Lettering for Sail Covers

[c130king]

As I perused the thread on the stained sail covers I saw the pics of Moe's sail cover with the word "MacGregor" on it.

Anyone have any advice on applying lettering to sail covers? Iron on? Sew on? Sources?

I think it would be pretty cool to have "König" and "Mac 26M" on my new sail cover.

Thanks,
Jim

[bubba]

Try silk screen letters

[Night Sailor]

Our friends at SailRite.com have numbers precut, and adhesive backed material by the yard from which you can cut any letters or symbols you desire in many colors.

See http://www.sailrite.com/Categories/Sail ... il+numbers

[c130king]

Night Sailor,

All I could find on the sailrite website was big numbers for putting on sails. I am thinking I need about 6" letters in white (maybe with black border/outline).

I think maybe the silkscreen may be the way to go. I could probably take the cover into a T-Shirt/Athletic Shirt shop and they could silkscreen the words on my cover.

But white fabric letters (or maybe iron on) would be cheaper...at least I think.

Jim

[tangentair]

I don't know how good it would work but there is some kind of "silk screen" that you can print on a PC Printer, I believe it is an HP product and as I remember it was sold at office max/depot.
You might also just try a sewing/fabric store - they may have iron on applicaions that you can cut the letters out of. I have seen them at the grocery store but the were mixed colors and only about 4 inches by 3 inches as I remember.

[puggsy]

What about stick on vinyl letters. The sort they use on car yard signs...and these days for most signwriting. Modern signwriting firms have a machine that can cut any size letter and in many styles, out of their rolls of base material. I have just had SEAHORSE's name cut and will soon apply them... three feet by 12 inches...port and starboard. White on blue...lovely. Puggsy

[Oskar 26M]

Puggsy: Don't forget to post a pic of Seahorse with her new name tag

[c130king]

Puggsy,

How will you apply those to your cover? Will they stick sufficiently to sunbrella? Or do you plan to sew them as well?

And Tang,

I looked on-line at fabric/sewing stores and couldn't find any cloth letters that fit the bill. But I will look at physical stores when I get back to the U.S.

Thanks,
Jim

[bastonjock]

jim

i can get my hands on vynyl graphics if you think that would do the job

[c130king]

The only vinyl letters I have seen were on rectangular sheets of vinyl...the whole rectangle would be required...I don't think the letter pulled off the backing. Not sure I want vinyl and I don't know how to fasten to the cover.

Jim

[kmclemore]

I'll bet you can get a local artist to just silk-screen it right onto your cover - that's undoubtedly the best way to get it done (and it will last longer), and you can also get custom artwork done better that way, too.

Or, you can evan learn the art yourself - it's not really that hard:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=NkYxpWOztvQ

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=4bIwpPGs180 (and the others in this series)

http://nomediakings.org/doityourself/ho ... hirts.html

[c130king]

Kevin,

Thanks for the info.

Jim

[puggsy]

I still have an advertising banner from the time i was in chartering...Stick on vinyl letters on a rectangle of plasticised canvas...and they will just not come off...i wanted to use the canvas on another job...but no luck.
The name job is still to be done...but will post photos when it is...Puggsy

[School House Steve]

I have a BA in fine arts with a major in screen printing and for the amount of money I paid for my sail cover I would not try to silkscreen letters on it. Silkscreen printing is for multiple copies, a complicated process is required to make the stencil, and not as easy looking as the clowns on the U-tube video make it to be. When the vinyl letter M came off the sail of my Mac 25, I just took some scissors and masking tape and made a stencil on each side of the sail and sprayed it with paint from a rattle can. I like the idea of computer cut vinyl lettering but I wonder if it would hold up to wrinkles when the sail cover is stored? Unless you want to spend hundreds of $ for a professional to print your cover you might want to try the cheap route of masking tape and paint. When I was a kid I worked as a sign painter which required a steady hand and a good brush. I have considered painting my boats name on the hull with an air brush but the computer printed vinyl letters would work better in this case. I believe they can be easily removed with the hot air from a hand held hair dryer.

Steve

[puggsy]

hi, SS...those stick on vinyl letters will just not budge, not even on the very edge of the letters...I've had that advertising banner for years bow and can't use it for any other job because i can't get the letters off it and it has been folded every which way...Hope this helps...
Do they have this system in the US and Blighty [ Britain] or not?
Puggsy...