[R-390] Dry Transfer Decals Better News

[Ba.Williams]

Different apples or oranges. I have 3 sets of Kohlinors that I still use for line drawings. Mostly aviation drawings. Art stuff. At least you'll experience what kerning by hand is. (Evil laughter) i changed over to computer based illustration and graphics design through the 80's and 90's. Started out in Graphics Design at Auburn in the 90's, but changed majors to painting. I know about r/c plans too because I build and fly those things. I work on the plans like you mention, but all of my work is on the computer.

Guess you will have to learn the hard way about using Chartpak type of lettering. (Evil laughter)

Personally, if this were a project I just had to do, I would ask those who already made good screens if I couldn't do it all myself.

If you have skills in either Freehand or Illustrator you could make a detailed rubbing of a good panel. Get a copy shop to scan that to a file for about $10. Use either of the graphics programs to overlay the lettering properly over your file of the scan in the background. This will look perfect when done. It will cost to get this shot to a silkscreen. That's why I suggested a good vinyl cutter. 


The other other Barry


On Mar 22, 2013, at 12:42 PM, rbethman <rbethman at comcast.net> wrote:

> I believe that Phil (?) Mills has the silkscreen master.
> 
> There was a great deal of this done when the Gentleman in Virginia was doing Johnson radio restorations.
> 
> It was Dee Almquist IIRC.
> 
> The different methods for doing panels by him was broken up to two different individuals.
> 
> With regard to the dry transfer sets that I have, almost ALL the needed wording is already in one word, i.e., MEGACYCLES.  I too used to spend many hours and days over a drawing board.
> 
> I still have a couple of K+E LeRoy lettering sets for use with the various sized pen points.  Don't have much call for that anymore.
> 
> There is still a roll of vellum downstairs.  I duplicated a set of plans for a 1/4 scale PT-17 Stearman a number of years ago.
> 
> So there IS a chance that I can get them lined up pretty good.
> 
> Bob - N0DGN
> 
> On 3/22/2013 1:26 PM, barry williams wrote:
>> Lester,
>> 
>> Yes, someone does but I forget who. There were some details about a silkscreen that was shot just for the front panel a few years back. Rick Mish??? It probably was him. I remember that it was a well done screen that looked good when printed according to a few people on the list.
>> 
>> 
>>> Does anyone have a high quality scan or typeset image of an R-390 and 390A
>>> front panel
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Lester B Veenstra Lester,
>> Sorry Bob, but unless you are really REALLY good, it will look really REALLY bad. These are the pressure sensitive types that you are talking about. The biggest makers used to be Chartpak and Letraset. They are also called dry transfer letters. I used to work as a commercial artist in Atlanta back in the 70's, and we had hundreds of fonts and sizes on hand in file boxes. This was before home computers so everything was done by hand. We had all kinds of primitive methods back then for getting type on to whatever we were selling.
>> 
>> Laying down that small of letter, one by one, aligned just right, etc will be impossible. Alignment and spacing will drive you nuts. Then, things begin to look different after you stand back and look at it from different points. I used to work hunched over art tables all day long doing that and I wouldn't try it on a panel myself. However, if you want to prove me wrong, do a search and you will find ample supply of sheets that you will need.
>> 
>> By the way, these aren't fragile. They last a long time just sitting around. I have a small booklet of electrical symbols and electronic words already laid out on small sheets. I've had it for about 25 years and it has been tossed in boxes for the attics or basements along the years. Still looks fine. No need for the worry beads.
>> 
>> 
>> the other other Barry
>> 
>> p.s. if it were me, I would make a rubbing of a front panel. That's laying a sheet of paper over the panel and rubbing with graphite to get the outlines of the letter spacing, alignment, placement, etc. Maybe a good computer guy could scan that sheet and send a cleaned up file out to a vinyl cutter that would do a whole sheet for you. That would look second best to a silkscreened job. Just transfer the whole sheet in one piece.
> 
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