are thoroughly dry. If Rob can't destroy them they should be bomb proof!  

Pete.

never had a decal move in all weathers and adear to surface well,just prep the area were there going well ,as stated in the little letter you normally get with them
the varnish just makes them shine like the new paint there going on so older job will be dulled a little so not so inportant
just the decals as when finished drying out

and varnished up

just looks more as if it was painted on and blends in better with the shine
kev

I've never varnished over transfers either.  They can take several days to dry properly though, so leave them well alone for a couple of weeks once you've fitted them and don't worry if the 'transparent' areas of the transfer look a bit 'cloudy' when they've first been applied, they'll usually dry pretty clear.  Try not to get oil or petrol on them, this shouldn't happen on a Lister D head (unless you are chucking it about!) and be careful not to scratch them (belt buckles can easily do this if you are lifting parts of the engine when re-building or servicing them!).  Keep polish away from them too, a gentle wipe over with a soft damp cloth should be all that's needed to clean them once they've dried properly.  Hope this is useful.

you are proud of your engine aren't you Kev, and so you should be, it a stunner. I've seen it all over the forum!   
anyway my engine isn't a high gloss finish like yours so varnishing wouldn't be necessary. thanks for you help everyone.
callum

well i thought id never get to own a opencrank when i lost my job ,but with passion and hard graft at my hobby it payed off in the end
yes i like my amanco ,but its berried in the back of a shed and ive not seen it since july 2013   
and have another one rusting away at the back of another shed in dyer need of some bucks and love back to running ,but this time its going out in oil rag or linseed oil for the before and after display
this months header pic is also one of mine
i do my best on all my displays mine or for others
yours dont look bad for a old paint job either ,so you also did a great job
kev