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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.

Search found 225 matches

by Lee Littlewood
Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:15 am
Forum: Annoucements
Topic: Passing of John Frazier - Original Letterhead
Replies: 1
Views: 10743

Re: Passing of John Frazier - Original Letterhead

Wow - I'm sorry to hear that and even sorrier that I didn't know he was alive for the past decade or so. Mark Oatis said that he didn't know where John was and i didn't know any way of contacting him; so dammit. // I met John at the first Denver big meet (maybe 1980? I'm loose about dates) when one ...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:58 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Water Gild over Water Based Spray Paint/ HF SAFETY
Replies: 3
Views: 8677

Re: Water Gild over Water Based Spray Paint/ HF SAFETY

1) Watergild: are you watergilding over the paint or over clear glass? Applying paint (outlines, panels...) with a vinyl stencil and a roller/brush/spray is fine - as you say, pull the stencil before the paint dries so the edges "heal" a bit. Once dry you can surface gild on the painted ar...
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:23 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Spatzier
Replies: 18
Views: 178095

Re: Spatzier

That looks great! Now that people are locked down to avoid Covid19 maybe you will have more "free time" to work on it and post pictures?
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:37 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Pock marks in matte centers
Replies: 30
Views: 50741

Re: Pock marks in matte centers

Hello Ashley, Can you post a photo of the afflicted gild? From your description you let 1Shot Fast Size dry for 24 hours before watergilding and backing up over it. That does seem like it should be enough to let volatiles escape. Ditto for your friend - if he was able to steel wool the size it was w...
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:27 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: mother of pearl
Replies: 3
Views: 6105

Re: mother of pearl

...and if you order, maybe ask them nicely if they are 'sustainable'. A lot of ocean resources are being used up; I don't know if collecting shells can be done slowly enough to leave the population stable AND make money. On the other hand, the beaches in New Zealand were just littered with lovely Pa...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 04, 2018 2:13 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Gold Leaf peeling
Replies: 1
Views: 2525

Re: Gold Leaf peeling

How old is this job? I notice that the black shading looks quite deteriorated, which usually takes awhile. And the black seems to be breaking up & down, which makes me think of condensation running down the windows. By comparison, the leaf is mostly solid (except for ‘croissant’) with big chips ...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 04, 2018 1:11 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Inferior glass gold
Replies: 1
Views: 2834

Re: Inferior glass gold

Yup. There is always grousing about how things were better in the ‘good old days’, but I think that with the change to machine beating instead of hand beating the character of gold leaf rally has changed. Or maybe the good is as good or better than before, but the bad is worse. Last year I was invol...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:28 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Gilded aluminum foil matte effect
Replies: 6
Views: 32229

Re: Gilded aluminum foil matte effect

Damar is a so-called "spirit varnish", which I take to mean that it dries by evaporation but does not cure. So it can be re-dissolved by the same solvent (turpentine, maybe other materials?) - old-time lacquer was the same, and shellac. You can get damar all the way from crystals to a thic...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:12 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: THE SIGNWRITER AND GLASS EMBOSSER 1898
Replies: 3
Views: 4755

Re: THE SIGNWRITER AND GLASS EMBOSSER 1898

Wow! Good catch, Kevin. Different price for "Bound" or "In Parts" - that probably explains the dark pages every now and then; that would be the end of a section. I wonder if one bought it by subscription and had the parts delivered by the Royal Mail? this is gonna be some interes...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Aug 19, 2017 1:07 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Doug Bernhardt_Retired?!
Replies: 7
Views: 12359

Re: Doug Bernhardt_Retired?!

(oops, this shows how often I don't check the Forum): Congratulations Doug! "an extra pair of hands"... I hope there are folk in Ottawa who realize what a help you would be, and that helps you keep one toe in the water. On the upside - this may give you more time to travel, and maybe we'll...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Aug 19, 2017 12:43 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Fast dry gold size
Replies: 4
Views: 5366

Re: Fast dry gold size

Lacquer thin'r will pull Wunda out of a brush, sorta. Getting the brush into soapy water after you're done is a big help, but that will make a squirrel hair brush swell up. I knew some truck letterers who had dedicated brushes for Wunda size. So detergent water rinse; then lacquer thinner; then bar ...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:45 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Fast dry gold size
Replies: 4
Views: 5366

Re: Fast dry gold size

(maybe no one is answering because no one has tried it?) (nah, I've seen lots of brass leaf window signs that were done with WundaSize) I have not done any glass work with Wunda - are there any other water-based sizes out there? I know someone who did, doing outlines then laying brass leaf into Wund...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:05 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Screen Printing Acid Resist on Glass?
Replies: 10
Views: 10772

Re: Screen Printing Acid Resist on Glass?

Hi Emma, If you go looking for "asphaltum" you'll find a lot of varying information. Since it is a natural substance (some sort of petrochemical 'tar') that makes sense, still it is irritating if you're trying to be consistent. But for block-out screen printing you can buy a quart of "...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:45 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Tinning (again !)
Replies: 5
Views: 5286

Re: Tinning (again !)

"Yes, I'm using mainly 1Shot enamel and sometime acrylic paint." WARNING: do not use the same brush in both kinds of paint! Second Warning: be careful what kind of brush you use with water-based paints, like acrylics. The squirrel hairs used in the old standard signpainter brushes will swe...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:04 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New Dux and Old Rolco
Replies: 2
Views: 3412

Re: New Dux and Old Rolco

Blessing on you, Andrew. Now if we had someone who speaks good French and would talk to LeFranc & B. maybe we'd find out what their stuff is made of... Tung oil for the quick size - "Well I never!" - as my grandmother would say. It is not an uncommon material, but i have never used it ...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed May 31, 2017 10:47 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Blabbermouth me, or just a polite host?
Replies: 18
Views: 18989

Re: Blabbermouth me, or just a polite host?

Hey Janice, is that Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine? If you are in Oregon send me an email at LBL@Integra.net and i'll put you on the list of local-sign-folk-who-have-intermittent-meetings. If you're in Maine you're on your own (although my niece lived there for a while and said the people were ...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed May 31, 2017 10:36 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: damar embossing
Replies: 3
Views: 4497

Re: damar embossing

I had the same after about 6 months. The damar/res'ngel mix was embossed and then forgotten. When I remembered it I did a white gold water gild and it was like mirror on ripple glass. The gold was pretty shiny on both sides.
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Jan 27, 2017 3:17 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: that dipped marble we used to do....
Replies: 2
Views: 3171

Re: that dipped marble we used to do....

"It's The Water"
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Jan 27, 2017 3:10 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: base coat for gold size...
Replies: 9
Views: 7187

Re: base coat for gold size...

Any clearcoat that can take 2 years outdoors in Montreal is of interest. But a clear coat over wood has always felt like a layer waiting to break down or de-laminate. This is just from the being clear: sunlight will go through the whole film (and if metal is under the clear, sunlight will bounce off...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:22 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Oslo Letterheads 2017
Replies: 8
Views: 6269

Re: Oslo Letterheads 2017

EXCELLENT! If it only gets dark for a couple of hours each night, there may needs be a 'clean-up squad' to pick up signpainters who have fallen over and can't get up...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:22 pm
Forum: Letterhead Events
Topic: Oslo Letterheads 2017
Replies: 8
Views: 10993

Re: Oslo Letterheads 2017

EXCELLENT! If it only gets dark for a couple of hours each night, there may needs be a 'clean-up squad' to pick up signpainters who have fallen over and can't get up...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Nov 16, 2016 1:40 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Tiki bar sign
Replies: 4
Views: 4924

Re: Tiki bar sign

Pretty hot stuff there. The border looks quite interesting - any good pix of it?

If you silkscreen in your basement, how do you exhaust the fumes? Enquiring minds want to know...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Nov 16, 2016 1:34 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Base for painting
Replies: 6
Views: 5527

Re: Base for painting

Hard to be sure from the photo, but I don't see a gap in the middle. It does look as if it is outdoors, so (with all due deference to Mr. Bernhardt who is a brilliant woodworker) I would look at a metal panel. A sheetmetal shop can often make up a custom size and shape for a reasonable price, and th...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:23 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Interesting Split Shade Technique...
Replies: 16
Views: 16371

Re: Interesting Split Shade Technique...

So, to recap for those of us whose memories can't manage 6 posts up: 1) Cut the glass, drill the glass, nip the glass 1a) Lettering with fumed acid etch, spray silver, shell infill, mirror borders.... (you know, the usual stuff) 2) Opaque black background cut in, leaving "shades" still cle...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon May 02, 2016 11:47 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Spanjer Bros.
Replies: 1
Views: 2463

Re: Spanjer Bros.

Hmm. It makes sense that Spanjer might make furniture - they show elaborate A-boards and some cabinets for signs - but I don't remember seeing anything like chairs or tables in their old catalogs. Of course those were Sign Catalogs, so there may well have been a different division with its own catal...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Apr 20, 2016 12:15 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Painting Metal Shutters
Replies: 2
Views: 3293

Re: Painting Metal Shutters

Umm, is it bare metal now? Steel or aluminum? On bare metal you do want to get rid of any rust or grease and then prime it with the right primer for the metal - a galvanizing primer for steel, an aluminum primer or prep-coat for aluminum. Then you can coat with whatever kind of paint you like - 1Sho...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:56 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: 1st attempt at some things
Replies: 4
Views: 4699

Re: 1st attempt at some things

Coming in late here, but it looks like all went well - so you'll be pumped up for the next round. Go go go... My first and best suggestion is to get a copy of "Gold Leaf Techniques for Sign Painters" by Ray LeBlanc, edited by Kent Smith. Read every word. It really is the bible for this par...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:36 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: "Tennis elbow" from lettering?
Replies: 4
Views: 4984

Re: "Tennis elbow" from lettering?

I've never had my elbow hurting, but there is that muscle down the side of the spine that a friend called "the truck lettering muscle". Too much continuous lettering and that will flare up big-time. One other thought is about posture - are you keeping mostly balanced when you're working? I...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:26 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Chester Cunningham
Replies: 21
Views: 21103

Re: Chester Cunningham

Hi Regina, and welcome to the Signpainter Appreciation Network. How strange to have one of the greats be your father(!)
Your story makes one wonder if there is something genetic about the craft, sort of like the Bach children becoming musicians.
Please keep painting and posting...
by Lee Littlewood
Wed Feb 10, 2016 3:34 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Advice on brushes
Replies: 8
Views: 8202

Re: Advice on brushes

Looks good!