# Gus Salmon decals



## Ernbar (Jan 29, 2020)

Just wanted to pass out a good word for Gus Salmon’s decal work. I wanted to refresh the faded and almost invisible Spitfire script on my chain guard but I was unable to get this decal not even from Bicycle Bones. I found an old thread here on the CABE about Gus so I gave him a call. He made me a beautiful set for the chain guard with the script, large round Chicago badge and the smaller round one for the down tube that was 95% gone.


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## Gus (Jan 29, 2020)

Glad it fit, happy to help.

I got a few left (3) Spitfire script decals and a few Schwinn Seat Tube water slide decals, if anyone is interested in buying those, please PM me. Thanks in advance.


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## Freqman1 (Jan 29, 2020)

Gus has always came through for me! I highly recommend anyone needing a decal reproduced to contact him. Reasonable prices and quality work. V/r Shawn


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## Schwinn lover (Jan 29, 2020)

PM sent


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## Gus (Jan 29, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> Gus has always came through for me! I highly recommend anyone needing a decal reproduced to contact him. Reasonable prices and quality work. V/r Shawn



I love to be referred by Freqman1 because he appreciates accuracy and quality. Thank you


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## atencioee (Feb 15, 2020)

Hi Gus, I just sent you a pm


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Sep 20, 2020)

Has anyone else had a bad experience with Gus Salmon? According to him all he wants to do is work with a 'very selected group of paint shops and friends'.  I've been customizing bikes for three years and needed custom decals for a Le Tour I'm restoring. At first he was helpful.  He answered my newbie questions. I've never painted a bike and need to learn the most professional way (my father-in-law is teaching me how to paint) to handle the decals. He gave me pricing and I sent photos and a description of what I needed. After nearly a week of no response I asked for an update, his attitude does a 180 and tells me he's not interested. 

He's right, I should of done a better job of making a commitment. Maybe he thought I was a tire kicker. No, far from it. But he never followed up and only gave me attitude when I tried to clarify things. 

Here's a Columbia Jet Rider that we restored two years ago. This tied for first place at a local vintage bike meet last year. Yup, we're just a couple no-name mechanics with too much time on our hands.


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## Freqman1 (Sep 20, 2020)

twinflight said:


> Has anyone else had a bad experience with Gus Salmon? According to him all he wants to do is work with a 'very selected group of paint shops and friends'.  I've been customizing bikes for three years and needed custom decals for a Le Tour I'm restoring. At first he was helpful.  He answered my newbie questions. I've never painted a bike and need to learn the most professional way (my father-in-law is teaching me how to paint) to handle the decals. He gave me pricing and I sent photos and a description of what I needed. After nearly a week of no response I asked for an update, his attitude does a 180 and tells me he's not interested.
> 
> He's right, I should of done a better job of making a commitment. Maybe he thought I was a tire kicker. No, far from it. But he never followed up and only gave me attitude when I tried to clarify things.
> 
> ...



I’ve never had anything but great dealings with Gus which goes back at least six or seven years. He has always come through for me with nothing but top shelf products. Actually I was in contact with him today about a couple projects I have going. V/r Shawn


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## DonChristie (Sep 20, 2020)

I got to say, Gus is the man! I got a trust the truss and now a Hiawatha Arrow decal from him. Great work and price! Thanks Gus!


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Sep 20, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> I’ve never had anything but great dealings with Gus which goes back at least six or seven years. He has always come through for me with nothing but top shelf products. Actually I was in contact with him today about a couple projects I have going. V/r Shawn




Wish I could say the same. He’s the first vendor I’ve dealt with that was unprofessional. Going back to Crawfords who did the decals for the Columbia. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Freqman1 (Sep 20, 2020)

As far as I know Crawford only does vinyl unless he now does water slide? V/r Shawn


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## Ernbar (Sep 20, 2020)

Can’t say anything negative about Gus. He did one heck of a job on my Spitfire decals and was very fair in pricing.


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## Gus (Sep 20, 2020)

Well, looks like this guy is going around the web spreading seeds of hate just because he wore me out with questions and specifics about paint which is not even my field. Then after 2 weeks he comes back to nag me and doesn't kindly asks but says What's the status? LOL status of what  said, then he went on to waste my time again.
Been doing this as a hobby for  near 4 decades and had to highlight that I am not a decal store (Vendor as he calls it), that I do this for a limited group of people which is absolutely true. Time waster Beware!


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Sep 20, 2020)

Gus said:


> Well, looks like this giy is going around the web spreading seeds of hate just because he wore me out with questions and specifics about paint which is not even my field. Then after 2 weeks he comes back to nag me and doesn't kindly asks but says Waht's the status? LOL status of what  said, then he went on to waste my time again. Beware!




This is the only place. I tried to place an order last Tuesday, 5 days ago. No need to exaggerate.  Not seeds of hate,  just looking for your reasoning of why you didn't want to do business. I was ready to give you credit card info because I liked your product and seemed highly regarded. Yes, I asked a lot of questions because I'm unfamiliar with the process. If this is how you treat customers that are new to the business I'll gladly go elsewhere and tell others to do the same. This is a small community.


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## atencioee (Sep 20, 2020)

@twinflight, From what I heard, Gus is really good and uses original decals to make his. I've never used his, but I did seek him out once because I was looking for a hard to find decal, that he wasn't able to make because he didn't have an original of the particular decal and I didn't either...However, he did try and he was really cool about trying to help me, but as I said it is one of those rare hard to find decals and I didn't have one for him to use to make one. @Gus really is a good guy and hopefully you can try to reconcile with him and get things worked out. If your able to find an original of the decal your looking for, from what I know Gus can make it.  You can also ask Dan, aka @bicyclebones ...he has some very nice decals too, he's on here (The Cabe). He is also on ebay with the same username. If not him, he may be able to lead you to someone who can.


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Sep 20, 2020)

[mention]atencioee [/mention] I appreciate your input. Bicycle Bones has a good selection but none were an exact match. 

It’s very frustrating because I was getting conflicting information from another mechanic, my father-in-law, I’m working with versus what Gus was telling me. My FIL is very old school and was telling me to sand off the decals, Gus said to do it chemically. So yeah, lots of questions when how you were initially told to prep the frame is thrown out the window. I trusted Gus’ expertise. 

Moving on. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## atencioee (Sep 20, 2020)

I'm not an expert on decal removal, and I'm not sure what or why was communicated, but it could that if you sanded them off, you would mess up the decal. Gus was probably trying to get you to use something that would remove the decal without destroying it, so that you could send it to him and he could make an exact repro from the OG.


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## Ernbar (Sep 21, 2020)

Well if you sand the decals the paint will be ruined unless you are gonna repaint the bike. By using a chemical means like Solvaset that may attack the decal film by softening  it and making it easy to lift without damaging the paint providing the decal is not sealed with a clear coat.


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## Hudman (Sep 22, 2020)

Gus said:


> Glad it fit, happy to help.
> 
> I got a few left (3) Spitfire script decals and a few Schwinn Seat Tube water slide decals, if anyone is interested in buying those, please PM me. Thanks in advance.
> 
> View attachment 1131604






Gus said:


> Glad it fit, happy to help.
> 
> I got a few left (3) Spitfire script decals and a few Schwinn Seat Tube water slide decals, if anyone is interested in buying those, please PM me. Thanks in advance.
> 
> View attachment 1131604








Good work my friend..have you ever made "Deluxe" stickers or be intrested in making some ? Im working on a 46 Schwinn/BFG.  Thank you..stay healthy.


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## robert bell (Sep 23, 2020)

Gus said:


> Well, looks like this guy is going around the web spreading seeds of hate just because he wore me out with questions and specifics about paint which is not even my field. Then after 2 weeks he comes back to nag me and doesn't kindly asks but says What's the status? LOL status of what  said, then he went on to waste my time again.
> Been doing this as a hobby for  near 4 decades and had to highlight that I am not a decal store (Vendor as he calls it), that I do this for a limited group of people which is absolutely true. Time waster Beware!



Still trying to get some schwinn decals made, got photos and sample repo decal, gus was not interested. Really wish he would help!


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

robert bell said:


> Still trying to get some schwinn decals made, got photos and sample repo decal, gus was not interested
> 
> 
> Hudman said:
> ...


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

robert bell said:


> Still trying to get some schwinn decals made, got photos and sample repo decal, gus was not interested. Really wish he would help!



Robert if you read some of the above comments, I do not work from Reproduced decals, as a rule, Original reference ONLY. And with photos that look blurry and in angles, makes it worse, so in lots of cases I pass on the request. Some people even tell me they have a friend or some relative that will do the artwork, that represents even more work for me so I also decline.


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

Hudman said:


> View attachment 1271982
> 
> Good work my friend..have you ever made "Deluxe" stickers or be intrested in making some ? Im working on a 46 Schwinn/BFG.  Thank you..stay healthy.




Thast's a great picture and might be able to help, if you would send me a PM. Thank you.


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

Gus said:


> Robert if you read some of the above comments, I do not work from Reproduced decals, as a rule, Original reference ONLY. And with photos that look blurry and in angles, makes it worse, so in lots of cases I pass on the request. Some people even tell me they have a friend or some relative that will do the artwork, that represents even more work for me so I also decline.




Also, Robert, you have gotten decals from me before and I also declined in the MIA/Pow decals on the charity project because you needed vinyl and I don’t do those. Just wanted to make sure you remember.


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## robert bell (Sep 23, 2020)

Gus said:


> Also, Robert, you have gotten decals from me before and I also declined in the MIA/Pow decals on the charity project because you needed vinyl and I don’t do those. Just wanted to make sure you remember.



Understand on the pow/mia decals, no prob. Was going to send you a tank half for the Schwinn decal example, that was the situation that you declined. Have good photos and a repo sample too. Don't know what to do to have you make those decals. Sorry


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

Thanks you fr the overwhelming sympathy. I m getting several requests, so I will answer you as soon as possibly can. Thank you.


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## Gus (Sep 23, 2020)

robert bell said:


> Understand on the pow/mia decals, no prob. Was going to send you a tank half for the Schwinn decal example, that was the situation that you declined. Have good photos and a repo sample too. Don't know what to do to have you make those decals. Sorry




I as I said on a previous reply, I don’t work with Repos. 
Sending me the tank is risky as it could get damaged during shipping and I can not take that chance. If you were to sign a release for me I might do it.


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## 1motime (Sep 24, 2020)

I have not done business with Gus but it looks like he does very nice work.  The problem is if you are good and are consistent work keeps coming.  Then the problem is there is too much work.  Something has to give and it usually means saying no.  That is difficult and especially if you choose to be polite.  Some potential customers have a problem with that, don't understand and get frustrated.  No reason to get upset.  Much different story if money was exchanged and then you get bumped.  
I did restorations for over 35 years.  All word of mouth.  Never advertised.  Always something to do seven days a week.  It was always stressful to say no to new work.  Even if you are booked you never really knew what is coming in next.


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## Gus (Sep 25, 2020)

1motime said:


> I have not done business with Gus but it looks like he does very nice work.  The problem is if you are good and are consistent work keeps coming.  Then the problem is there is too much work.  Something has to give and it usually means saying no.  That is difficult and especially if you choose to be polite.  Some potential customers have a problem with that, don't understand and get frustrated.  No reason to get upset.  Much different story if money was exchanged and then you get bumped.
> I did restorations for over 35 years.  All word of mouth.  Never advertised.  Always something to do seven days a week.  It was always stressful to say no to new work.  Even if you are booked you never really knew what is coming in next.



You hit it on the nail.


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## EastsideSchwinn (Sep 25, 2020)

Hi Gus, you wouldn't happen to have a The "Schwinn Cycletruck" Decal for the down tube, would ya? I'm working on a '39 and can't find one anywhere. I'd be very interested. Thank you.


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## Gus (Sep 25, 2020)

EastsideSchwinn said:


> Hi Gus, you wouldn't happen to have a The "Schwinn Cycletruck" Decal for the down tube, would ya? I'm working on a '39 and can't find one anywhere. I'd be very interested. Thank you.
> 
> View attachment 1273240




No, I don’t but it can be made having excellent pictures.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 25, 2020)

did I read that right you can only make them from original decals, and not from a drawing? if so why would that be? or am i missing something.

they make the decals for any bike I am doing right now, just curious


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## Gus (Sep 25, 2020)

Hudman said:


> View attachment 1271982
> 
> Good work my friend..have you ever made "Deluxe" stickers or be intrested in making some ? Im working on a 46 Schwinn/BFG.  Thank you..stay healthy.



.


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## Gus (Sep 25, 2020)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> did I read that right you can only make them from original decals, and not from a drawing? if so why would that be? or am i missing something.
> 
> they make the decals for any bike I am doing right now, just curious



 I strive to make a decal look original. I do not reproduce from someone else’s work.


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## Gus (Sep 26, 2020)

.


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## neverowns (Jan 28, 2021)

@Gus Hi Gus, I’ve just found some of your YouTube videos, I found a waterslide decal supplier here in the UK, but there is a definite edge to the waterslides they supplied. 

I was wondering whether you would supply waterslide decals to the UK, and if thats not possible, what the weight of your decals are. Are they < 8 microns?

Best, J


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## CycleOc (Jan 28, 2021)

Gus is a great guy with great service he hooked me up with a prewar Schwinn superior water slide set a few years back.


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## biker (May 1, 2021)

Cranky Chain Cycles said:


> Has anyone else had a bad experience with Gus Salmon? According to him all he wants to do is work with a 'very selected group of paint shops and friends'.  I've been customizing bikes for three years and needed custom decals for a Le Tour I'm restoring. At first he was helpful.  He answered my newbie questions. I've never painted a bike and need to learn the most professional way (my father-in-law is teaching me how to paint) to handle the decals. He gave me pricing and I sent photos and a description of what I needed. After nearly a week of no response I asked for an update, his attitude does a 180 and tells me he's not interested.
> 
> He's right, I should of done a better job of making a commitment. Maybe he thought I was a tire kicker. No, far from it. But he never followed up and only gave me attitude when I tried to clarify things.
> 
> ...



I had the same problem.


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## KevinBrick (May 1, 2021)

Very happy with his work.. Very patient and professional.. 
Reproduced these Deluxe Hornet decals for me..


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## Freqman1 (May 1, 2021)

A lot of places can do a vinyl decal but if your looking for the very best custom water slide decals then Gus is the “go to”. He has produced decals for a lot of vintage, high end road bikes where perfection is demanded. He has done one-off decals for a lot of us that are dead accurate. Gus refuses to compromise accuracy or quality and if he can’t get an original, the artwork supplied is sub standard, or he can’t achieve the desired quality he won’t make it. If that makes him difficult then I’ll take it because if I’ve spent the time and money to do a quality restoration I don’t want to finish it off with a crappy decal. Gus is the gold standard for water slide decals. V/r Shawn


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (May 1, 2021)

Here is an example


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## biker (May 4, 2021)

Who other than Gus does water slide decals?


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## Gus (May 5, 2021)

biker said:


> I had the same problem.



Well, with you, I am going to say no from here on out. I explained the situation to you just the other day and you jumped on this thread to discredit me again. 
Good luck with your NON bike related decals.


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## Gus (Sep 6, 2021)

I have 3 versions now. Search for the cycle truck decals thread.


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## locomotion (Nov 6, 2021)

I will buy (2) decals for the ladies model, one for headtube and one for the fender
here is my bike, I will included the decals with the bike if it sells








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