Not quite the same thing.. Glass goes back to the late 40's in rods.. You could get stamped out vinyl in the 70's.. No shop worth their salt would use it except for no parking signs.. and the simple type and logos from the Gerber computer cutter.. not until the early 80's.. still shopping mall type product...
Right now my oldest son has his Gerber cutter in my garage that he started his sign business with and next to it sits a newer one and I don't even know the name of it all I know it cuts 24 ins. wide. Today he runs a full service sigh shop in Dayton Ohio. He will when he needs to reverse weed the vinyl and use it for the pattern, then hand paint whatever that needs to be painted and comes back and stripes around the hand painted letters, at his shop he does full car and trucks wraps, which he has wraped some race cars for guys who couldn't pay for a full paint job, and with all the stuff out there from a short distance you can't tell. I agree we should still hand paint the letters.
Vinyl is a bum out on an old car. Even worse is seeing an old gasser from a distance that appears to have some nice engine-turned gold leaf, but then as you get closer, you see that it's engine-turned-gold-leaf-vinyl-product.™
I agree, on the oval track cars people go so far out of the to get the details right then put stickers on it, now I know a lot of people do it because they plan on selling it and the new owner usually wants to customize the number and sponsor but I will only do hand lettering. Here is my latest hand lettered midget.
I cant find anyone to do the lettering on my 55 for under 1200 bucks, and that isnt even using gold leaf..
Yesiree Bob. All glass. I'm not talented enough to pound it out in aluminum and I don't think I have enough years left to learn how. But I can do fiberglass. And what years I have left I'd rather spend racing. For some people its building. For me I like looking down the salt (or the dirt at El Mirage) and seeing the starter give you the go signal. My point was its funny how a fiberglass '32 body can be looked down on but vinyl lettering is OK.
My friend offered to do vinyl lettering on my 55 for free if I sponsored his business and I said no, I dont think vinyl belongs on any old race cars, to me it looks to perfect and stamped on. I free handed the lettering my self, looks good enough until I repaint it have someone reletter it correctly.
The biggest problem with hand lettering is that it has a really long learning curve . You just can't become a compitant signwriter in a short time . The sign class that I took 40 years ago was 4 hours a day , everyday for 2years ,, that got me fairly good with the basics . I do a fair amount of race car restoration and it's all paint .
This thread really sez it all on the subject. There is no doubt that vinyl graphics have found their way into our world. But most, if not all of us would prefer an old school pinstripper & air brush artist to apply the lettering/graphics to our car. As mentioned the "cost" of the real deal can be very pricey. Do-it-yourself-ers know that certain kinds of lettering, etc can be done and of course vinyl is a viable option. It's where do you "draw the line" (pun intended). As was shown above both "T'rantula & Chevrolaine found a way to "git 'er done". I also tried my own hand at doing some lettering..... like Chevrolaine I used a "stencil" to apply the basic lettering....... ...... then I used various grits of sandpaper to achieve the "weathered look" I wanted. Like has also been said above "it's good enough for now". For me NOTHING can take the place of hand-applied old school lettering..... but vinyl lettering still and always will be a viable alternative for some and in certain applications. You cannot change the past..... old school lettering will always "rule".
However I woulda just left the old lettering on the door if some one dident sand it off the drivers door before I got it. I am very surprised to how well the original gold leaf lettering has held up on the passenger door.
This is a restoration of a old drag car that I recently gold leafed and striped. hand painting was the only option and the owner was very pleased. Years ago every job I did was hand painted. Now, better than 90% of the work I do is digital prints and vinyl. From a business standpoint I need to use vinyl to keep up with the demands of the companies and clients I do work for. But, when a old drag car or a classic heading to a museum needs hand lettering, gold leaf or striping it is very rewarding to say," ya I did that."
I think I was a sign painter in a previous life. I've never actually done it, but I like to look at it. there is some guy "MOE" here in the bay area that must letter more big rigs than everyone else combined. I pass a lot of trucks coming to work. I'm going to count the MOE's tomorrow.
Here is some simple hood striping. I think painted stripes fit a hot rod or classic much better than vinyl.
I have to agree. Actual One Shot Paint is the only way to go on a real or replica race car or hot rod. But on the other hand, I am a graphic artist and I do own a vinyl plotter. And I also own Mack brushes and One Shot to stripe and letter with. I'm definitely a newb at striping, but I think I do an ok job. You can search some of my work on here. I can see lettering a new car with vinyl, he'll I've done that and love it, but a car '70's and down, I think they need actual paint. I've had guys ask me about doing a door logo on there old truck with vinyl and I really don't like it, and I always try to talk them into using real paint. I've even suggested letting me computer design the logo and use it as a negative transfer to paint by. Also, I think if your going to have a jam-up hot rod or vintage race car, and then put vinyl on it, it just looks cheap. You spent thousands of dollars on your car, just to use vinyl. Thanks, JReece My clothing line HiRevZ Clothing Co. http://www.facebook.com/hirevz Most of all build what you want, do what you want, it's your car. My uncle has always said, "If you like it, I love it." Meaning doesn't matter if he likes it or not, because it isn't his car.
It IS more expensive to have pinstripping & graphics done the old fashion-way (by hand) ..... but it is really a "skill" that cannot be done by just anyone. It takes years of practice to be skilled enough to do "show quality work" good enough for someone to pay for. A few years ago I tried to learn how to pinstripe..... bought the brushes, some one shot & the Wizard's video..... after awhile it became obvious to me I did not have the talent (or the hand) to ever become a pinstripper. The pros make it look easy but I for one can tell you it is NOT!!!! For me, having the old school look of hand painted graphics & pinstripping is WORTH every penny!!!!
Okay, as long as we are on this subject... Can anyone give me a name for hand lettering in Charlotte, NC?
I prefer painting on the body, & fortunately I know a good custom painter, but have been looking at "stickers" for restoring lettering on my old dog dishes... I tried paint restoring, & the paint doesn't hold up well on the chrome, but found a guy on E-Bay selling custom cut letters for my Studebaker dog dishes, & the front hood cap... I've been e-mailing him about doing some lettering up for my 2 color Lafayette caps, & sound like he'll do me up a couple sets, if I send him a cap for a pattern
I'm building my T on a tight budget, so I plan on trying to pinstripe it myself. I might try that stencil thing to hand letter too. I'm sure it won't be perfect, but it will be mine.
Not in Charlotte, but if your're willing to come south about 90 miles to Greer,SC...there's Frank Mayfield...he's been doing race cars since the 60's. There's also Edweird on here...I dont know him personally , but there are some posts of his work and its good....he's a little further south of you , in SC.
Learning to brush letter is half the fun?! Unless you wanna fork out the dough for a bank of vinyl,a computer,scroller setup and the FlexiSign program,then the premask and tables and sterile environment to work from,well.... I see the advantage to vinyl in repetition and speed for a replacement(and on commercial vehicles and stainless tankers),but aside from Letterhead Font programs,vinyl is unimaginative and staid and boring? Vinyl just can't compete with brushwork on a traditional/hot rod styled vehicle and look like it grew there?
The Jalopy Journal
