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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.

Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

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

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Kelly Chatham
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:17 am
Location: Middleburg, Fl.
Contact:

Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Kelly Chatham »

statebankedited.jpg
statebankedited.jpg (74.66 KiB) Viewed 5447 times
statebankedited.jpg
statebankedited.jpg (74.66 KiB) Viewed 5447 times
I reach out to those of you who might have any experience with historical building re-paints. I have an opportunity to re-letter this concrete, debossed Sign originally built in 1947. I was asked to "Just paint the Letters back" ....well THAT is simple enough, but my OCD won't allow me to LEAVE well enough ALONE. Since there are no existing Photo's of how the building looked originally, I'm hoping someone might have had a similar experience and can answer a few questions I have.
I have looked closely and the Letters appear to have been "Green" and that's great, but I'm wondering if the area AROUND the letters would have ALSO been painted? I'm very excited to get this opportunity and want to do it justice. Any info that will help me proceed would be greatly appreciated...I'm still in the "quoting" stage but have it on good authority...I'm the Lady for the job.
I would very much like to stay with what was ORIGINALLY done if I can find out what THAT would have been. Unfortunately there are no photos I have been able to locate.

Thanks for any insight in advance!
Kelly
Tyler Tim
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:12 am

Re: Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Tyler Tim »

Hello,

The field or background would most likely be natural color. Which would of been a nice whitish color when new. As for the incised lettering could of been natural or colored. The green are you sure it's paint and not fungus growth? Either way pressure washing it would be the first step.
Sure I paint thing for my amusement and then offer them for sale. A brushslinger could whither en die from lack of creativity in this plastic town my horse threw a shoe in. :shock:
Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Contact:

Re: Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Dan Seese »

Welcome, Kelly.
I'm afraid I'm of no help as to what the original color was.
I concur with Tim that the background was likely the original concrete color - not painted. I've seen this type of thing from a similar period where the incised letters were gilded, but you would likely still find traces of the gold leaf if that were the case. It's most likely, in my mind, that the letters were not painted at all and that the shadows in the incised letters created the necessary contrast for readability. (This shadow contrast would likely be eliminated or greatly reduced by painting the letters black.) This lack of painting the letters would eliminate you as being "the Lady for the job", but if in your research you find that it was not painted, that research should be worth something to them if they are wanting to remain historically accurate - a clear requirement for historic restoration.
As to power washing, I'm not sure what to say on that. I would be extremely careful. The brick and mortar should be protected as you could completely deface them with power washing, and I'm not sure what it might do to the concrete sign itself. So caution and testing are the watch-words on that.
Still haven't answered your question, but digging for historic info can be very rewarding if and when you unearth the clues - which are surely there - to lead you to some degree of certainty about the original sign. Good luck.
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
http://www.DanSeeseStudios.com/blog/
http://www.facebook.com/DanSeeseStudios
Tyler Tim
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:12 am

Re: Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Tyler Tim »

After doing a bit of looking about. I see the letters are more impressed or embossed into the concrete... so they have a flatness to them and not a chiseled cut to them. So coloring will only enhance. On thing you could do is look back into the local newspaper archive I'm sure they did a story back in the day. Will confirm painted or raw when new.
Sure I paint thing for my amusement and then offer them for sale. A brushslinger could whither en die from lack of creativity in this plastic town my horse threw a shoe in. :shock:
Kelly Chatham
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:17 am
Location: Middleburg, Fl.
Contact:

Re: Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Kelly Chatham »

Thank you all who have responded! I truly appreciate your input.
The contractor who is working for the new owner, contacted me, since he has known me since high school. When I went there to take the pictures, I'm 90% sure the letters had been painted green. However, not sure WHEN that could have been done because...it was obviously a long time ago.
This building is in Southeast Ga. about 70 miles away. I've been unable to find anything yet..but will keep searching.
Thanks again for your input!
Doug Bernhardt
Posts: 1077
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 9:29 am
Location: Ottawa Canada
Contact:

Re: Hello fellow Sign Painters! Thanks for adding me.

Post by Doug Bernhardt »

For what it's worth I agree with almost everything said so far. I've seen many examples like this in UK and north America and most often were not decorated in anyway. However there should be some artifact left behind of any paint or gilding and a good close up photo would be great a help. Having said all that....craftsmen from the past were always experimenting (much like now) and to see something right "off the wall" wouldn't surprise me at all.
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