Pierce Arrow Engine Transfer Story

The transfers--are applied to the oil valley covers for 1929-31 cars and  to each side of the air cleaner for 1932-38 cars. J.B. Nethercutt--FAMOUS car collector--was acquiring and restoring lots of cars in the 60's. He had to have made alot of items--for his cars. One item was the Pierce solvent transfers. Decals are applied with water. Transfers use a chemical--to release the transfer from the paper--and then to SEAL the transfer. The transfer becomes more resistant to heat and oil--then a simple decal. After he finished his Pierces, J.B. generously donated the rest of the transfer inventory to CCCA, to sell. I became active in PAS in the 80's, and bought the 30 or so transfers from CCCA, to make them available to PAS (since some PIERCE/PAS members did not belong to CCCA). Subsequently I learned that the transfers were no good. THEY wqere TOO OLD, and would not adhere. The transfer manufacturing process was all but outlawed, due to environmental laws (in CA.). So I decided to make them from mylar. I photo-engraved a mylar strip, using original J.B. art. I made a die. I rented a 2 ton cutting press. I hand stamped each transfer. So I have personally stamped, and inspected each of the 3 color transfers. I have very few left, after 27 years. I no longer reproduce anything. I have observed that an item gets made when an individual needs the item, and the tries to amortize the research and costs, by selling extras. I am the exception to this. All my projects came to me serendipity. I took them on because of the challenge; to learn something, and the opportunity to give back to the hobby. About 15 years ago---I figured out the hours I have spent on making lenses, transfers, tool kit inserts, lighters, brass light repair and a few other things. I have spent over 8000 hours, since 1982. I have netted about $1.12 an hour; after mold, mfg costs, postage, phone calls. Not including gas or utilities. I have only used one of the parts I made, for one of my cars: (a tool kit insert for my 1953 RR S/W). The rest of these projects were to help my fellow car guys.

THE FOLLOW-UP

Last year a PAS guy returned a pair of the old solvent transfers to me--and demanded a refund.
I BOUGHT, with my own $$$, all of the transfers that had aged out-- (from CCCA )
and destroyed them. I never sold even ONE solvent transfer.
He called me a liar.
I just asked him to look at the backside where it stated "MEYER PRINTING Co."
That company has not been in business for 25 years.

I wrote Larry Symons; 2 times (THE CCCA project guy); "out of an extra abbundance of caution" to make SURE that CCCA did not:
A. Have the solvent transfers
B. Has not made substitutes

Larry, God Bless Him, did not have a clue what I was inquiring about (the transfers were LONG gone before Bill transferred the duty to Larry).