Persimmon Decals

[James the Hogan Fan]

I have some old Spalding persimmon woods of the Robert Jones variety (albeit not with me so I can't share pics) which as a very young me I decided to refinish with... black automotive spray paint... Well all this time later and I thought I should give them a proper finish job, but I am concerned about the decals on the crown. A lot of threads on here mention people having 'thousands of them lying around' but does anyone know where one would obtain them today? Do you order them custom from somewhere or do you just hope someone has a stash? I did search other threads but there didn't seem to be an answer...

 

(and if there is a custom place, I'm tempted to make my own signature decals and put them instead, because that would just be cool)

[deejaid]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I’m sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I’d also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn’t listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I’ve also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don’t have what you are looking for, sorry.

[James the Hogan Fan]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I’m sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I’d also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn’t listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I’ve also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don’t have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

No worries!

I had a thought that if I couldn’t make my own via printing or ordering, I could trace the existing decal steadily with a sharp scribe to create an engraving, and then paintfill that later. Changes the club sure, but I’m in the business of wanting them to look good; the originality is lost anyway.

 

If I may ask, what sort of ebay searches are you using to find stashes of old supplies?

Thanks!

[deejaid]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I’m sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I’d also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn’t listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I’ve also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don’t have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

No worries!

I had a thought that if I couldn’t make my own via printing or ordering, I could trace the existing decal steadily with a sharp scribe to create an engraving, and then paintfill that later. Changes the club sure, but I’m in the business of wanting them to look good; the originality is lost anyway.

 

If I may ask, what sort of ebay searches are you using to find stashes of old supplies?

Thanks!

 

I usually do a search for “golf supplies” or “golf repair” on eBay. I just got lucky with that find as I was the only bidder and got a nice collection of tools and supplies for $150 shipped.

 

Also, another route is using the website Fiverr. It is a website for hiring creative people like graphic artists and the like for small projects. I used it to find a designer for my company logo. I’m sure if you took a photo with your phone and told them the dimensions of the decal a graphic artist on there could recreate it for you.

[Bella Woods]

I have some old Spalding persimmon woods of the Robert Jones variety (albeit not with me so I can't share pics) which as a very young me I decided to refinish with... black automotive spray paint... Well all this time later and I thought I should give them a proper finish job, but I am concerned about the decals on the crown. A lot of threads on here mention people having 'thousands of them lying around' but does anyone know where one would obtain them today? Do you order them custom from somewhere or do you just hope someone has a stash? I did search other threads but there didn't seem to be an answer...

 

(and if there is a custom place, I'm tempted to make my own signature decals and put them instead, because that would just be cool)

 

I have Spalding and Robert T. Jones decals if you want them, need pic of the decal you want..........

[Bella Woods]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I’m sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I’d also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn’t listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I’ve also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don’t have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

deejaid

 

You will need more than the printer and the paper. The reason the old "water slide"decals worked

with the paper was because they were actually micro thin layers of varnish. A layer of varnish would be

blown into a mold, then the print and a couple of more layers of varnish on top. So the old decals are

actually 3 very thin layers of varnish containing the print. That is why they slide off the paper.

 

Print will not slide off the paper by itself (and unless its a laser printer, the ink will dissolve and bleed all over

in water), you need a transfer mechanism........

[James the Hogan Fan]

I have some old Spalding persimmon woods of the Robert Jones variety (albeit not with me so I can't share pics) which as a very young me I decided to refinish with... black automotive spray paint... Well all this time later and I thought I should give them a proper finish job, but I am concerned about the decals on the crown. A lot of threads on here mention people having 'thousands of them lying around' but does anyone know where one would obtain them today? Do you order them custom from somewhere or do you just hope someone has a stash? I did search other threads but there didn't seem to be an answer...

 

(and if there is a custom place, I'm tempted to make my own signature decals and put them instead, because that would just be cool)

 

I have Spalding and Robert T. Jones decals if you want them, need pic of the decal you want..........

 

That’s mighty kind of you, and when I get up to where I have them stored this weekend I’ll snap a photo and PM you

 

But I have to ask, how? Maybe I’m just too young (22) and there was a time when these decals were standard service parts and everyone stocked up, but it amazes me. Same with folks who have stashes of long multi-stripped OEM ferrules laying around... I guess it’s born out of my jealousy of you all, to have these treasure troves of clubmaking supplies to draw on. Reminds me of a post of someone with like 40 unfinished new old stock persimmon clubheads... just not fair :D

 

Ps: with regards to the printed decals, I thought that really it would be printing onto what is, in effect a very thin, transparent film, the film and the ink upon it transferred to the clubhead, so that in effect you would have a clear rectangular box within which the lettering would appear.

[Bella Woods]

Near the end of the 1990s with metal woods pretty much the name of the game, the sale of (new) supplies

started to dwindle until they were no more. It really started long before this. Those of us that new this "stocked up"

where we could (decals, whipping, inserts ferrules, persimmon blanks etc), Its not fair - just the way it happened.

 

If the persimmon woods were to make a comeback, you can bet the supplies would too.

 

BTW, most decals or vulcanized fiber you can buy, or will ever see, were manufactured many years before the demise

of the availability of these products. They were a lost art by the year 2000.

[James the Hogan Fan]

Near the end of the 1990s with metal woods pretty much the name of the game, the sale of (new) supplies

started to dwindle until they were no more. It really started long before this. Those of us that new this "stocked up"

where we could (decals, whipping, inserts ferrules, persimmon blanks etc), Its not fair - just the way it happened.

 

If the persimmon woods were to make a comeback, you can bet the supplies would too.

 

BTW, most decals or vulcanized fiber you can buy, or will ever see, were manufactured many years before the demise

of the availability of these products. They were a lost art by the year 2000.

 

Fair enough, I’m going to try and make my own clubhead one of these days, but it’s going to have to be laminate simply because I can’t afford to be wasting suitable sized blocks of persimmon, especially not on the first iterations...

[Bella Woods]

I will send you some persimmon blanks as well and you can go to town on them.......

 

 

Edit:

 

I just saw your PS above regarding the paper. The paper is designed to absorb

water through the bottom side and release the contained image fixed on the top of

the paper.

 

No film will be released carrying the ink - the ink has to have a transfer agent.

[deejaid]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I’m sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I’d also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn’t listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I’ve also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don’t have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

deejaid

 

You will need more than the printer and the paper. The reason the old "water slide"decals worked

with the paper was because they were actually micro thin layers of varnish. A layer of varnish would be

blown into a mold, then the print and a couple of more layers of varnish on top. So the old decals are

actually 3 very thin layers of varnish containing the print. That is why they slide off the paper.

 

Print will not slide off the paper by itself (and unless its a laser printer, the ink will dissolve and bleed all over

in water), you need a transfer mechanism........

 

I’m not sure what paper is used exactly but I have a guy that makes waterslide decals for guitars I’ve built. You may be right about the laser printer but the guy that does my waterslide decals even does them with hand colored metallic inks for the custom look.

 

I put them in water for 10 second or so and they slide off easily. I then seal them in Nitrocellulose lacquer.

 

 

[Bella Woods]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I'm sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I'd also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn't listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I've also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don't have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

deejaid

 

You will need more than the printer and the paper. The reason the old "water slide"decals worked

with the paper was because they were actually micro thin layers of varnish. A layer of varnish would be

blown into a mold, then the print and a couple of more layers of varnish on top. So the old decals are

actually 3 very thin layers of varnish containing the print. That is why they slide off the paper.

 

Print will not slide off the paper by itself (and unless its a laser printer, the ink will dissolve and bleed all over

in water), you need a transfer mechanism........

 

I'm not sure what paper is used exactly but I have a guy that makes waterslide decals for guitars I've built. You may be right about the laser printer but the guy that does my waterslide decals even does them with hand colored metallic inks for the custom look.

 

I put them in water for 10 second or so and they slide off easily. I then seal them in Nitrocellulose lacquer.

 

The metallic ink must be thicker than plain print from a printer, and because of this hold together. Or they are printed/hand colored

onto a base of some kind to transfer.

 

This is ink only with no formed/molded base under it?

[deejaid]

A few months ago I bought a collection of club building supplies off eBay that had a lot of old school supplies like persimmon club whipping and decals. It also had an order form from Golfsmith I believe where you could get a sheet of decals for $.95! I'm sure that sheet from was 25-30 years ago and persimmon repairs and refinishes were still commonplace for golf shops.

 

Maybe someone here has some but I'd also check with Golfworks. They still had some whipping when I ordered from them, although it wasn't listed anywhere on their website. Perhaps if you call they might have some old decals?

 

I've also thought about having some made. A good reference photo and someone with a modicum of skill with Photoshop could make their own with a quality printer and water slide paper.

 

That said, I checked my small supply of decals and I don't have what you are looking for, sorry.

 

deejaid

 

You will need more than the printer and the paper. The reason the old "water slide"decals worked

with the paper was because they were actually micro thin layers of varnish. A layer of varnish would be

blown into a mold, then the print and a couple of more layers of varnish on top. So the old decals are

actually 3 very thin layers of varnish containing the print. That is why they slide off the paper.

 

Print will not slide off the paper by itself (and unless its a laser printer, the ink will dissolve and bleed all over

in water), you need a transfer mechanism........

 

I'm not sure what paper is used exactly but I have a guy that makes waterslide decals for guitars I've built. You may be right about the laser printer but the guy that does my waterslide decals even does them with hand colored metallic inks for the custom look.

 

I put them in water for 10 second or so and they slide off easily. I then seal them in Nitrocellulose lacquer.

 

The metallic ink must be thicker than plain print from a printer, and because of this hold together. Or they are printed/hand colored

onto a base of some kind to transfer.

 

This is ink only with no formed/molded base under it?

 

If I recall correctly, he prints them with a laser color printer reversed image, so the clear waterslide film ends up on top to seal it. I think he sprays some clear over them to seal them just enough so they can be put in the water long enough to slide off the paper.

 

The metallic ink ones are just black and clear and he uses a metallic ink marker to color them in. I have one here he did that is not metallic ink, just laser printed, so the gold doesn’t pop like the hand colored metallic.

[Bella Woods]

deejaid

 

That make sense, he is doing it the "old fashioned" way. The old golf club decals were reversed images too and

so were piano decals. Some of the old piano decals were literally works of art and you see the originals pop

up for sale now and then. So the clear seal must be acting as the transfer agent.....

 

I still have some of the old reversed golf club decals, I think they quit making them this way at some point in the 1960s or so.

Color laser printer is a must to make it happen now. It's good to see someone doing this today still.

 

The main problem with recreating the golf club decals is the color white, since printers don't really print white. The only printer

I am aware of that actually printed the color white was made in the late 1970s/early 1980s I believe, and they are probably few

and far between now as to operational printers still around.

 

Edit:

 

There is a way around the problem of the color white now, however. I always like to use the old decals when I can but a company

in Florida has a "dry" decal system that works really well and is really pretty ingenious.

[wkuo3]

A print shop does logo and decal for business could make the decal for laminated on golf decals. As long as you have the image and define the size.

However, I'm pretty sure it'll be expensive for small batch order, you'll have to pay for the initial set up anyway. Plus the possibility of trade mark pattern infringement, if the print shop would do the job for you without noticing the trade mark right, there is always the chance of someone knocking on your door.

Finding someone whom has some decal stocked away and pay a reasonable price for it is the best.

[Bella Woods]

A print shop does logo and decal for business could make the decal for laminated on golf decals. As long as you have the image and define the size.

However, I'm pretty sure it'll be expensive for small batch order, you'll have to pay for the initial set up anyway. Plus the possibility of trade mark pattern infringement, if the print shop would do the job for you without noticing the trade mark right, there is always the chance of someone knocking on your door.

Finding someone whom has some decal stocked away and pay a reasonable price for it is the best.

 

About 15 years ago I approached between 20 and 30 printers about the possibility of making some golf club decals (the old fashion way - varnish,

print, molds etc) for me (specifically PowerBilt and Ben Hogan decals). Only one was even willing to try it. He wanted $400 per custom mold he built,

and considered 1,000,000 a minimum amount for an order - of only one type of decal..... I think it was about $8,000 to $10,000 total - about 1 penny

per decal after set up. I am going from memory but it was a lot of money for one style decal - and more than you could ever use, sell or give away.

 

Volume is the only way they make any money I guess. Most of the decals you see made now are the "peel and stick" kind made with some type of

plastic and are way to thick for a golf club (and can't be made thin enough for a golf club).

 

That was my experience with printers in this area anyway.......

[wkuo3]

A print shop does logo and decal for business could make the decal for laminated on golf decals. As long as you have the image and define the size.

However, I'm pretty sure it'll be expensive for small batch order, you'll have to pay for the initial set up anyway. Plus the possibility of trade mark pattern infringement, if the print shop would do the job for you without noticing the trade mark right, there is always the chance of someone knocking on your door.

Finding someone whom has some decal stocked away and pay a reasonable price for it is the best.

 

About 15 years ago I approached between 20 and 30 printers about the possibility of making some golf club decals (the old fashion way - varnish,

print, molds etc) for me (specifically PowerBilt and Ben Hogan decals). Only one was even willing to try it. He wanted $400 per custom mold he built,

and considered 1,000,000 a minimum amount for an order - of only one type of decal..... I think it was about $8,000 to $10,000 total - about 1 penny

per decal after set up. I am going from memory but it was a lot of money for one style decal - and more than you could ever use, sell or give away.

 

Volume is the only way they make any money I guess. Most of the decals you see made now are the "peel and stick" kind made with some type of

plastic and are way to thick for a golf club (and can't be made thin enough for a golf club).

 

That was my experience with printers in this area anyway.......

 

I agree, the market for the decal is not large enough to justify the set up cost.

However, the technology is very different these days. I'd bet I could ask one of my kid to set up the printing if I need to. Their Lab has some fancy new printers from Europe ( $50,000 ). Of course the resin ( toner) for this type of direct print might be expensive,

 

I'd venture to say, won't cost anywhere near the $8,000 from 15 years ago. everything is digital now, they take a photo of the original decal and it's done, that's how far the set up would be. I'd even bet if you go back to an average print shop ( guys with the right equipment and experience for printing decal ) it'll be a fraction of what you were quoted long ago, but still, very expensive if one just needing one set.

 

Best way is to find someone whom has the old stock

[Bella Woods]

wkuo3

 

Yes technology is different now. I wanted them made in the old way back then, with varnish. That method was some of the reason

for the high cost.

 

I can now take a picture of any decal (or image of one) and make it also - but it won't be like what I wanted then. It usually takes me anywhere

from an hour and a half to 3 hours to fine tune the image digitally prior to printing. The dry decal system is then used to make it a reality.

 

Do the fancy printers in your kids lab print white ink? I would be interested to know. Because without the ability to print an image with the color

white in it, many decals can not be recreated. Maybe this is possible now? I know it is with the dry decal system in a "round about way".

 

Edit:

 

I agree, best way is to find the old stock.....

[wkuo3]

wkuo3

 

Yes technology is different now. I wanted them made in the old way back then, with varnish. That method was some of the reason

for the high cost.

 

I can now take a picture of any decal (or image of one) and make it also - but it won't be like what I wanted then. It usually takes me anywhere

from an hour and a half to 3 hours to fine tune the image digitally prior to printing. The dry decal system is then used to make it a reality.

 

Do the fancy printers in your kids lab print white ink? I would be interested to know. Because without the ability to print an image with the color

white in it, many decals can not be recreated. Maybe this is possible now? I know it is with the dry decal system in a "round about way".

 

Edit:

 

I agree, best way is to find the old stock.....

 

Not sure about the white ink, My knowledge of printer stopped at the time of 30+ years ago with the huge Cannon color copier. I don't even know how to work the color printer in my office .

I do know the printer in the Lab where my kid does the work could print almost anything including 3-D, my kid use it to print something so small, has to be exam under digital microscope for details. They had to fly in the guys from France to set it up. Pretty sure we don't need that kind of hardware for printing decal.

 

And, of course, nothing beats the real McCoy , even when the copy could be just as good. Original parts count a lot when restoring anything, that is if the parts could be found.

I can ask if their printer could print with white ink, I'm assuming your question was the Opaque white color or the white with silver tone mixed. Usually the regular white is kind of translucent so must be printed several times over to achieve the acceptable result ( especially with dark back ground ).

If that's the case, any printer probably could do the job, just need to apply multiple white coating ( cost increase and may have the uneven surface from multiple layers of ink ).

[Bella Woods]

Very true that original parts count a lot when restoring anything, especially old classic woods.

 

The way the "dry" decal system works with white decals is pretty ingenious. First you take an image or

pic of the decal and get it into your software program (I use Corel Paint Shop Pro). I just use my phone

for the pics. As I stated earlier it usually takes me a few hours to clean/tighten up the image digitally, I

am sure many would be faster than me doing that. I blow it up and clean up the image pixel by pixel,

especially the edges. Then size the image to what you want and save it.

 

You basically just need a color laser printer and the companies "kit" after that. First step is to print the

image (or multiple copies of it) on the paper they supply (which is just like the paper used on the old time

water slide decals).

 

An entirely white decal starts out life as black print. You then run the paper through a laminator supplied

by the company in the kit. It is run through the laminator with a thin plastic type "board"

under it and with a piece of white "foil" on top. The heat transfers the white from the foil on top of the black

print. So you end up with a piece of the old time paper with white print on it (black on the bottom) after you

pull the white foil off.

 

You then run the image through the laminator again with a very thin sheet of clear mylar on it to clear seal it. At this

point you submerge the paper with the mylar heated on to it over the image into water, the image (still sticking to

the mylar) separates from the paper. So you end up with a small piece of mylar sheet with the image stuck

to it (white print on top with the black base on the bottom).

 

Then you dry the image and mylar with a paper towel, turn it over a lightly spray a sticky (3M I think) substance

on the back (the black exposed portion). Its ready to be transferred to the club, center it and press it onto the wood

and pull off the mylar sheet.The sticky spray is such that it will separate the print only from the mylar when you pull the

sheet of the club.You can't move the image around after like the old varnish decals so it has to be right the first time

when applied. The print only separates because it is held together by the white foil and "clear coat".

 

You end up with a white decal and you can't see any of the black base under it. The company supplies you with

multiple color foils or you can use the clear "foils" to just seal the colored ink image directly from the printer.

 

If you can't obtain the original decals from anywhere, this system makes some very nice ones. And it is print only

(no edges of varnish or anything around the print like the old time ones).

[Bella Woods]

James the Hogan Fan

 

Just realized I pretty much hijacked your thread. Sorry, I didn't mean to. I should

have started a separate thread.......

[James the Hogan Fan]

Very true that original parts count a lot when restoring anything, especially old classic woods.

 

The way the "dry" decal system works with white decals is pretty ingenious. First you take an image or

pic of the decal and get it into your software program (I use Corel Paint Shop Pro). I just use my phone

for the pics. As I stated earlier it usually takes me a few hours to clean/tighten up the image digitally, I

am sure many would be faster than me doing that. I blow it up and clean up the image pixel by pixel,

especially the edges. Then size the image to what you want and save it.

 

You basically just need a color laser printer and the companies "kit" after that. First step is to print the

image (or multiple copies of it) on the paper they supply (which is just like the paper used on the old time

water slide decals).

 

An entirely white decal starts out life as black print. You then run the paper through a laminator supplied

by the company in the kit. It is run through the laminator with a thin plastic type "board"

under it and with a piece of white "foil" on top. The heat transfers the white from the foil on top of the black

print. So you end up with a piece of the old time paper with white print on it (black on the bottom) after you

pull the white foil off.

 

You then run the image through the laminator again with a very thin sheet of clear mylar on it to clear seal it. At this

point you submerge the paper with the mylar heated on to it over the image into water, the image (still sticking to

the mylar) separates from the paper. So you end up with a small piece of mylar sheet with the image stuck

to it (white print on top with the black base on the bottom).

 

Then you dry the image and mylar with a paper towel, turn it over a lightly spray a sticky (3M I think) substance

on the back (the black exposed portion). Its ready to be transferred to the club, center it and press it onto the wood

and pull off the mylar sheet.The sticky spray is such that it will separate the print only from the mylar when you pull the

sheet of the club.You can't move the image around after like the old varnish decals so it has to be right the first time

when applied. The print only separates because it is held together by the white foil and "clear coat".

 

You end up with a white decal and you can't see any of the black base under it. The company supplies you with

multiple color foils or you can use the clear "foils" to just seal the colored ink image directly from the printer.

 

If you can't obtain the original decals from anywhere, this system makes some very nice ones. And it is print only

(no edges of varnish or anything around the print like the old time ones).

 

The original woods are black, but I intend to strip everything off and start from bare wood, unless the original finish penetrated deep enough that to do so would remove a lot of material. I then paint them/stain them black and then does the decal go on before or after the polyurethane? I assume before, so that the decal is encapsulated in the poly and thus more protected from the elements, but I imagine right on top is possible too.

 

Also who makes these dry decal laminated systems?

 

Hats off btw for sharing this deep knowledge!

[wkuo3]

Very true that original parts count a lot when restoring anything, especially old classic woods.

 

The way the "dry" decal system works with white decals is pretty ingenious. First you take an image or

pic of the decal and get it into your software program (I use Corel Paint Shop Pro). I just use my phone

for the pics. As I stated earlier it usually takes me a few hours to clean/tighten up the image digitally, I

am sure many would be faster than me doing that. I blow it up and clean up the image pixel by pixel,

especially the edges. Then size the image to what you want and save it.

 

You basically just need a color laser printer and the companies "kit" after that. First step is to print the

image (or multiple copies of it) on the paper they supply (which is just like the paper used on the old time

water slide decals).

 

An entirely white decal starts out life as black print. You then run the paper through a laminator supplied

by the company in the kit. It is run through the laminator with a thin plastic type "board"

under it and with a piece of white "foil" on top. The heat transfers the white from the foil on top of the black

print. So you end up with a piece of the old time paper with white print on it (black on the bottom) after you

pull the white foil off.

 

You then run the image through the laminator again with a very thin sheet of clear mylar on it to clear seal it. At this

point you submerge the paper with the mylar heated on to it over the image into water, the image (still sticking to

the mylar) separates from the paper. So you end up with a small piece of mylar sheet with the image stuck

to it (white print on top with the black base on the bottom).

 

Then you dry the image and mylar with a paper towel, turn it over a lightly spray a sticky (3M I think) substance

on the back (the black exposed portion). Its ready to be transferred to the club, center it and press it onto the wood

and pull off the mylar sheet.The sticky spray is such that it will separate the print only from the mylar when you pull the

sheet of the club.You can't move the image around after like the old varnish decals so it has to be right the first time

when applied. The print only separates because it is held together by the white foil and "clear coat".

 

You end up with a white decal and you can't see any of the black base under it. The company supplies you with

multiple color foils or you can use the clear "foils" to just seal the colored ink image directly from the printer.

 

If you can't obtain the original decals from anywhere, this system makes some very nice ones. And it is print only

(no edges of varnish or anything around the print like the old time ones).

 

You da man !

Obviously knowledgeable and experienced in this, by trying the the method out. You'll be the go to source if I even need decal for restoration project.

[mocokid]

lots of plastic modelers, planes, cars, etc make decals using clear decal sheets on an Alps printer. Look into that.

 

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/20/t/140313.aspx

[James the Hogan Fan]

James the Hogan Fan

 

Just realized I pretty much hijacked your thread. Sorry, I didn't mean to. I should

have started a separate thread.......

 

As far as I'm concerned, keep it coming! My question was asked and answered, and all this bonus material is greatly appreciated and helpful!

[Bella Woods]

James the Hogan Fan

 

Regarding your question on refinishing the wood........

 

Use a stripper to take off whatever finish you can (the paint/poly etc), then sand lightly enough

to take off any excess removing as little wood as possible. It won't matter in the end if some paint/

stain is still in the pores of the wood.

 

Stain the wood as if you were going to refinish it in the normal fashion without painting a final black

coat on it. It doesn't really matter what color stain but normally some form of brown stain would be

used (like brown mahogany or something like it).

 

You need to apply a wood filler on the head as well even though you are going to paint it in the end.

If you paint a wood head over just the sanded or stained head - the paint will not look right because

of the wood grain, you won't be able to see the grain after painting but you will see the pores/holes

etc.

 

After the wood filled head is wiped down and dry, mask off the applicable parts of the head (insert,

soleplate etc) and apply your paint. Your clear coat (poly, varnish, shellac or whatever you are using)

is then applied.

 

Depending on whether you are spraying it on or dipping, and the thickness of your coats of clear,you

need to put on at least two clear coats prior to applying the decal. Then a few more coats over the

decal.

 

I would spray three light coats of clear coat first, lightly sand with 400 grit sandpaper when dry,

apply the decal, and then put at least two more light coats of your clear coat on over the decal.

[James the Hogan Fan]

So after it’s all said and done, I was able to get to the clubs today and find that, alas, they never had decals in the first place. So sorry about that, but thanks to everyone again for trying to help!

[robert horneman]

If you are going to refinish them ,please post pics as you go along.

[augustgolf]

And...between sandings/steel wool/etc...tack rag before stains/sprays/dips.

 

And, if dipping...warm the dip prior to dipping, as it makes that layer thinner. And usually better for multiple dips/layers.