AndyK 

I am starting the restoration/cleaning of my Paris Sport.As you can see, the down tube Paris Sport decals are peeling off and shot (due to years of clamping a Campy repair stand right on them probably). Since they are not available (right?), what should I do?

oldmuthariley

These guys could probably help you out - they're on hols till the end of August though!

https://www.hlloydcycles.com/pdflistlatest.pdf

cheers

AndyK 

^^ They don't have Paris Sport decals. It's such a rare bike company (either junky bikes, or, custom race frames), seems nobody carries the decals.

esldude

For one that simple you could get an automotive pinstriper to paint them. Need to take good pictures before removing them.

Another option is graphic print shops that do large stuff for custom autos that might do it for you. Such places often do regular printing and custom T-shirt printing. Many have a minimum order that makes it too expensive, but you might find on that would do this as it isn't a complex design.

Yet another is take pictures, clean them up and have them printed to vinyl. Then clear coat them of course. Check BHP photo, they sell packs of clear adhesive vinyl. Inkjet print your design onto it. Apply and clear coat. These are for indoor use, but I would think the clear coat would protect them for quite some time. For that matter this would work for colored and more elaborate designs. Probably a neat way for someone to do their own custom design on bikes.

Finally, officemax or similar places have peel and stick adhesive vinyl letters for indoor or outdoor use in packs. They have different letter sizes and you likely can get one very close to if not perfect to match the original letters.

repechage

I will advise on what I did in the late 80's when there was no real consumer useful web.

I taped some good quality trace paper in place. carefully outlined the characters as a complete set. this was for letterspacing and position on the tube, so also measure to a measurement marker such as a lug, or braze on.
Then I traced each letter individually, as you will need to I corrected for fractured regions. Yours helps as some letters repeat.
Then I created master art at 200% or more. 400% would be better.
This went to a vinyl cutter. He digitized the letters and created my new graphics.

With today's technology a number of tasks could be done differently, and the outline is easier, I had to abandon mine at the time. I would still suggest a tracing to double check the results for overall spacing.

The fun part of these frames for me are the head tube "country" emblems of the capital F in the oval, a nod to what was seen on some European cars of the period.

Creating the digital master oversize will tighten up the art as it reduces and you will get a better result in the end. Run a few extra sets, I bet later there will be other Paris-Sport owners who would buy a set or two from you to help offset up front costs.

AndyK 

Some very creative suggestions! I think getting Office Max letters is a great idea, if they come in similar 1" sizes! They wont have the black edges, but will look nicer than the mess I have. Of course, sticking them on straight and spaced correctly seems like an impossible task!

I wonder if Michael Fraysse has old decals stored in his house!?

AndyK 

UPDATE! Look what my uncle sent me - he finally found his spare set of decals, ordered in the early 80's! Now, when I finally build the bike, ride it, and determine I like it, I can have it painted and still keep the Paris Sport name alive. Hopefully these decals aren't too old to transfer!

devinfan

Not this again! For heaven's sake please don't paint that bike, it looks awesome as is. Buy another bike instead!

devinfan

Also Mike Fraysee is on ebay, I bet he has a ton of Paris Sport stuff since it was his house brand.

jyl

You might see about having those decals replicated. So that there will be other Paris Sports with fresh decals in the future.

puchfinnland

please replicate the decals BEFORE you use them- otherwise they are lost forever.

put them on a scanner with a black backing.

save as tiff, black and white, DPI should be at least 600,

after scanning take the measurements in millimeters per word so when they are reproduced the hight and width are known.

after scanning pick your decal maker, there are many dedicated bike decal guys.

ftwelder

Ya man, I need copies of those.. !!

AndyK 

I'm not rushing out and painting the bike! I may just replace the Paris Sport decals (after scanning them and sending them to Frank and whoever else wants the scan), but no rush.

Question, if the decals have the protective backing on, will a scan work, or, can the backing be removed safely for scanning? Not sure if these are water slide or actual stickers?

rhm

Here's what I'd do.

Scan the decals; redraw them in CorelDraw so there is a heavy black outline around white (clear) letters; print them on a laser printer, backwards (mirror image) on clear waterslide paper; paint the white part over the black outline, being careful not to get any white outside the outliine; let dry. Apply backwards (painted side to the frame, so the black outline shows over the white paint). This part is the tricky bit; you have to add a little white glue to hold the decals in place. I've done this on several bikes. The results look good and I have not had any issues with durability.

realestvin7

Nice to keep the name going. I just sold a ParisSport frameset.

JohnDThompson 

The Fraysse family owned the Paris-Sport brand; the son Mike Fraysse is still in the bike business:

https://www.mikefrayssesports.com/

Perhaps he has some old decals?

AndyK 

So, how do these work? Are they water slide, since the protective paper is on top? Do they go on the frame, apply water, peel off backing? I'm not putting them on, I just want to know what I am dealing with here!