Jack,
These decals come with a shiney plastic side, a dull translucent paper backing, and the letters in between. You need to be absolutely sure where you want the decal to end up on the downtube; you won't get a second chance. When ready, I peel and fold back back a little (maybe 1/2") of the paper side (not so much that any letters are exposed), making a tab that I can later pull on when removing the paper backing. Then I use masking tape to secure the slightly peeled end of the decal on the bike in the proper position (in such a way that I can get to and tug on the paper tab). Then I carefully and slowly peel the rest of the paper off, a little at a time, pressing down on and properly positioning the plastic side on the tube, as I go. When all the paper is off and the decal is pressed down against the tube in the proper position, I tape down the other end of the decal and "burnish" (rub hard) the shiney plastic side of the decal with the heel of a hard plastic automotive bondo spatula, working from one end of the decal to the other, one letter at a time. What you are doing here is pressing very hard on the plastic side and thereby applying concentrated pressure on each of the decal letters (pressing back and forth, back and forth) to release them from the plastic and firmly adhere them to the bike tube. Working from one end of the decal, you can slowly remove the plastic side, a little at a time, letter by letter, as you go, once you're sure that EVERY part of each successive letter has released from the plastic and adhered to the tube (look very closely at each letter as you go--it's easy to lose a corner or other small part of a letter if you're not careful). Go slowly and carefully. You shouldn't have any air bubbles after all the burnishing, but if you do, pierce the bubble with a pin, and burnish some more. Bear in mind that the letters are not connected to one another--they are separate on the plastic. Only the plastic holds them in their proper respective positions relative to one another. Don't directly touch the letters, even after they are on the bike--they are sticky and may come off on your finger. When you have applied all decals in the right places, you're ready to clearcoat the frame over the decals. Once the clearcoat dries, the decals are there to stay.
If you got a complete decal set, some of them (like the 531 decal and the world champ stripes) are water slide. They are not very forgiving, either. You pretty much have once chance with these, too, so get them in the right place on the first attempt. They don't slide much once they are off their paper backing and on the tube, and they are not strong and can easily tear. Use a wet finger to smooth the bubbles out from under the decals. You should let water slide decals dry thoroughly before clearcoating (at least a couple of days)--you don't want water trapped under the decals, which are themselves under the clearcoat.
To know where to mount the decals, I took some good sideview pictures of original-decaled Paramounts from the web, printed them, and then measured their relative positions with dividers and an engineering scale and then proportioned those measurements to fit my frame. Note that the "Paramount" decals are not mounted on the precise sides of the downtube; they are a little toward the top side of the tube, like centered on the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions (where the 12 o'clock position is the exact top surface), rather than the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions.
If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to e-mail. I've done two Paramounts (a '75 and a '72). I found some clues somewhere on the Web, but mostly had to learn as I went. You'll do fine. It's actually a lot of fun.
Pete Rutledge
Woodbridge, VA
>I need to install the Paramount decals I got from Waterford on downtube of
> this '74 but don't know how. Are these waterbased and all I have to do is
> soak
> them? Should I use a fine bristle brush to take out any winkles. Is
> there a
> website with this info?
>
> Thanks for all your help, past and future,
>
> Jack Romans
> Sacramento, Calif