So, a bit of information for those looking to have decals produced for their TAB tank. My plan was to have my chosen scheme produced as a decal, so I could run it for a while to make sure it worked before getting it painted.
The decal firm I hired produce great stuff, although mainly for dirt bikes - they came recommended. However, they had the following issues:
- they initially had difficulty getting a smooth set of curves; I could see the vector points.
- eventually got a relatively smooth set of curves but had difficulty where the pinstripes intersect to a point. Before correcting this;
- they did a dry run with a test decal and could not get the decal to adopt the steep curve toward the front of the Norton tank, without creasing. Despite using heat etc.
Got a call this morning to say they couldn’t complete the task - C’est la vie!
I have the AI & PSD files so I’m gonna try and complete the graphic myself and find a local wrapping firm. They should have no problem with a wrap rather than a much thicker decal.
Failing that (and eventually anyway) I’ll get it painted. Until then I put the logo decal on - looks just OK to me.
The takeaway then - choose your decal firm well. Ideally they would have experience doing a wider variety of jobs, beyond the flat profile stuff prevalent on dirt bikes. Challenge them from the outset on whether they can apply your chosen decal to the significant curved profile present at the front of the TAB tank.
When I’ve finished the decals I’ll put the files on the resources page should anyone want to use them.
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