The Hand Lettering Forum

Looks nice from here. I prefer water over Damar as it seems to shine through better.

in 2011, Faultless produced about 1800 cakes to celebrate their 125th Anniversary. Watch for these on Ebay and the like as they are original formula and as good as the originals. Hopefully there will be enough demand to encourage them to make more.

A bit more trivia to tie into Pat's information. Although railroad related blasted glass would usually be attributed to Western Sandblast Company in Chicago, Cincinnati Sand Blast Company was know for architectural work in addition to their beer advertising signs. The letter style and lack of perfec...

Sennelier seems to be similar to the thick Grumbacher we used to get. Mix with synthetic oil painting medium and test. It should work for you. The idea is to use this thick substance so that the tooling patterns stay and don't disappear as thinner varnishes would flow out smooth.

Looks good. Textures are always difficult to overcome and should be considered when pricing a project.

Angular soft fitch.

A few thinned coats of ti-cote will seal the fabric, applied with an airbrush is best. Of course airbrushing the lettering is a good option too.

I have written a few articles on how sad this situation is. Some would restore an antique chair but have no knowledge of the value of an antique sign both historically and for the image of their business. I have refused to modernize some signs in the past and educated the customer on why. Other sign...

Just a quick reminder that the registration deadline for my Gold Leaf Techniques workshop Jan 9-10 in my shop is Dec 10. Send me a message if you do not have the flyer. Also the Letterheads special price for the two DVD video instruction set ends Dec 31.

Most gold domes as well as church crosses are copper and are gilded to minimize the oxidation. Although a good primer such as a pure acrylic is a modern substitute for shellac, most copper is best primed with a good coating of oil slow size. After a week, a second coat can be added upon which to gil...

Thanks Danny...too many in the que.

Letterheads? Letterheads is a non-organization, with no dues, no officers, and thousands of participants! If you have never been to a LIVE Letterhead Meet you should go … because Letterheads cannot be described … it must be experienced. When Mike Jackson announced the Letterhead Meet in Moore OK (Oc...

I should have posted this earlier but if you register before the 24th, you will have a change to win a fully loaded sign kit.

Letterheads 40 update: The steering committee is progressing nicely with plans for the Sept. 24-27 meet at the American Sign Museum. If you have not signed up yet, you should do so soon as some of the classes at Letterhead University are over 60% full. The meet is shaping up to be a lot of fun and a...

Agreed it is a long "drive". I am sure Mike will be back near you again. You should also get in touch with Erik Winkler since he is closer to you. Mike Stevens died a number of years ago so his video is out of production and was only on VHS originally. No video is a good as working with someone so w...

The price of education is never small and the value is only related to what you will get out of it and the expectation of what you will do with what you learn. Consider the fact that the current average for College Tuition is over $9000. Trade school tuition hovers at just over $5000 for two years. ...

Mike passed away on Sun. He was a great champion of keeping the craft alive and instrumental in hosting both the 1985 and 1995 meets in Denver. He will be missed by all who knew him.

It does not seem like it has almost been 30 years. Good to see the photos but sure miss seeing everyone. Maybe we will be able to travel again soon. Keep posting.

I believe that vertical work was done before anyone considered the practicality of removing or substituting the glass. While it can be done using newsprint you have less control and it is so much better to make adjustments in the shop or start over for that matter. I have also found vertical work to...

Only spoke to her on the phone a number of times. Too young. Sad.

I still have my 1948/15th Edition with those pages being 58 and 59 and with the Spurred brush stroke gothic (page 57), that is what I practiced the most.

interesting indeed...

The thick and thin characteristics of the stroke also contribute greatly to the style and legibility.

The book has a list of needed items, feel free to email me for some ideas to convert to available materials.

Welcome and let me know if I can help, though I am in Estes Park.

Low temp reducer is specifically made for this purpose, allowing the solvent drying process to accelerate. Having said that, the dryer in the paint will solidify at temperatures below 40 F. and therefore not cure the paint. It may dry but its adhesion is compromised and it will not last. The hardene...

A real Meet!!! We are in. Let us know how we can help.

If the enamel is made with a conventional resin such as alkyd then a qualified yes. Pure artist oil color can be added to enamels. Mix in slowly, adding small amounts at a time. Consider adding complimentary colors for better coverage. Do not add more than 1/2% by voume of additional dryer to the mi...

good luck getting mfg to cooperate.

Truely the word is smalt or smalts. Using a "z" was perhaps a nod to Germanic language or just for fun. In jest, some of us have said in the past that presuming using a "z" has more class, that Smaltz should be for glass and Smalts for sand. Since there are "just us" using the material and the terms...