Cub Decals? Vinyl vs Mylar.

[Alan Gee]

looking at decals I see vinyl and mylar, one cost's 30 some bucks one cost almost a hundered . Anyone ever buy one or the other and whats the difference ? Note I want to clean up my Cub but I am not going for a full concors rebuild. I just want it to look better.

[tst]

mylar is a cheap replacement for vinyl, they last a few years before peeling etc, vinyl last for many years

[Stanton]

[EDIT: Had experience with both die-cut vinyl and mylar. Prefer die-cut; looks much better IMO.] That means that each letter or phrase is closely cut around so when applied, there's no clear background between letters. The mylar variety is a huge sticker with printing on it.

Here's a description from Maple-Hunter Indiana: http://www.maplehunterdecalsindiana.com/about-us.aspx and http://www.maplehunterdecalsindiana.com ... tions.aspx

Here's an example of a mylar decal with a red background on a Cub:



Here's an example of a mylar decal with clear background:



Can't find a good picture of vinyl die-cut to show you, but you can see a thread on another site here: http://www.redpowermagazine.com/forums/ ... 777&page=2

Hope this helps.

[Matt Kirsch]

The original decals were a water-slide type, with the designs printed on a clear backing. These are no longer available as far as I know.

The modern equivalent of these is the mylar with a clear backing. You would use these for the most "original" look.

As far as mylar only lasting a few years before peeling, not in my experience. The key to applying the mylar decals is to NOT touch the backside with your bare fingers. The oils from your fingers leave a sticky fingerprint that you can see through the clear mylar, and the adhesive never really sticks down where you touch the decal. I wet the surface of the hood with warm water with a squirt of dish soap in it, then use single edge razor blades to transfer the decal from the backing to the hood. It is then a matter of "floating" the decal into position and carefully squeegeeing all the bubbles out with as much of the water as you can get. Then, leave it alone overnight.

Cut vinyl decals are real nice, but not "correct" per se. The nice thing is you can apply them with your fingers as long as you make sure to only touch the transfer paper. Same "float into place" technique to get the air bubbles out, too.

[Dusti Snider]

I will add, just to clarify...the decals on "Otis" are the original, water transfer "silk screened" decals available in service packs from the IH dealer back in the day. They aren't the same as the cheap mylar decals available now. The only way they'll come off is to be sanded off.

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My F12 had mylar on it when I brought it home. I peeled them off in one smooth pull, didn't even tear them. The tractor had been repainted 10 years or so ago, the edges were lifting and had started yellowing. They looked terrible. It'll get new vinyl decals probably next month.

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My "M" has vinyl decals from Maple Hunter. Going on five years and they still look great.

[Ken (48 Cub)]

Maple Hunter - they look great! Last set I bought for my 48 was around $50.