You don't necessarily need the acid, gilding pad or removal brush. The acid is very dangerous, and your clients will never request any work that necessitates it. Rather than a special 'pad', you can lay gold w. a 'tip' or right from the book. And instead of a brush, removal is easy with just some co...

Why is it on the floor?

..."praise song for every handlettered sign", RIGHT ON! Let's all sing!

...I have a whole pack of patent WB that is like that. They suggested that I put something heavy on it, but it didn't help. I have not tried the vise trick yet...

...DOUG, you are going to LOVE your new MAC! If nothing else, avoiding the issues outlined above will absolutely validate it. Note that the people who are so certain they have to have PC's, most have never owned a Mac. While their criticism is that Macs are too expensive to buy, perhaps the issue is...

S I C K !!!

...Thanks Mike! (iIm still learning about posting pix!)

...Every color other on the Lincoln piece (other than the out lines) is transparent paint in size sprayed on. The scrolls were done w. burnt umber color artist oils.
The blues, greens and portrait colors are all transparent one shot.

http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/billypickett.jpg ...Jerry, (rather than asphaltum) I use One Shot tinting black. I mix a very tiny bit it w. OS quick dry size, thin it good, strain and spray gradients w. an air brush. This doesn't require much black, in fact what may look light before it's ...

...I think I see a moose in the first photo. Mike, you have a RAD family!
Happy New Year and thanks to you and everybody else who makes this site so rad!

...My biggest influences (and all time favorites) have been the books by Chs. Strong, Frank Atkinson and Mike Stevens.

...Ray, Mike used the term "blasting". So I thought that was what he ment.

...Rick Glawson visited here in Sept. 2001 to purchase, prepare and package one of these trains for shipping to his place in Ca. He bought it from a very local antique dealer for (if I remember correctly) $2000. We set it up (horizontally, face up) in my shop, and to "stabilize" it for shi...

...Mike, if your piece is small enough, and you have a machine shop nearby, you may not need to build a blast cabinet. You may be able to blast your project in one of the cabinet contraptions that they use for cleaning parts. These boxes have an interior light, viewing window and built in heavy glov...

...Eric, huffing any acid fumes can't be good for ya. The HF's big danger is getting it on your skin. You won't feel it burning (so I have been told), but it goes right in ya and attacks your bones!!! That's why it's recommended to wear rubber gloves. And also add some red food coloring to it so you...

...He was a true friend and brother of the brush. He was always swinging a brush at all of the early L'head meets. At the Memphis meet (in '84 ?), I especially remember him (w. Ray Chapman, Bob Behounek and others) lettering motel windows at two thirty in the morning, after the lounge had closed.

... Scarlet, Try mixing a tiny and miniscule amount of linseed oil w. the paint instead of terps. It will really extend the drying time, just don't add too much! There is/was a product called Smiths Cream that is used for blending enamels. And there is also probably something available to fine art o...

...On the last two tone w. matt gold (on a door transom) I did, I used One Shot metallic gold on it. It dries quickly, and I then filled in the back w. the (black) OS paint I used for the outlines.

...Thanks for posting those shots! Tony's sign (in particular) is lovely, and has valuable lessons to teach.

...Robert, (for glass gilding) I have never needed a "final wash" of anything. Water, wine, beer, booze or saliva. I know Ray Lablanc (in his book) says he uses boiling water. ...Perhaps you have a poor batch of (water and gelatin) size, either too weak of contaminated w. something. I use ...

...Hi Bobbie, If your lettering has outlines (preferably black) they can 'protect' the gold. I've had too many jobs that I backed up w. clear varnish deteriorate. Other than a bad varnish ol, the work was fine. The varnish or paint Ol may (somewhat help to) protect the lettering from goof window cle...

...you said it... , "DROP SHADOW".

...well, I just found out 'the hard way' that that epoxy doesn't work. I had some glued and screwed on mdo cleats fail, and a sign came down. The screws had been the only thing holding on. In fact, this very morning I reinstalled it. How about GE silicone #1 ? That's what I used to 'fix 'em' with...

...Tony, your art has alot of potential, and obviously much time has been spent creating it. I realize that this is a new mural, and not a reproduction of what an 'old' advertising sign would look like. In the era you want to portray, commercial wall dogs would (probably) not have been inclined to p...

...Tony, your art has alot of potential, and obviously much time has been spent creating it. I realize that this is a new mural, and not a reproduction of what an 'old' advertising sign would look like. In the era you want to portray, commercial wall dogs would (probably) not have been inclined to p...

...Wouldn't it be more authentic if the mural did NOT have photos on it (and THREE of 'em) ? Photoshop and computers were not around in the era you what to represent.

...Wouldn't it be more authentic if the mural did NOT have photos on it (and THREE of 'em) ? Photoshop and computers were not around in the era you what to represent.

...Spraying size works fine for very many dimensional applications. I especially like spraying it for glass work, but the piece has to be masked well. GL size always works best when applied in the thinnest possible coat, and spraying is great for this. Mixing transparent enamels (like blue, green, r...

...Kelly, Rick G. sold something which I think he called a "mineral light". Which was like a small BLACK (or purple) light that could disclose which side was which on tempered glass. I think he believed (or knew) that one side was (more) preferred for gilding on, than the other. ...Perhaps...

... Yo Scooter, the mask thing is a fine method for glass gilding too. It can be an appropriate 'short cut' for some jobs, and for those who prefer plotting to using a brush. Chris Lovelady (of Talahassee, FL) covered his technique in Signcraft awhile back. (I don't remember when though, anybody?) H...