Reproduction Vintage Miller Decals- Have A Look!

[7A749]

For some time, many of you here know I rebuild and sell welding machinery. I know that a lot of guys either wanting to just freshen up their machine, or do a full overhaul always end up asking about repro decals.

Now, there's some sellers on eBay who offer their version of "vintage reproduction" decals, but some of their work leaves a lot to be desired. I can speak from experience of dealing with one of them to the tune of several hundred dollars worth of decals that they just flat out did a horrendous job on. Quality sucked, many were off center, pigments and shading were near unacceptable. Of course, I was just getting into redoing machinery then and thought this particular company (based out of Surprise, AZ) would deliver a top quality product since they touted themselves as a "Factory Authorized" supplier of said decals.

BOY, WAS I SURE WRONG ABOUT THAT!!!

Anyways, after sending them back to have some corrections made (a good number of them wouldn't even peel off the backing without separating) and getting them back in no better condition, I decided to go back to a local vinyl shop here to do some work for me. I have been using them for almost ten years now exclusively. This company in AZ also hit me with a pretty substantial set up charge, then reproduced the decals they made for me at a much better quality, then put them up for sale on eBay. I was the first person they made them for according to what they told me. They have been making money off them ever since.

I guess what I am getting at is the local guys Ive been dealing with since then have done a number of setups for me on different Miller machinery decals and faces, and I am offering an extension of this service to Welding Web members who are looking for period specific decals for machine restorations. I want to be clear, I'm NOT looking to make a ton of money off this, or go into the decal selling business. I just want to offer some assistance to a few ppl who need some help. Sure, there will be a slight markup, but the price will still be very reasonable and quality will be top gear, all the way. No unfair, inflated setup charges, just good quality decals at a very reasonable price.

Currently, I have entire face decal setups for the following machines. They are all matte laminated, and can be done in black background or white. The holes for switches and knobs are cut oversize to prevent the vinyl from coming into contact with mounting hardware, which can wrinkle and tear it. Sanding down the existing faceplate and spray painting it with a matte black finish makes a near seamless match and can only be see at a very close distance.

Miller Shopmaster 300 (later model but can do either)
Miller Syncrowave 250 (would be considered a variant of the Shopmaster so prolly won't see any additional charge for S/U)
Miller Load Bank (seven switch analog model, black or white face)
Miller S 52/54 D wire feeders
Miller S 52/54 E wire feeders
Miller D 52/54 D dual head wire feeders
Miller S 52/54 A (considered a variant of other models, prolly no or very little S/U fee which I would be willing to absorb)
Miller Maxtron 450 (He hasn't made any for me yet, so S/U charges can be negotiated. Since I'll get the benefit of being able to buy more at cost after setup, I will be very reasonable on it if you want one)

I have late 80's-late 90's style black bar decals set up for any Miller machine made during that era. I only need a picture of the exact text, and he can modify the existing setup to make them. These are also matte laminated for a very precise look and extra durability. I have a surplus of 6" large circle Miller decals that go on late 70's to mid 80's machines. These are non laminated, but hold up pretty well.

I also have some speciality safety decals for Miller Maxtron 450 machines, mainly electric shock and wiring position diagram decals. I can also do near any wiring schematic for miller machines on archive quality paper and encased in an adhesive backed clear laminate.

Here are some examples. Feel free to PM me for details. I can get you directly in touch with the place I use, or can do it for you. I can also apply the decal to your wire feeder faceplate free of charge if you send it to me. Larger, more complex pieces will incur a reasonable fee, in most cases paid directly to the vinyl shop since they'll be doing it if it's real tricky.

Face decals. Most run in the $30/ea price range. Face decals for larger welding machines will range from $60 and up, depending on complexity. As long as you have a picture of the text and layout of the face, he can make a precise decal for it. Some custom items will incur a set up charge, but I can put you directly in touch with my guy and you can discuss it with him. They're very, very reasonable. Work is always done fast and very well.

All shipping will be by USPS and covered by the customer. Countries outside the US will, of course be more than usual USA shipping. Please inquire specifically if you are not in the US. I'm sure you can be accommodated

[7A749]

Some other examples.

Small bar decals run around $30/set, larger ones for welders, $45/set.

Something to keep in mind.. I AM ONLY OFFERING REPRODUCTIONS OF DECALS OBSOLETE AND NO LONGER MADE OR SOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER!! I spoke with someone at Miller about this years ago and was told it was not considered an infringement on any copyrights because of this. I am also selling them slightly above my cost so I'm not really making any money doing it either. Left Coast Enterprises sure as hell didn't get Miller's permission before raking me across the coals on setup charges for the decals they made for me, then later mass reproduced, and sold on eBay after botching mine.

I'm just trying to help some guys who have old Miller machines make them look nice and new again. If somebody has a problem with that, that's on them. If they don't like what is being offered here, simply ignore it, or call Miller and tell them. My markup on the decals only covers my time and gas to drive downtown to get them.

Again, nobody is getting rich off this, or trying to get over on Miller by popping 20+ year old obsolete decals!

Any troll comments suggesting or imputing otherwise will be deleted and anyone making such assertions, dealt with swiftly and severely.

I ABSOLUTELY MEAN IT TOO...

Have any questions on pricing or about custom work, I'll put you directly in touch with my guy and I can facilitate the logistics if you want.

Thanks

[7A749]

Here are some new ones that I recently had done for Dialarc 250 and Dialarc HF machines..

I can do 90s era bar decals on these, the first ones he did came out a little on the big side but very nice.

[7A749]

Some Maxtron 450 90s era side bar decals, white '70s-mid '80s Dialarc 250 face plate decals and Maxtron decals mounted on new sheet metal.

[7A749]

Some mounted Dialarc HF decals on reconditioned sheet metal...

I also offer new side panel sheet metal for Maxtron 450 machines in aluminum or stainless steel.

[7A749]

Some shots of new powder coated Maxtron sheet metal with factory correct decals, wiring schematic and Duralar insulative sheeting.

As I mentioned earlier, I can do correct wiring schematics for almost any Miller machine. My schematics come on archive quality card stock and thermal laminated with peel and stick adhesive backing.

[Brand X]

One more.. Steve did a real nice job with this one..

[7A749]

That's a favorite!!

[Doug_]

Nice decals Steve.

I'd love to get the all orange warning decals for my Millermatic 200, mine were so bad that I couldn't even read them.

They're on top and on the face plate and get banded up. Mine didn't have one on the faceplate.

[tanglediver]

I need stickers that are images of picture-perfect welds. That way, when I flub another otherwise fair bead, it gets all dolled up with a great looking sticker.

[Oldendum]

Vintage Miller ... decals?

[weldermike]

Very impressive bud! Got me remembering......I gotta get your stuff I the mail, yikes!

[gunfrk]

I have a 73 or so model 330 A/BP I just fired up and except for actually welding with it, it appears to be functionally fine. It came out of a paper mill and as such the paint and decals are toast. The decals are kinda sparse on these machines but I need all schematics or diagrams along with the 2 round Miller decals and the 330 Goldstar for the front of the top. My all time biggest is a name plate or decal to go over it. Are any of these possible.

Thanks John

[7A749]

You likely have the older red white and blue outline decals. I'm sure my guy could make you up a couple. I don't have a proper setup for them yet so I would have to see what it would cost. I've been meaning to get the gold star round decals done for some time. I would be willing to eat the setup on them since I want some too. I have a very good picture of one he can prolly pull the image directly off of.

I can do the schematic for your machine on adhesive backed clear plastic laminate. I get $10 for that and will give you however many fit in a single sleeve.

I can PM you with the details. I'll find out for sure and let you know.

[7A749]

I do also offer complete sandblasting and powder coating of existing panels. At this time, my guy can only do new Miller blue, but may be able to do a shade very close to second generation Miller blue if there was enough of a demand to warrant spending the money to buy the powder.

[Matt_Maguire]

Good luck with helping the guys out 7A!

Matching the older colors may not be so bad as they were usually pantones. They can't be made by mixing RGB or cmyk so it's near impossible mixing inks. If you take that gold star image to a printer he'll likely "pin" the pantone number in less than a minute (even if it's fairly washed out).

Matt

[7A749]

Hey Matt. Yeah, I'm familiar with the Pantone system. My decal guy can usually nail color matches on the stuff he does for me, at least close enough that it would be really hard to tell it was a repop.

The thing will be with the powder tho. I'm sure my guy could get a shade that's real close, but I dunno how much he would have to buy, or how expensive it is. The Bahama Blue he uses from IFS is damn near dead on match for newer Miller Blue. I would have to browse their selection and see what they have for a shade that matches second generation Miller Blue. Even that general shade changed subtly over the time they produced machines in that era. I have some panels to color match to get in the ball park anyways.

I don't paint anything anymore unless I absolutely have to. Powder coat is, in the long run cheaper and far superior to paint in so many ways. I wish I would have gotten hooked up with these guys a long time ago. They do excellent work and treat me very, very well.

Like I said, it would just depend on how much it cost and if I had to buy a large quantity of it. IFS is pretty reasonable and they make a good product. I met one of their reps at Fabtech in Chicago in November. My powder coater uses their product almost exclusively. I wanted to look into it and see if it was reasonable. I would be willing to spring for the stuff, then have him use it on my stuff when the need arises. Don't get a lot of stuff that needs to be color correct these days. The brighter new Miller Blue looks good and they do an exceptional job on the actual application.

I'll have to update the thread when I get more information.

[Matt_Maguire]

I get it Steve, I'm not familiar with the powder coat biz but if they supply to anyone doing trademarked work they'd have to have it (the pantones).

People with trademarks are real funny about it being "just so"...

Good luck
Matt

[7A749]

Hell yeah. I didn't even stop to think about the powder being Pantone, but it wouldn't surprise me.

The cosmetic company Sephora teamed up with Pantone a few years back and they do a Pantone themed limited run of cosmetics. My wife is all into makeup, so she looks forward to what the color of the year set is going to be

They chose two this year, a first for Pantone I guess.

I can only imagine how much money is in that game right there

[gunfrk]

Thanks, I think we're onto something here. Just let me know. I spoke to a friend this afternoon ( the one that gave me this machine 3 years ago.) and he just bought a mint 1985 330 A/BP that is fully dressed out. The point of my rambling is that it has a perfect name plate if you need a picture of it. Strangely, his is white on black background and mine (1973) is black on white background. Anyway, let me know if you need pics of his and we'll move forward.

[7A749]

Post pics of your machine. Never seen one that old with a black face. Those didn't start appearing until the late 80s.

I actually have a real nice repro faceplate I got from a guy that he had made but he didn't have the circuit breaker hole cut in it. Shoot me some pix so I can verify what you have. Then I can find out what they'll want for them.

[gunfrk]

The one with the black faceplate belongs to a friend. Mine is pictured here and white on black.

[7A749]

Ok. I could actually have dude do face decals off that plate I have. You should break your machine down and wash it out real good, then get the panels sandblasted and powder coated.

I got what you said mixed up. It makes sense now, a machine as old as yours will have a white or silver face if older.

I'll take a pic of that faceplate. He never got the breaker hole cut for it. I pointed that out to him after he showed them to me.

Where are you located?

[gunfrk]

I'm in Stapleton, AL. It's about 40 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. It hit 81 today, even warmer than usual.

[7A749]

Oh damn. Lucky you!

40 deg here rainy and snow is coming lol