* Note: The transfers shown in this video, so-called Nickel Sticks are unfortunately no longer available. StewMac still recommends us as a source because they know our quality. Many custom guitar decal clients found our transfers, produced with lacquer ink, to be a wonderful solution for logo artwork.
Custom Foil Transfers for Guitars
Recently a number of people who build custom guitars have been calling and ordering dry transfers from us. This is, in part, because Stewart-MacDonald has given Image Transfers a great endorsement by featuring dry transfers in one of their videos. It boosts our confidence to know that a company such as Stewart-MacDonald, so well known in the custom guitar arena, would choose to recommend our product to their clients, sending them to order and use our dry transfers on their hand made guitars.
These are not your standard off the shelf guitar decals. These are custom foil transfers.
Our foil transfers are different than other guitar decals. Custom transfer foils can enhance the finished look of a guitar by adding your personal artwork.
In the video posted below, Ron Gomes, in the Stewart MacDonald workshop, uses dry transfers to finish his custom guitar after he installs six inline tuners.
Image Transfers offers foil transfers that are custom matched to the Crown Roll Leaf palette of color options on our website.
Dry transfer decals are an easy and professional-looking way to apply your logo art onto your guitar.
It is the ultimate praise to know that Stewart MacDonald would recommend us to someone who pours his or her heart and soul into making a hand made guitar. We really appreciate their endorsement of our product.
For over 40 years, Stewart-MacDonald in Athens, Ohio has supplied the world’s instrument makers and repair shops with everything they need to build and repair stringed instruments. Stewart-MacDonald (Stewmac for short) sells quality replacement parts, upgrades, and tools that are unique to stringed instruments. Stewart-MacDonald has the hard-to-find tools, parts, and supplies needed by guitar builders and repair shops.
With their staff of experienced luthiers, Stewmac also designs and manufactures tools specifically for the needs of professional instrument makers and repair shops. Their manufacturing shop in Ohio also creates instrument kits of, particularly high quality.
With woods selected and machined for accurate fit, these kits give you the materials needed to create heirloom-quality instruments. From fixing a scratch on your guitar, replacing a pickup or switch to rebuilding a set-neck acoustic, Stewmac has the parts, material, paint, glue and finish to get the job done.
Click here for more information on how our dry transfers make great guitar decals.
Original post: http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Trade_Secrets/how_to_install_six-in-line_tuners.html
Image Transfers are custom dry rub-on transfer specialists. We make only one thing: custom rub down transfers for graphic designers, artists, and model-makers. A dry transfer (or rubdown) is an image printed on a translucent sheet. The image has a coating of adhesive on its back. The image is transferred from the translucent sheet onto another surface by applying light pressure in a rubbing motion. The dry transfer can be applied to any surface that is free of dust, grease or oil. Dry transfers are referred to as DRY because they are applied dry, without the use of water or solvents. A dry transfer is not a slip-off label or a water decal, instead, the transferred image appears as if it was printed directly onto the item. Our dry transfers are opaque because we back the colors with white, so our rubdowns can be applied to a surface of any color without changing the color of the rub-on transfer. We consider dry transfers a semi-permanent application. A top coat of clear lacquer can make them more permanent. Our production artists can match all Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors including Metallic. Standard transfers are semi-gloss but we also offer matte and uncoated finishes. We deliver within as little as 24 hours. -- Specialties: Custom Rub Down Dry Transfers, Art Gallery Signage & Museum Labels, Custom Transfers for Product Prototypes, Comps & Mock-ups, Dry Transfers for Scale Models. Decals for Glass and reversed transfer decals for inside glass cases.
Good day, I write to you from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. I restore old radios often and I have used Letraset to replace the Tone, Tune and Volume indicators. I would affix the letters just before the last coat of lacquer and would achieve an acceptable result. What I am wondering is what are your transfers made of and do you think I could use this type of product as I have used Letraset? Thanks for your time. Roger Dionne
Roger, Our transfers are very similar to Letraset. They are lacquer ink with lacquer adhesive. Since adhesive is only on the image area after applied the art/copy looks like it is printed right on whatever you apply them to. For your usage you can certainly use a clear lacquer spray to protect them. If you have further questions just email us at art@imagetransfers.com or call studio at (212) 928-7987.
I have a guitar that the neck is already finished in satin Nitrocellulose. What does “semi-permenant” mean and is finishing over it to protect it necessary? If not, what is the likelihood it coming off without oiside factors such as moisture, impacts, solvents etc.?
George, I think we spoke this morning? Our transfers are lacquer ink with lacquer adhesive, a little different than the StewMac video. Since adhesive is only on the image area, after applied it will look like your art is printed right on your guitar but the transfer can get scratched. We suggest after application to spray with a clear lacquer to make them permanent. FYI: We have galleries and museums using our transfer on their walls. They don’t coat them with anything and have no issues through the exhibit, but no one is purposely going to a museum wall to scratch off an image/copy. If you have further questions just call us at (212) 9 28-7987. Thanks!
Is there an option to just have two or three decals made for a guitar headstock?
David, Of course. Pricing is published on our website. Letter “artboard size area” is the smallest size we do. Usually clients will gang up or repeat their artwork to fill the artboard. This way they have extras or other sizes that they may need. We can do Metallic colors or even a liquid FOIL color for you. Best file format is Adobe Illustrator or vector artwork. If you need help with artwork or set up we can do that for an additional cost. You might want to view this BLOG article that we believe will be of interest to you. We hope we can work on a project with you in the future. Thanks for your inquiry.