Schwinn Decal Replacement

[momo608]

Good comments and helpful. Any experience with Pete's re-screening Sting Ray guards?

Last I heard he had health issues, better check if he's still doing it.

 

[videoranger]

Talked to Pete and he still does the screens. Since there tends to be alignment issues with re-screens, he needs to do 3 separate screens for a Schwinn Deluxe Sting-Ray graphic@ $25.00 for each screen. With shipping each way that is about $100.00 for a re-screen. The original decals on the bike I'm working were fine, the guard has faded screen and good paint with one noticeable scratch on screen. Someone previously sprayed clear lacquer over the top bar decals and guard screen which over time has become dark and has a bad texture compared to the smooth Schwinn paint. I decided to use prep solvent and polishing compound to remove screen and decal graphics and all the lacquer over spray. Paint looks smooth and is in good condition, so re-decal on top tube should look good. Not sure if I want to put $100 into re-screen on guard (not sure if it would match condition of guard paint) or use Bicycle Bones decals for $15 (not original, but might look OK).

 

[Jeff54]

I would not recommend using rubbing compounds to remove decals on any old original paint bikes particularity translucent paints. Try micro sol. The quality of Memory Lane decals has been hit and miss for me, I think Bicyclebones decals are better.
The micro sol does not soften the paint. ]

Micosol yes, much better than trying to polish em off. I have it too, but Bones is a maybe for me, can't say the quality or that is, durability and or difficulty of applying one way or another but I got some Schwinn decals that are in no way exact or matched. worse, after sending him the photos of what's wrong, he's still passing em off. Soooo,,..

Alternatively he's good at refunds replacements and seems to be an all around nice guy.

 

[momo608]

Micosol yes, much better than trying to polish em off. I have it too, but Bones is a maybe for me, can't say the quality or that is, durability and or difficulty of applying one way or another but I got some Schwinn decals that are in no way exact or matched. worse, after sending him the photos of what's wrong, he's still passing em off. Soooo,,..

Alternatively he's good at refunds replacements and seems to be an all around nice guy.

I could not agree more with what you said. Some of BB's decals are not exact, maybe a lot of them. I can only go by what I used. We worked together making some decal sets and I had very little input on final designs. His attitude seems to be close is good enough. He does get official Schwinn approval but apparently that does not translate into accuracy. When I said better I was actually thinking they install and stick better. I had a bunch of Memory Lanes decals fall apart sliding them off or not sticking, lots of silvering. Velocals has the good enough attitude as well but they're not into repro waterslide decals. Vinyl's mostly. No one is making anything I'm thrilled with.

 

[momo608]

Talked to Pete and he still does the screens. Since there tends to be alignment issues with re-screens, he needs to do 3 separate screens for a Schwinn Deluxe Sting-Ray graphic@ $25.00 for each screen. With shipping each way that is about $100.00 for a re-screen. The original decals on the bike I'm working were fine, the guard has faded screen and good paint with one noticeable scratch on screen. Someone previously sprayed clear lacquer over the top bar decals and guard screen which over time has become dark and has a bad texture compared to the smooth Schwinn paint. I decided to use prep solvent and polishing compound to remove screen and decal graphics and all the lacquer over spray. Paint looks smooth and is in good condition, so re-decal on top tube should look good. Not sure if I want to put $100 into re-screen on guard (not sure if it would match condition of guard paint) or use Bicycle Bones decals for $15 (not original, but might look OK).

I used BB's chainguard decals and thought they were pretty good. Only a Stingray fanatic would notice the difference.

Can't say I messed with hack clear job over Schwinn paint. A trick in the body shop business is to take clear packing tape and try and pull off the clear coat with the sticky side of the tape. This worked especially well on trick vans with graphics. The chain guard might be a problem because the paint is on chrome. The original paint has very poor adhesion so watch out.

 

[Jeff54]

I could not agree more with what you said. Some of BB's decals are not exact, maybe a lot of them. I can only go by what I used. We worked together making some decal sets and I had very little input on final designs. His attitude seems to be close is good enough. He does get official Schwinn approval but apparently that does not translate into accuracy. When I said better I was actually thinking they install and stick better. I had a bunch of Memory Lanes decals fall apart sliding them off or not sticking, lots of silvering. Velocals has the good enough attitude as well but they're not into repro waterslide decals. Vinyl's mostly. No one is making anything I'm thrilled with.

Some times it's tough to tell, especially if you've taken off the old decal and replaced the new. BUT if you're paying attention, as in the case of the OP who wants to 'maybe' apply directly over the old, or in my case, I'd put marker lines where the old was, so I could get it back in the right spot, only to discover the new one was 11-1/6" and the old; 10-1/4. Had I not marked I never would have noticed. whoever made the decals, stretched them in whatever program, Photoshop or whatever, which also made the letters thin, so, in the Ops case whether the same as I replaced or another type where size and or details were so poor, it would never align or cover the old..

Also, once I realized this, I was on a hunt to find original bikes and their decals. then, I also discovered while length was consistent letter thickness on originals, {waterslide}, wasn't Then I realized Schwinn's decals must have been screen printed and it meant potential clogging that can make variances. Regardless, replacement "Approved" >> Practically a whole inch longer is not good.

Sooo,,, all around nice guy, cept fer 1 itsy bitsy 15/16" thing. It hasn't stopped em from being passed off.

Everbody else had that wrong decal too the same sized that Bones claimed he had made from the original, except, after months of searching, VintageSchwinn.com turned up with the right one.

 

[videoranger]

I've got a set of top tube, sting-ray deluxe guard, and fork darts coming from BB. Since I can still see a faint ghost of the original graphics due to paint fade, it will be easy to see how accurate the replacements are. I'll update on that. It seems like making accurate repo's would be pretty simple....

 

[GTs58]

The decals mentioned above that were longer were more than likely accurate. The Schwinn feather script in cursive that was first used on the 1954 Jag Ballooner and then the 50's middleweights cannot be compared to the same "looking" decal used on the 80's Cruisers. 20 years difference between the two decals!

 

[CrazyDave]

for decals, try memory lane. cheap and good people to deal with.

 

[Jeff54]

The decals mentioned above that were longer were more than likely accurate. The Schwinn feather script in cursive that was first used on the 1954 Jag Ballooner and then the 50's middleweights cannot be compared to the same "looking" decal used on the 80's Cruisers. 20 years difference between the two decals!

That's Nonsense, everybody Except Vintage Schwinn has the decals that Bones had made himself. I can see the difference others have and Bones collaborated he'd sold them . Plus he told me that he couldn't understand why, what he has would be different because accordingly, his were made from NOS of 80's cruiser decals..

Yet I don't personally know if the 50's Corvette, Jaguar, American, are longer but would also mean that Vintage Schwinn only has the 80's size.

And obviously, neither do you know the differences but as typical "Most likely" just spouting your mouth off. Stop stalking me!

Don't just spout you mouth off but get a friggen measurement and prove your "Most likely" foolishness.
.

Otherwise there is a slight difference between the 50's and 80's (write it down) and it's not length but font thickness and top script line placement,

And I have not checked in some time but now, Bones is no longer selling his extra long sets as 80's but was for months following my notifying him. . And frankly, without proper credible citing's, yet I've searched and browsed every friggen photograph of them on original bikes on the net, for all years all models, I doubt they're right for 54, 55, 56 and 57 too.