i'm here biting my tounge while reading the current thread on
the decal availibilty issue and also the related words like 'legal'
and 'ethical'. here are my 2 cents:
the restoration market is new and too small to even matter, dollars
and sense wise. in most cases, these resto's (and the decals sought)
are being done on frames from a couple of decades ago. despite
my reading this here on the list, my experience from wthin the trade
suggests that, through the years, makers did NOT in fact keep a
supply of period decals for use in the future. some did. most didn't.
this demand for decals for older bicycles is a relatively new phenomenon.
companys like cyclart were reproducing original art into decals back
in the late 70s. i'm not here to defend their practice, but they
reproduced
the decals as part of a menu offering complete services that did not
exist in north america. they weren't in the decal business, they were in
the painting business. having resources, or creating resources, for the
decals necessary to complete a proper restoration is part of their draw.
it continues to be the case.
fast forward...now many people within the trade have access to a whole
slew of restoration decals. my masi project frames took 4 years to do and
a year was devoted to waiting for the original art to be reproduced right
off the frames before they were stripped. now those masi iterations exist
for others who may not want to invest the time and energy that i did.
would i sell the decals? not to an owner whose masi had another type
of decal. why? because i am protective of the project and want to
ensure that it doesn't get sullied by having those decals on masis of
other eras. i believe, in essence, that cyclart and others within the
industry, have a similar bent when it comes to their own stash(es)
of restoration decals. the decals are available with the paint job.
period. end-of-story. infinity.
in other words, read: turn down the volume and find something
else to whine about.
e-RICHIE
lou deeter's pal