Hi Gang,
I have been attempting to get decals done for over a year. I boughta 531 decal from Greg about 6 months ago. PERFECT and thin!!! How easy!
Next I talked with him about some project decals. Some straight forward some more difficult. We have sent emails back and forth getting it down to literally the milimeter on a variety of demensions. This whole time he has been patient with my nit-picky manner. He has repeatedly said lets get this right. Many of Photos, measurements, discussions on color, is that washed out in the picture or is that a border, how much shadow is that, measure it. Are you sure of these colors. Multiple runs and prints back and forth. emails with test prints, closer but not quite the right amount of border, shadow, color, on and on.
I will be receivng them in the near future. I'll then discuss what I have learned in this truly give and take process to as he has said "get it right"
I am very confident he is on the path of and art and a skill we all can support.
Regards Craig Griffith San Luis Obispo,ca. USA
> From: "Greg S" <gtsoftley@ozemail.com.au>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 13:47:32 +1100
> Subject: [CR]Open letter by Greg Softley re decal reproduction
>
> Hi Crew,
> I have been trying to keep under the radar for a while concerning my
> decals that I sell on ebay, mainly due to the fact that shameless self
> promotion is not my thing. As a lot of you know, I have been a
> listmember for a couple of years and sometimes I chime in when I feel I
> have something positive to comment on - but like most 'sleepers' I hold
> my tongue even when the most inane and exasperating comments are made.
> I have been selling repro decals on ebay and by special order for nearly
> a couple of years and have learnt that this 'band of brothers' ( the CR
> listmembers) only represents a tiny fraction of those who enjoy riding
> and restoring vintage steel. There is a massive pool of interest out
> there and within the confines of the CR list we are really just a
> small, but very dedicated and focussed group. I have made so many strong
> friendships locally and internationally that, like many other CR
> members, has improved the quality of my life and of course my bike
> stable!
> Lets talk about decals.... firstly a couple of the comments recently
> posted....
> Dale Phelps argues that reproductions are too thick and require too much
> clear coat to bury...... normally true if the maker uses thick vinyl.
> The vinyl I use is the finest I can source in regards to thickness - the
> next finer grade is virtually 'cling wrap' which has major distortion
> problems when applying. Most repro makers use thick vinyl that is
> suitable for outdoor signage - so longevity is more important as well as
> cost....my vinyl costs considerably more to buy than the average
> commercial product. I have used many pressure rub and water slides and
> there is nearly no difference to the thickness that I use. An elderly
> framebuilder (living treasure Jim Bundy) restoring an old Speedwell
> couldn't convince his old biking cronies that my decals on his frame
> were not waterslide transfers.
> Don Gillies mentions that on a couple of my Reynolds decals there were
> some mistakes.....accepted. I politely thanked him for his input and
> consequently changed the artwork...that was a long time ago Don! The
> variety of Reynolds and the different commercial printers that handled
> the printing requiremnts for them over the decades has produced more
> variations than you can poke a stick at. I am constantly editing and
> building my resource library to get the most generic and accurate
> artwork for each new print run. At that time I had a contractor doing
> them for me at great cost and artistic control was tough work. I solved
> the problem by investing about $40,000 into machinery, software and
> materials (mirror gold vinyl cost $1000 a roll for my printer) and set
> about learning the art of forging. I was a slave to the printer and
> software for quite a while - but managed a good outcome...now the roles
> have been reversed and its a slave to me. What has to be considered in
> the equation is the personal cost of a venture of this sort......aside
> from the $ investment, ordinary folk who have a day job, a family, like
> doing stuff like riding and building bikes could find themselves in
> trouble. To digitalize a full set of decals - correctly - and have the
> artwork compatible to a specific printer which does dry heat foil
> transfer style printing - and nothing else really works - could take up
> to a week of evenings spent bent over a computer screen. Staring at a
> monitor for weeks and months is not good for your health and you end up
> putting on weight...its true! Sample runs, wastage and the other stuff -
> emails, postage and packing make a $40 set of decals basically a 3rd
> world economic venture. So you have to have someone committed, with the
> resources of $ and time and has a tough enough shell to get over the odd
> slap in the face and with the burning desire to get as many vintage
> steel bikes back to their true original - if not improved - state.
> I own about 30 bikes, have another 30 frames and have friends who have
> stables as well. I also have a large collection of decals and this is
> where I have been getting most of my artwork from to date. Many
> purchases of decals to help expand my library of artwork has resulted in
> the expensive experience of ending up with useless decals - poor
> registration, incorrect graphics, bad cutting. True originals quite
> often end up shattering or even turning to dust when attempting to mount
> them. A set of vintage foil decals I paid $150 for the set, fell to
> pieces, and am now selling reproductions for $10...and these wont
> break.
> Moral dilemma? Getting vintage steel on the road looking great sits on
> the moral high ground IMO, and inspires others to restore, save and
> perpetuate vintage classics for future generations. Certain marques or
> brands worrying about copywrite? - the restoration of their heritage is
> something that they haven't done themselves and should be grateful for
> those that are rebuilding their historic base. For the CR listmembers
> who have concerns about originality in correct restorations- a shortfall
> in supply of original decals compared to the needs of the many seems to
> me to be a very short sighted and exclusive way of thinking. To the guys
> out there that are making rubber campy hoods - good on you - but please
> state that they are repros so there is no deception. I have some of
> these and they are tops! Compared to a set that sat in a fridge for 20
> years, they haven't quickly gone hard and brittle like the NOS set that
> were like a picture of Dorian Gray and were pretty nasty after 4 months
> of normal exposure - even installed on a bike that lives under a sheet
> in the spare room in my house.
> I have plans to expand my library of decals which probably amounts
> currently to over 130 different sets gradually as time permits. I am not
> keen on doing 'one off' specials - let Michael from Velographics take
> care of that and I wish him well. Certainly for networking this sort of
> venture is great, but to be effective you need everything at hand...no
> waiting or relyng on others. Might I say that I have a soft spot for CR
> members requests - even though I have done a couple of jobs for 'you
> know who I am talking about' and have heard nothing from them although a
> week of my spare time was invested in the process.
> I have plans to see some of you guys at Eroica or even Dale's final bash
> in 2007 Cirque.
> Sorry about the length but have been saving a lot up for quite a while.
> Now to print the Allegro, Rauler and Tommasini sets I have been working
> on.
> Greg Softley
> Coffs Harbour
> Oztralia