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Car decals tips needed

rogerpeterogerpeteOGR Forum Member

I have never created my own custom car. I would like to know what is recommended when taking a generic tanker or boxcar & relettering to make it look like it was a local industry car. Decals or Dry transfers? 

I am not going for an exact science here- Our community layout would just like some (for lack of better words) "Wouldn't it be cool if we lettered up some cars & stuff" No amazing replicas, no one is going to question why that milk car looks a lot like an oil transport car or "They didn't have that size car available at that time" kind of thing.

Thanks for pointing us, (me) in the right direction.

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BS Buzz StrasserOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I just started experimenting with making my own decals with a color laser printer. It has a Direct path feed.(important)   I looked at Alps printers but  but the ink is difficult to find and the machines have to be bought used at least in the US. A little too complicated.

My first results were good and anything you can print or draw you can make into a decal.  I am using camera ready art for a Company Logo. My first project is on a Weaver white "practice" tank car.  The small lettering is Ok - I can't read it anyway.  Next step is to figure out some graffiti. 

Making the decals is not that difficult.  Plenty of teaching videos on the internet.

 

Contact me if you wish.

 

Good luck,

 

Buzz 

 

mwbmwbOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by AMCDave:

Dry transfers are great...at one time I used them more than decals. But I do not know of a custom dry transfer maker today....kinda dead tech as far as the public is concerned.

 

 

Not true.  Clover House made up 10 pages of dry transfers for me this past year and I'm now waiting for the ones in gold for passenger cars.

 

If you have the artwork, they are worth contacting.

A AMCDaveOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by mwb:

Not true.  Clover House made up 10 pages of dry transfers for me this past year and I'm now waiting for the ones in gold for passenger cars.

 

If you have the artwork, they are worth contacting.

True.....should have been more specific. Back in the late 1980's when I was doing a lot of dry transfer work I had my choice of 4 different places to have them printed in Charlotte. Today there is ZERO. And I can't find a print house in WV that even knows what I am talking about. So the number of places to have them done is drastically reduced today vs 1980's...there are still folks that do it. Camera ready art is the hurdle most folks will have an issue getting.

 

How does Clovers pricing compare to waterslide???

mwbmwbOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by AMCDave:

How does Clovers pricing compare to waterslide???

Probably comparable, but given that I'm seeing old Champ deals hitting $10-30 at times, a $6.50 dry transfer set for a car is not unreasonable. 

 

But then you have to really decide for yourself - their catalog is primarily earlier era stuff (works for me!), but their alphabet sets are very useful and beat piecing together decals.  If you just need road names and numbers, then I think that they are a good option. 

 

http://cloverhouse.com/Store/

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