robbied196

I work as a Graphic Designer and restore bicycles. A combination of jobs that led me to a pretty trick way of making new, or re-creating bicycle graphics.

I thought I'd post the process here is case its of some use to someone.

I'm currently restoring a 1956 Dunelt and I know there's no way of tracking down new old stock, or replacement transfers and in any case a lot of graphics from this period were painted. Fortunately, between what was left of the original graphics and google images I found a good reference to start.

So here is what I do.

Step 1. Photograph or google a half decent image of what your trying to create.

Step 2. Re-draw the graphic. Ok, I do this sort of thing everyday but if you've got a basic drawing package and a bit of patience you can soon achieve good results. I'm using the technological route here, but, all of this can be could done by hand with a pencil and scalpel, like the old days!

Step 3. What I end up with on my computer is a 'vector file', a wireframe of the graphic. This type of file can be used with any plotter to cut the vinyl.

Step 4. The cut vinyl. Now I remove the vinyl where I want the paint to go.

Step 5. Obviously I can't remove the backer from the vinyl to stick it down without losing all my detailing bits. So, I apply a backer to the surface of the vinyl, masking tape or any low tack tape will do, rub it down hard. So now the vinyl is in a sandwich, masking tape on top, original backer underneath.

Step 6. I mark a couple of lines on the masking tape side to help with alignment.

Step 7. Now I can remove the vinyl backer, leaving the adhesive of the vinyl exposed.

Step 8. So that the vinyl doesn't 'grab' the surface, I wipe the frame with some soapy water, this enables me to move it into position and check alignment.

Step 9. Wipe down and leave to dry, then remove the masking tape, leaving the vinyl stuck in position. Make sure its completely dry, any water left under the vinyl will suck the paint underneath.

Step 10. Mask up and paint, I usually go for 2 light coats, leave to dry, remove vinyl, job done

The beauty of this is you can cut anything from logo's to pinlines. With some clever masking multi colour is also easy. Or for something amazing…. gold size and gold leaf!!

randyjawa 

Very nicely done! I am going to try this process on my CCM Tour du Canada which has been waiting for art for a long time now. I even have the original art but I do not want to damage the near forty year old decals...

frantik

if you don't have a vinyl cutter you can get custom vinyl masks cut at almost any sign shop. they will prep the vinyl so it's ready to apply. (steps 4 and 5) they might even be able to recreate the artwork for you

instead of masking tape you can use contact paper if you have large masks. thats what they use in sign shops

/used to work in a sign shop

SteveSGP

Nice work, I had a friend make me some custom vinyl for my bike and it looks great.

Vinyl is also cool because it's easily removed and changed, as long as you don't clear coat it anyways.

rhm

Your graphic looks good, and your method sounds pretty easy, but I think you left out some details. Let's see if I followed this correctly:

You ran white vinyl through a plotter-type printer that laser cuts the edges. Do you have this printer yourself? Where would you suggest I have this done?

You then stuck masking tape to the surface of the vinyl to hold it all together.

You then stuck the vinyl to the bike.

You then removed the bits of vinyl where you wanted paint to go.

You then applied some gold paint.

You then removed the rest of the vinyl, along with all the paint over it.

The resulting 'decal' consists of gold paint applied directly to the bike; the vinyl is all gone.

Is that right?

AZORCH

This is essentially the same process I used to recreate some of the graphics on my Follis. Masking works well, but make certain your edges are burnished down pretty good, and go for multiple light coats of paint rather than a single thick coat to avoid "tearing" the paint film where it overlaps the mask when you lift it off. (JIC, have a brand new X-Acto knife handy.)

eddubal

Nice Job! That's just what I'm planning on doing for my bike. Painted logos really add to the character of a bike. The Peugeot logo that I'm recreating had a checker pattern that faded out the farther from the lettering it got. This masking method is a great way to "enhance" the fade effect they had into a real one.

There is a special vinyl with a low-tack adhesive made specifically for masking jobs like this. I've used it many times in many situations with great results.

If you have your design cut at a sign shop, they can and probably will do the "frisket" or the front "backing" that you mention. The frisket can be a paper one that is translucent, or you can get a clear plastic one. The clear one stretches, and it's harder to mark layout lines, but can be advantageous in certain circumstances.

The one thing that you should mention is that not all graphics programs will create a vector file. Make sure the program you draw your artwork in will. Otherwise the sign guy won't accept the artwork, or will charge a princely sum for vectorizing so his plotter will cut it out.

old_dreams

Thanks for posting this. Nice result.

Can you elaborate on Step 4 in which you remove the vinyl where you want the paint to go. Do you need a special plotter/cutter to do this or could you hand cut after printing if you were very careful. If so how do you guard against cutting into the backing layer.

robbied196

Thanks for all your comments guys

Nearly right, I'm lucky, I have a plotter at work, basically its a power driven cutting knife, if your handy with a scalpel there's no reason why you couldn't cut the graphics by hand. Just be careful not to cut through the whole sheet.

Once you've cut, then you remove the vinyl from areas you want to paint. What your aiming to do is reverse the vinyl, so the adhesive is on the outside. Apply the masking tape over the top, peel off the vinyl backer (I'm in the UK I think we have different terms for this, but hopefully the photo's help) stick down on your frame, remove the masking tape, spray or paint with a brush for pin lines, remove the vinyl.

The plotter is quick, accurate and will cut exactly the same graphic as many times as you want it. Many sign shops or vehicle graphics company's use them and would probably cut some vinyl for you, but it can all be done by hand. The best way of cutting vinyl by hand is to use a new blade, get used to the feel of the pressure needed, the blade tip will glide through the vinyl as its soft, but you'll feel it dragging if your going through the backer as well. A scalpel is good but a swivel knife is much better for cutting curves.

clubman 

Would you care to share your Dunelt vector files?
...or trade some parts? I have a fifties Dunelt in need of full restoration.

Please show us more pics of the finished bike too.

robbied196

No problem at all clubman, PM me your email and I send you an Illustrator vector, I've done the horizontal and vertical. I've been keeping a photo restoration history, so I'll definately be posting some before and after pics when I'm finished. I've just got to make a decision on whether to re-chrome a westwood 40 hole rim or pay a crazy Ebay price!!

rhm

Don't rechrome, and don't pay the crazy ebay price. Wait. The rim you want will turn up sooner than you think.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

rudi, with some time, some L channel stock and a couple of stepper motors and a controller you can make a plotter capable enough to do this. The driver and plotter software is well developed and freely available.

Google "DIY CNC" and you'll get a lot of ideas for both Plotters and 3 axis milling

rhm

Great idea, Zaphod!

Note to self: don't listen to a guy with two heads.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

its the crazy one that does most of the thinking.

gbsk

I am refurbishing an AD SL that I bought around 1978.

repechage

The letter height here is fortunate as it does not wrap around the tube a large amount.
different graphics will not be so friendly.
a graphic designer should be able to adjust for this single plane error from a curved surface- my take would be 4 to 5 images around the tube to reference and maybe even splice them together- I did that once in the pre digital era using a self made mount to keep the camera orientation and focal length accurate. A copy stand camera mounted on a board where the frame could swing freely under would be nice.

there is vinyl that is specifically designed as a paint mask material.

For the do do it yourself types, the "weeding" of the unwanted vinyl is a bunch of work- the more intricate the higher the effort. Any interruptions in the vector file letterform closures will bite you. A way to test is to color fill the letters on screen to make cure all is attached to each other.

from the description, I think the most important is the art creation- the step that is glossed over.

iab

Yes. It is no small task.

I also think it creates the most critical dilemma. The original artwork was not made with a computer. And no matter what tools you use, hand-drawn will never have the accuracy or the look of a computer. Now, you can use a the computer to reproduce those imperfections, but now you are looking at 3x-4x the time it takes to make the slick reproductions.

So most, if not nearly all reproduction decals just look wrong to me. I have no problem with over-restoration, but it is what it is.

gugie 

It's usually pretty easy to pick out the restorations, as they're "too perfect". Some people like the ultra-realism, but mostly I'm with you. The real masters know how to "wear down" a finish to match the original so you can't tell, which is important when doing a repair, for example.

I'm digging this thread. I've done a few vinyl decals, but never using them as a mask. The process seems pretty simple, it sounds like it's really just attention to detail to make it come out right.

repechage

On many bikes recreating the "slap-dash" production variations that was part of the original work is near impossible for a Master refinisher to allow themselves to do.
I have had intense discussion regarding where to place the paint transition on a contrasting color head tube... I had to acept the fact he was just not willing to do it at the "top" edge of the lug- even with plenty of photo evidence.
Keith Anderson was good at spray on graphics. The effort/reward equation was not good enough, he left the business.

cinco

I just use tracing paper to make a quick reference sketch of the decal to deal with geometric distortion. Once that's imported and you have the scale correct you can set it and the photograph as background images and do the vector work on top. Once you're done you just drop out the background layers. Inkscape is free and there are lots of tutorials for it out there. I was a complete novice and it only took about a week of evenings to learn the program and draw up a full decal set for my Lygie.

gugie 

It would seem to me that one could get a really nice, durable finish with clearcoat over stenciled graphics at a fairly low cost. I've been thinking of doing the following:

1. Have frame powder powder coated. You can get this done somewhere in the $100-$150 range, depending on where you live.
2. Stencil graphics on, as shown above with wet paint of some sort
3 Clear coat with a spray can 2k product.

Details I'm thinking about:

a) Should I roughen the powder coat a bit prior to stencil and clear coating to improve adhesion? I think a super fine sandpaper or steel wool mimght do the trick, but this is an area I'm woefully inexperienced at.
b) Does 2k clear coat harden fast enough to wet sand/polish in between a few coats for a super smooth finish? My understanding is that once you activate 2k the pot life is somewhere around 24 hours, so it's use it or lose it?

repechage

Use it or lose it and the paintgun too unless you clean it all out first.

gugie 

Yep. Right now I'm thinking of just using a spray can type as "proof of concept".

Am I overthinking this? Just use 2-3 light coats and then polish it down?

Big Block

this technique with photos to illustrate how it is done.
https://lixbmx.com/tips-for-tracing-survivor-decals