Vintage Bicycle Decals

[blink]

hey everybody.....
i have been searching for decals for the Western Flyer build i am putting together for the old lady's xmas present.
you can buy some fork dart decals on ebay for a kinda outrageous price, and they arent even the correct ones for this bike.
memory lane has a couple decals for the script, but color selection is lacking.

also, i have noticed with almost all bike decals, if they are available, they are expensive on ebay.

this stuff is vinyl, cut in a plotter. a very small amount of material in most cases. and vinyl is cheap stuff.

being an environmental graphic designer who evolved to that from being a sign-builder, graphics guy, etc., i have experience with this process.

i have decided that i am going to design my own decals for this bike, cut them from vinyl in a friend's plotter, and apply them before applying my clearcoat.

i will let everybody know how it turns out.......

also, what does everybody here do when they need decals?

 

[SkidMark]

A lot of people who do this feel that you the consumer should be paying for the monthly payment on their plotter, computer, and software, and not just the cost of time and materials. Same with a lot of people who make CNC parts. Truth is this some people are lazy and have good credit, so they will just pay whatever.

I've never restored any bike but a Schwinn Stingray and I got decals from Hyperformance Schwinn for a reasonable price IMO. If I did have to make decals I would shop around with the local vinyl decal makers and find the one that is the most competent. R. Brian Bayliss does vintage road bike water-slide decals, but it may only be for bikes he restores. I can't find a website for him.

 

[tikiharl]

Maple Island Sales has a good selection. Some original and some vinyl, fairly reasonable. I just bought some "Columbia Built" decals @ 8.00 a piece.The guy on the phone was very pleasent and did a fast ship.
http://mapleislandsales.com/search_resu ... bmit+Query

 

[Slick Rick]

Not having any real resources to procure decals, and not really a fan of vinyl "stickers" I refuse to call these decals! You end up paying for the real deal! You know the saying "you play you pay" I dont find the prices to be extemely outrageous for most sellers, but couple it w/shipping and it starts to smart a little.MLC, maple Island , Hyper-formance are all good retail suppliers. Mr. JC Higgins is one of the better E-bay sellers for them. Most of my needs are Schwinn and there doesnt seem to be any real lack of supply for these. :wink: Later & PEACE!!!

 

[sensor]

dont forget http://www.memorylane-classics.com/
dont know if they have what you need but chances are they do(even if its not listed on the site)

 

[Anonymous]

Model car builders and model train guys have been making thier own water transfer decals for years.

I've never done it but I guess you can get the blank water transfer paper and print your own.

 

[Rodland]

Model car builders and model train guys have been making thier own water transfer decals for years.

I've never done it but I guess you can get the blank water transfer paper and print your own.

Yes you can do it yourself. Use Testors decal sheets #9202White, #9201 clear and #9200 decal bonder. I get it at Hobby Lobby. I have found whole kits at walmart in the model car section #9198. You must use the bonder( just a clear coat) or the ink will wash off.

 

[blink]

Not having any real resources to procure decals, and not really a fan of vinyl "stickers" I refuse to call these decals! You end up paying for the real deal! You know the saying "you play you pay" I dont find the prices to be extemely outrageous for most sellers, but couple it w/shipping and it starts to smart a little.MLC, maple Island , Hyper-formance are all good retail suppliers. Mr. JC Higgins is one of the better E-bay sellers for them. Most of my needs are Schwinn and there doesnt seem to be any real lack of supply for these. :wink: Later & PEACE!!!

well, since i was making these myself on a friends plotter, i was thinking about cutting the vinyl and applying it like a mask to spray the graphics on. that way they will be more permanent and more a part of the bike. i think he actually has some paint mask vinyl.

 

[sensor]

im not sure if itll work with a plotter but contact paper works great for masking designs off for paint...
just a thought....

 

[bmxerpete]

"well, since i was making these myself on a friends plotter, i was thinking about cutting the vinyl and applying it like a mask to spray the graphics on. that way they will be more permanent and more a part of the bike. i think he actually has some paint mask vinyl."

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. I've done this on bicycles and on mopeds/scooters that are stored on yachts for tooling around the islands. A lot of times I have to match the script or logo that's on the yachts and I've found this is the quickest and easiest way. I'll spray the main color and then outline it by hand with a small brush.
Use Krylon or any other good quality enamel spray paint and then use One Shot Artist Enamels for the striping.

Have fun! Pete

 

[skoda]

A guy that bought a few bikes from me locally was telling me he had custom decals made by just doing a google search for "vinyl stickers". Found a company that made him a chainguard length block letter decal for like $8 shipped.

Sorry I can't provide any better info than that, but it was all I got. I saw the decal, it looked good, was on clear so it didn't have to be die-cut, but you could always trace it out with an xacto.

 

[Slick Rick]

Vinyl maskings are an excellent idea! I have used them to do two tone paint schemes and they work out really well.You might very well be on to something really good there. But the question that comes into my mind is,is it any cheaper to do these than to buy decals? I guess its a mute point if no decals are available for your application though. :?