Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum!
This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.

Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

Post Reply
Leo Calleros
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:36 pm
Location: Round Rock, TX
Contact:

Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Leo Calleros »

Saw this today, did a search and didnt see it posted. Sorry if its a re-post.

http://www.archive.org/details/chippedgroundena00raws
Anthony Bennett
Posts: 352
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 4:50 am
Location: England
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Anthony Bennett »

Nice find.
Larry White
Posts: 1213
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 4:18 am

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Larry White »

That is nice! Very nice!

On that Winterthur page, over on the left, I clicked on "All files HTTP",
then out of the list, downloaded the "chippedgroundena00raws_jp2.zip" file,
from that file I was able to extract the jpeg files for each page. When imported
into Corel Draw, they are some pretty tight, high res pictures which would be
quite acceptable for creating vector art.

Sweet! Thanks!

-BB

...or perhaps there's a way of extracting the jpeg images from the PDF file, that I'm unaware of......


.
oatis
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:33 am

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by oatis »

It is GREAT to see this online. I believe R &E published several pamphlets and catalogues. This one contains some different images than I have seen.

I wonder how many orders they ever filled for those "Crystalline" cut-out glass letters? The most skilled artist on the bench would've busted at least two for every one completed... CNC water jet was still MANY moons away.
Patrick Mackle
Posts: 478
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:21 am
Location: Monrovia, Ca.
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Patrick Mackle »

Of the items shown in the above mentioned R&E print, the cut-out letters stole all of my attention. As mentioned, water jet cutting was far off in the future so I spent some time studying the photo of those letters to decide how the would have made them with the least amount of labor so as to be cost effective. They certainly where not cut out by hand with any tool or saw. Unfortunately, the finished edges of the letters are rather dimly photographed making it a bit of a guess situation. But, based on the glue chipping, I know that they were at a point in their business where they had sand blasting equipment on hand. So, it is logical that the glass letters were sand blasted out of sheet glass, and that the sheet glass was only about 1/8"-3/16" thick. There would be no need for the letters to be any thicker than that, also, in that period, the sand blast resists would have most likely been a concoction of guarded ingredients based on thick varnished paper or india rubber dissolved in solvent, nothing that would tolerate an intensive blasting. On an advanced note, as they progressed Rawson and Evans did offer photographs etched into glass, a product that their advertisements made sound that they were quite proud about. Camera celluloid film and carbon arc lamps where available. This early photographic etching was most likely based on a formula of hide glue, glycerine, and dichromate salts, exposed using a film neg and arc light. If they were making those cut out letters at the same time they had developed the photographic etching, it could be possible that they were able to image sheets of glass with the letter shapes and then sand blast out the glass letter characters which then would go on to be chipped, embossed, and gilded.
If the photograph of the letters had only been just a bit more clear, the method of how these letters were made might be easier to figure out exactly.
Of course, all of the above entry may be simply the result of an overactive imagination. :idea:
Pat
oatis
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:33 am

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by oatis »

Pat: I thought of the Blasted- Clean-Through option, too. Somebody cut out the word "Chicago" (in script!) for a Letterhead meet project a few decades ago, in precisely that manner--out of quarter inch plate. Stained glass workers sometimes use a tiny abrasive-only blade for complicated shapes, maybe R&E perfected a glass jigsaw. One will probably turn up in auction, then we'll know.

As for the application, I suppose that would've been accomplished with varnish as a mastic, so it is likely it was the stickum that finally failed the expansion / contraction test: that and an over-zealous window washer.

Mark
Patrick Mackle
Posts: 478
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:21 am
Location: Monrovia, Ca.
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Patrick Mackle »

Otis,
Several years ago I came across some faint mention of an early glass glue used to affix glass letters and metal letters to glass.
It was an obscured mention of an adhesive formula. The basis of it hinted at hide glue, glycerine and another "mystery" ingredient that I was led to imagine might be whiting or calcium carbonate. The idea of this concoction was that once made up, it would stay viscous and workable for some duration. It sounded to be like a mastic in it's properties. My thinking about it's ingredients is that the hide glue is the actual adhesive. The glycerine keeps it plastic and workable along with the residual water used to dissolve the dry glue.
The whiting, or calcium carbonate would act both as a thickener, AS WELL as a water barrier after the mastic dries. In other words, the addition of an insoluble solid like whiting would slow down or block the absorption of water by rain or window cleaning.
I am curious to do a test and then place it water just to see if- or how long it would take for water to wick in and release a glass letter affixed to a plate of glass. Being that the glue joint would be rather thin, and the dried glue being between two pieces of glass, unable to swell to accept water easily, there may be a surprise in it's resistance to a complete release. I guess only an actual test would tell.
Pat
PS: I just remembered where I read a mention of this glue. It was in an antique book of Paint and Varnish Makers Formulas that was part of Rick Glawson's library. Seems odd that the exact formula was not noted out in precise material and measure.
Anthony Bennett
Posts: 352
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 4:50 am
Location: England
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Anthony Bennett »

Pat, those are two very thought provoking posts there.
Very Very Interesting.
Thanks for stirring the sludge that is my mind.
Leo Calleros
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:36 pm
Location: Round Rock, TX
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Leo Calleros »

Thought these 2 books were pretty neat ,as well.

http://www.archive.org/details/americansignwrit00coll

And this Bergling monogram book.

http://books.google.com/books?id=0akaAA ... &q&f=false
oatis
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:33 am

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by oatis »

Leo: This "American Sign Writer" is a BEAUT. Just when I thought I'd seen 'em all...

The unusual "combination" alphabets (showing round and block options of "Egyptian") are really unique.

The high-relief illustrations are exquisite. I love seeing the page dedicated to parade banners. I recommend a recent book called "Banner Bright" which is the story of British Banners---many of them Union Trade pieces. It is very in-depth, with LOTS of beautiful color plates. You should be able to locate that one.

Thanks for the post. Can't wait to see what you unearth next.

Mark
Leo Calleros
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:36 pm
Location: Round Rock, TX
Contact:

Re: Rawson and Evans on Archive.org on PDF

Post by Leo Calleros »

I have actually dug up a few other neat books. This one here has some pretty cool patterns that I want to vectorize.

http://www.archive.org/details/abookesu ... 00giddgoog

This one is not very uncommon but its free. A Guide to Drawing the Acanthus.

http://www.archive.org/details/guidefor ... 00pagerich
Post Reply