Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Old decal

I have a 60-65 year old water transfer decal that I'd like to use. It's rolled up and has a few cracks from when the guy I bought it from unrolled it to take pictures.

Would it be beneficial to get the decal to lay flat before starting the application process? I could unroll it and place it between a couple pieces of waxed paper and stack books on it for a few days. Or would it be better to leave it rolled up so I could just unroll it to apply?

Should I just use water to transfer it? Seems to me that back in the day guys would use a little liquid soap in the water to better allow the decal to be moved around while being applied.

The decal is about 13" in diameter and possibly one of a kind. I don't want to mess it up. Any tips?

Hi, Bob. I think you run a great risk of this vintage water transfer decal coming apart at the new "cracks" you mentioned, when you wet it prior to application. I say this based on some prior experience.

IF you decide to try installing it, I'd suggest you take a decent photo of it, BEFORE the attempt. That way, this small bit of "history" won't be lost forever, if your installation attempt goes south. There are guys who can make you a new, digital image water transfer decal based on a good photo. And, that might be the best way to go, rather than attempt to use this old, original decal.

If you do decide to use the original, I would not try to flatten it in advance. The less handling, the better. No reason to potentially create more cracks to the surface by trying to flatten it when dry. Also, I feel that warm water and a very small amount of liquid dish soap, is definitely the way to wet and transfer this decal. I believe that's what Mike Slama, the water transfer decal guy, suggests, too. Then, you'll also want to apply some of that soapy warn water to the surface you're putting the decal on, and slowly SLIDE the wet decal onto the surface.

Please keep us posted, and best of luck to you on this. John

wouldn't attempt it, take what you have & do as suggested above .. ...

I have used 60 year old decals with no problem. Do as John mentioned above. Do not use cold water. Take extra care with the cracked areas. It will probably come apart but will be fine if the pieces are placed in place before drying. I have had this happen with new water decals as well. I recently bought an old decal with the same problem as you. I wanted to store it flat with my other ones so I held it in front of my pellet stove where the warm air blows out and gently unrolled it and then placed a magazine on it over night to keep it flat. I did not get any new cracks in it.

Bob, if you decide to use the decal? I hope you will relate your experiences here. Maybe with some images as time permits?

So, the rest of us that aren't as brave as others can see the results?

Thanks everyone. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it works out.

Here are some original decals I have used. The large Shell Premium decal was a hard one. It did not want to come off the paper. I had to peel it off the paper and did not think it would stay on the pump because I had it in the water for 15 minutes. They are not supposed to be in the water too long because the glue washes off. It did not come out perfect but it worked out because it went on an unrestored pump. I made signs out of some other ones and glued the decal backing on the back to show it is an original decal. I put a bunch of lubester decals on the inside of my garage door as a test. I bought 155 Shell decals from 1947 and wanted to make sure they were going to be good before selling any. I used decals that were cracked or discolored so I would not be wasting good decals. If you look close you can see some of the bad ones.That was three years ago and only one is starting to peel at the bottom.

It was enjoyable to see the results of your effort, Matt. Very nice. John

I hope you never sell the house or replace the garage door.