Mahl Sticks

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Mike Jackson on November 28, 2001

Luckily for me, I learned to hand letter watching someone who used a Mahl stick. Being left handed, it helped keep my pinky out of the wet paint (though I know there has to be a bunch of left handers out there that don't use one).

I used to use a 1/2" diameter dowel rod with a small rubber ball on it. The dowel rod was 36" long. For the sign kit, we splurged and bought one of the three piece aluminum ones made by Grifhold. We put a rubber ball on it, too. Recently, we bought a nice graphite one from Don King while out in Oregon at a meeting. Seems like we replaced the ball on it. The thing is nice and "slick". Steven Parrish, the old gold leaf master from Nebraska, had a huge Mahl stick made out of an old wooden golf club. It was tapered and had a large cork ball.

What's for favorite? Most sentimental? Best story?

Mike Jackson / co-moderator

Mike Jackson - Fine Arts Mahl Sticks

Back in college, we used an actual walking cane as a Mahl stick...the kind that looked like a candy cane with the full hook on the end. When doing an oil painting, you could hook it over the top of the canvas and use it basically the same as a sign painter's mahl stick. When not in use, you could just let go of the end and let it hang without fear of it touching the painting. The round part of the hook created a triangle shaped space, providing the cane was longer than the height of the canvas.

Mike Jackson

Carol

I've seen mahl sticks made out of one leg of a tripod. Telescoping. Second hand store tripod, no doubt.

[Mark Fair]

My mahl stick used to be 28" long until I met Monte Jumper at a letterhead meet and Monte suggested I make my mahl stick longer.
I made my last one with a 1/2" wood dowel with a "nerf" ball on the end and the length is 48".
It makes alll the diffence in the world!

a lot wider range of motion with the extra long mahl stick.

thanks monte!

mark fair