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Thorn Tip

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

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

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Robert Schwieger
Posts: 123
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:38 pm
Location: Nebraska

Thorn Tip

Post by Robert Schwieger »

Just curious. Any results from using the Thorn Tip?
Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Contact:

Re: Thorn Tip

Post by Dan Seese »

Hey Robert,

I've never used the Thorn Tip but have heard some good things about it. Doing a search on the forum, I did see it mentioned here: https://handletteringforum.com/forum ... f=2&t=3947

Hopefully someone who has used one can give you some feedback.
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
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Andrew Lawrence
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Jun 29, 2013 1:06 pm

Re: Thorn Tip

Post by Andrew Lawrence »

I've seen a few novice gilders use it with novice results. There's no magic tip (including the Smith Tip)
that you can break out and get a perfect gild with. Every tip is just a tool and to have mastery over it
requires time and practice. In my observations, it's a really slow operation and the results are somewhat
mixed. Honestly, you'd be better off with a normal gilders tip in my opinion. There's no substitute or short
cut for expertise and time spent refining ones craft.
Chris Rummell
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2017 2:44 pm

Re: Thorn Tip

Post by Chris Rummell »

I got one for a project covering a lot of square footage on glass. In my initial tests, I've found it to be slower than a regular tip mostly because I haven't figured out a way to hold onto everything at once. As Andrew said, it's not a magic device, though it does help lay full sheets in an orderly fashion.

Pros
Simple handling of full leaves
Waterproof mesh - doesn't absorb water if you touch the size (not uncommon since the screen area is larger than the leaf)
Lots of visibility around the leaf as you're positioning it

Cons
Slower than a traditional tip
Mostly designed for gilding flat surfaces
Still subject to tearing leaves, overcharging, and all the other gilding hazards

So I up weighing the time lost vs area covered. I have a feeling I could almost lay twice as many half sheets with a regular tip at about the same rate (albeit with twice the seams), a very experienced gilder might handle full sheets equally well. For all but the largest jobs, I'll probably stick with the regular tip.

These were my experiences, your mileage may vary.
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