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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 1684 matches

by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:50 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: A Packrat's Lament
Replies: 10
Views: 9048

Danny and Doug, The covers on National Geographic magazines in that period had a generic Text cover (with a decorative border). The pic Doug is looking for must be inside the magazine and not on the cover. It woud help if he knew which issue the picture was in during 1946. You can sometimes buy indi...
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 24, 2004 9:00 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: A Packrat's Lament
Replies: 10
Views: 9048

Doug,
Check out this eBay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

It has all 12 issues from 1946, and the current price is just under $7.
There are three day left on the auction right now.

Mike
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:07 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Cutawl users?
Replies: 5
Views: 5870

Cutawl users?

http://www.displaycostume.com/products/111097.jpg When I still lived in Oklahoma, I went ahead and spent the sizeable investment in a Cutawl (around $900 now). With the CNC routers, you don't see them much anymore, but at one time they were a workhorse tool in almost any sign shop—or so I was tol...
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:54 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: A Packrat's Lament
Replies: 10
Views: 9048

A Packrat's Lament

Most of the sign makers I know are packrats at least to some level--some like myself are worse than others. My Dad had a huge pile of National Geographics on shelves, in boxes, and under the bed. I could look at them, read them, get photo inspiration, and so forth, but I couldn't cut them up. I subs...
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:14 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: It's becoming obsolete - paint? No! Vinyl!
Replies: 4
Views: 4051

Cam, I should add a point here. The beauty of this site is we openly welcome a diversity of opinions, approaches and techniques (on the topics above). None of them are necessarily right, or even better. I personally find it interesting to hear other people's approach to a specific task. We are all l...
by Mike Jackson
Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:18 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: It's becoming obsolete - paint? No! Vinyl!
Replies: 4
Views: 4051

Hi Cam, Yes, I recognized the direction of your post. Around here, Darla and I look at the size of the lettering and the amount of materials to be used and then decide. 6" and under, and we usually vinyl it. 7" is wasteful, unless smaller text can be nested with it to use up the 5" ar...
by Mike Jackson
Thu Aug 19, 2004 6:29 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: It's becoming obsolete - paint? No! Vinyl!
Replies: 4
Views: 4051

Hi Cam, Not intending to counter the momentum of your post, but you say you don't like weeding vinyl. We don't have much trouble weeding vinyl in most styles down to 1" tall using Gerber 220 HP vinyl. That makes me wonder what brand and kind of vinyl you are using? Some of the bargain brands an...
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 18, 2004 4:37 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Email back up question
Replies: 9
Views: 7578

Wow, I don't know what I am doing wrong, but searching for Inbox.dbx adn Sent Items.dbx still don't turn up any results.

Searching for *.dbx brought up no results, too.

Help!

Mike
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 18, 2004 4:24 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Email back up question
Replies: 9
Views: 7578

Looks like I should have checked the HELP feature of Outlook Express. Here's what it has to say" To compact and back up e-mail folders Select an e-mail folder. On the File menu, point to Folder, and then click Compact. To back up the folder, find the folder file, and then copy it to a backup fo...
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:16 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Email back up question
Replies: 9
Views: 7578

Email back up question

Hi all, this one is mostly off topic, but I don't really know where else to ask and get a quick response. We had one of those summer thunderstorms roll through last night and I got up to unplug my main computers and hard drives. I do a reasonable job of backing my "job" data, but it occurr...
by Mike Jackson
Sun Aug 15, 2004 11:02 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: 111 Alphabet Sentences
Replies: 3
Views: 4001

Wow! Not you, but someone apparently had too much time on their hands a long time ago.

Mike
by Mike Jackson
Sat Aug 14, 2004 9:47 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Smith's Cream
Replies: 5
Views: 5331

There was an old wall dog in Oklahoma City who preferred "stand" oil instead of boiled Linseed oil. Not sure why, but he did pretty darned nice wall work for Coca Cola all over the region.

Mike
by Mike Jackson
Sat Aug 14, 2004 9:37 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Rock island railroad
Replies: 6
Views: 4104

http://www.theletterheads.com/glawson/ricktrain.jpg Rick Sacks sent this photo for me to post. I adjusted it a bit in Photoshop for him. I don't know where all his trains ended up. Tod Swormstedt might. I am not so sure he actually owned all of them, and one had a cracked corner, from what I rememb...
by Mike Jackson
Sun Aug 08, 2004 11:58 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Smith's Cream
Replies: 5
Views: 5331

John, I never used much Smith's cream, but I own a can or two of it. People like Bill Hueg doing large pictorials on billboards like it because it gives them plenty of time to blend large areas before their paints start drying or skinning over. He often uses large jars of artist's oil colors which a...
by Mike Jackson
Fri Aug 06, 2004 12:03 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: The 5 carving tools I use most.
Replies: 3
Views: 3754

Joe, We sold our chisels when we sold the shop nine years ago. I was at the shop a few weeks ago and happened to look over the rack. Quite a few look like they have been used to open cans or broken over embedded nails. Yikes! I believe I am guilty of being a chisel and gouge "user" and not...
by Mike Jackson
Thu Aug 05, 2004 11:51 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Disaster!!!
Replies: 12
Views: 9493

Hi Mark,
Funny thing...I was thinking of your Tivoli piece when I posted my words of "wisdom". The one that finally got installed was a wonderful piece.
by Mike Jackson
Thu Aug 05, 2004 3:13 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Wenzel's "Modern Decorative Art" (large images)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Jack, I believe a lot of these pieces pre-date CJ Strong's work. They were done by a variety of artists, then compiled into 8 Folio style books around the turn of the century. There are around 1400 plates in the books, but I picked out the ones I thought people migh want to see and many of those hav...
by Mike Jackson
Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:12 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New book of interest: The Barn Painter
Replies: 0
Views: 2969

New book of interest: The Barn Painter

Hi all, Looks like there will be a book about Harley Warrick out in the next week or so. Here's a note from his son, Roger: http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/barnpainter.jpg Hello! As some of you know, we've been working on a book about our dad HarleyWarrick for some time now. Well, it is alm...
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:05 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Wenzel's "Modern Decorative Art" (large images)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Wenzel's "Modern Decorative Art" (large images)

http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/ladyinred.jpg http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/wenzelbd.jpg http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/wenzel1.jpg http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/wenzel2.jpg http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/wenzel3.jpg http://www.theletterheads.com/s...
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:54 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Spanjer Catalogs
Replies: 0
Views: 2792

Spanjer Catalogs

Here's a bunch of Spanjer Letter Catalog images brought over from the old Forum. You can read all the posts through this link: http://www.theletterheads.com/wwwboard/messages/4261.html http://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/spanjer1909.jpg http://eturnings.com/spanjer/images/spanjer16.jpg http://w...
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:47 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: on Spanjer letters
Replies: 3
Views: 4012

For more images click here:
http://eturnings.com/spanjer/page1.html
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:41 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Train Car Lettering
Replies: 8
Views: 8125

Image

Here's a more complete showing of John's font at:
http://www.letterheadfonts.com/
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 1:53 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Sharpening Chisels
Replies: 30
Views: 31112

Just for reference, the Mark II that Paul White used ran the belt away from the chisel. Seems safer to me, and he certainly got a sharp chisel fast.
by Mike Jackson
Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:31 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Sharpening Chisels
Replies: 30
Views: 31112

Doug, I inserted the photo in your post for you. I have a couple of questions. The sander is fairly inexpensive, but it doesn't come with a motor or switch from what I read. They suggest a counter clockwise motor, but to me it seems that would bring the sanding paper down into the chisel point. I th...
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:34 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Adhering Photos to glass
Replies: 5
Views: 5601

The Weber's Res-N-Gel is the culprit. By design, it dries very slow. Personally, I think there is something better...but you also have to be careful knowing whatever mixture you use "could" attack the paint under it.

Mike
by Mike Jackson
Tue Aug 03, 2004 9:55 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Adhering Photos to glass
Replies: 5
Views: 5601

Signmaking 101: Adhering Photos to glass

Doug Bernhardt mentioned his 1/3, /1/3, 1/3 mixture in a post earlier for adhering a photo, painting, card or similar paper image to the back of a piece of glass. Here's Doug's (I think it came from Rick Glawson originally) 1/3 damar varnish 1/3 resin gel 1/3 bulletin spar or quick rubbing varnish P...
by Mike Jackson
Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:44 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Disaster!!!
Replies: 12
Views: 9493

Jeff,
While these words don't help much, let me offer them...

When working with glass, there are two kinds of craftsmen: Those who have broken a precious piece, and those who will.

You are in with good company.
by Mike Jackson
Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:02 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Sharpening Chisels
Replies: 30
Views: 31112

Image

Doug, I cropped one of your photos from your shop showing these two tools. The grinder on the left doesn't have a belt on it in this picture, but is this the tool you use?

Mike Jackson
by Mike Jackson
Fri Jul 30, 2004 5:57 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Pictorals on glass - Saran Wrap?
Replies: 5
Views: 5171

Try reading this page on The Original Letterheads Web Site (in the Rick Glawson section)

http://www.theletterheads.com/glawson/decalomaniac.html
Decalomaniac

I don't think I would go with Seran Wrap. Use decal sheet instead.

Mike Jackson
by Mike Jackson
Fri Jul 30, 2004 3:59 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Signmaking 101: Mahl Sticks
Replies: 15
Views: 13956

Bill, I learned to use a dixie cup when painting using a mahl stick, then palette the brush against the edge of the cup. The cup is held with the pointer finger and thumb, with the mahl stick going between the pointer finger and the middle finger. My Graphite mahl stick came from Don King, too. Mike...