Classic & Vintage - DIY lettering for frame restoration

This is my first frame restoration, and the brand/model is so obscure I'm certain there aren't any ready made decals for it. Fortunately, the brand and model names are in very basic fonts, so I've hit on a way to reproduce them fairly closely. I've photographed and measured the logos, so I should be able to find a computer font that comes pretty close, and obviously, I can fine tune size and even the aspect ratio to get pretty darn close. That means I can make and print a nearly perfect template. Now for the tricky part. Here's something I found in the model airplane realm, that I also played in many years ago, but never this particular procedure or anything close. I'm just looking for opinions, pro/con or there's a better way. Thanks in advance for reading & contributing.

http://www.top-flite.com/reviews/trimgraphics.html

https://bzbr3w.bay.livefilestore.com/y1plqSe-ZNLcYUHob8tEIFTmfQI0ehvtoVf7jyG2ZgjKJghzqLA5pBV6J6nyPeutcfj-8egnCpZzAwoR358jJA5Qt8_VTwosaPQ/Empire%20frame%20pre%20resto%20003.jpg
https://bzbr3w.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pa8Fs-a6QcpVVyVWT2CcM28jKoFowzPWwCZCLSQySnDQyVUl0ld0cPund_XG31DY562SWmCl1eP7hycpcMEl0iOXzf_eET3z-/Empire%20frame%20pre%20resto%20004.jpg

The brand is EMPIRE, as you can see in the first pic, and the model is PROFESSIONAL, which may not be so obvious in the 2nd.

I have been interested in creating some handmade transfers for some of my projects. finding the font and creating the wordmark in Illustrator is something I could do quickly. The rest of the stuff, not so much.

There are several posts here on BF about DIY stickers and decals, along with several members that can reproduce decals/stickers if you have the artwork.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/758584-DIY-decals-are-easy-if-you-are-RHM?highlight=diy+decals
and waterslide paper http://www.decalpaper.com/
I am going to try one or more of these methods this spring.

That seems overly complicated to me. I don't see the advantage over printing it onto decal paper. Maybe I am missing something. Your pics aren't working, please fix em so I may take a gander at this bicycle.

My photo hosting site hates me. Don't get too excited about the pics, they're just close-ups of the frame logos. I'll try to get working links. catmandew52, thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

You could take your illustrator art to a sign shop and they could cut the letters in vinyl and attach to a carrier sheet for application.

I just ordered more Papiloio inkjet waterslide paper in white to play with.

The white only works if the overall shape is square or simple enough to cutout by hand. The inks on the clear are too transparent unless you're applying to a very light colored frame and the foils are too dark.

It shouldn't be this difficult to post photos. It used to be easy. I give up.

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=e8ff37d54fb89482&resid=E8FF37D54FB89482!452&parid=root

I would use letracet for that, if you can find it.

Letraset was the first thing I checked. I used it extensively in my university newsletter days. Apparently, the standard sizes stop at about 10mm or so. I need over 20mm for the EMPIRE logo.

Letraset (when it was actively made and sold) came in sizes up to 96pt., there were other brands that were even larger. Problem is, that stuff is all obsolete, yes even in China. Add to that it was commonly only offered in black (other colors were only sold for certain "popular" fonts like Helvetica) and they were not weather-proof.
What you need to reproduce can easily be done by any sign shop that has a plotter-cutter and cuts SA (self-adhesive) vinyl film...you can supply them with your .ai file and be sure that the size/weight/kerning is perfect. You'll get the lettering as a vinyl "sticker" on a carrier sheet, just align it accurately on the tubes and apply with a "float" film of water with a drop of detergent so it can be moved and smoothed before it grabs. The vinyl film will last longer than any rub-down you might make from a computer printer or buy from a Cromatec seller (if you can even find one of those).

^1.

I did what unworthy1 suggests for my Look--getting a sign shop to make a vinyl cutout sticker, that is. Although, I believe he is suggesting using the actual vinyl sticker as a decal. Instead, I had the sign shop cut out the letters like a stencil template, and then sprayed=painted the letters. What you see below is a combination of line art I created for the "LOOK" text and built-in font (Trebouchet) for the "Bernard Hinault" type. White paint is particularly hard to work with when dealing with fine details such as type. A little extra thinner may help. I botched my job the first time using model paint, and then had to sand down and redo the type using auto paint with much better results. (It's a bit hard to tell what's going on in the photo, but the vinyl sticker is in the middle and I've started to mask off the rest of the frame for painting.)

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab69/gaucho510/LOOK%20Equipe%20Bernard%20Hinault%20Reynolds%20753/LOOK_Stencils.jpg

Problem is, that stuff is all obsolete

I am surprised this is a concern on classic and vintage.

I am surprised this is a concern on classic and vintage. :lol:

unworthy & Randy, great info; I'll look into it. :thumb:

I think gaucho777's idea of using a "negative cut" vinyl film as a stencil for spraying is a good one if you need multiple colors in one design or some color that you can only get by using paint. But if I were making a stencil I'd ask if the sign shop (or plotter cutting shop) had some material like frisket (a material made just for this job) that's easier to peel off than the SA vinyl film. Since your letters are plain white there's no reason not to use the "positive" vinyl lettering...cheaper and easier.