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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
Sat Dec 26, 2015 11:29 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Lettering on cloth
Replies: 5
Views: 6302

Re: Lettering on cloth

You might try getting the tee shirt damp with water before lettering with 1Shot. The 1Shot should be thinned a bit. I like white gasoline aka camping stove fuel - it seems to make the paint watery but not runny, sort of. The theory is that the water will fill the 'pores' and the oilbase paint won't ...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Dec 26, 2015 11:19 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Advice on brushes
Replies: 8
Views: 8236

Re: Advice on brushes

Wow, that looks like a lot of texture. If you are sure your paint will stick to the fabric then the next question is the size of the lettering. Big letters (15 cm or more high) should be easy to do with a flat chisel-edge brush (some artist suppliers call it a "brights" shape), but smaller...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Nov 03, 2015 12:19 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Spray On Copper Mirrors
Replies: 5
Views: 5718

Re: Spray On Copper Mirrors

I'd like to give it a try - who makes the copper paint spray?

and if it is a spray, maybe one could fog copper then silver and get a blend?
Or mist a color on, then go over with copper to get a bluish or greenish copper mirror?
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:18 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: My First Reverse Glass Gild Sweetleaf Coffee
Replies: 13
Views: 14697

Re: My First Reverse Glass Gild Sweetleaf Coffee

Like they said - good work.

I wanted to thank you Jen for your first thread - it showed me Sam Alfano and i bought his DVD on scrolls - great stuff!
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:11 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Angel Gilding over Silver/Copper
Replies: 3
Views: 4313

Re: Angel Gilding over Silver/Copper

Hi Marvin, That statue sounds interesting - will it be at all like the Ben Dombey picture Sarah shows on the page you bookmarked? Her page shows a couple of combinations, but always gold or silver as the first layer. So I would start my experiments like that, with a translucent layer of gold or silv...
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:50 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Bubbling on reverse glass gold jobs
Replies: 6
Views: 8426

Bubbling on reverse glass gold jobs

I started a new thread not because of new info, but to combine some recent threads. If you want to jump back and forth between them, open each in a separate tab and you can feel like the computer nerd hero in a TV show. ............................. In the last couple of months we have had three pos...
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:16 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Le Franc 3hr tac time
Replies: 12
Views: 11690

Re: Le Franc 3hr tac time

Rich, how long did you wait before putting in the mica? The caveats here being: 1) screening is not brushing 2) putting mica on is not the same tack as applying gold leaf Still, do you have any feel for how the 50/50 LeFrancs mix was setting up? ........... Separate question: why bother with size at...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:16 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: 1st Glass work
Replies: 2
Views: 3433

Re: 1st Glass work

Wow! Nice pictorials, and the "imitation silver" (is that aluminum leaf?) looks really bright.
I hope your signs bring in customers and the market lasts a long time.
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:06 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Le Franc 3hr tac time
Replies: 12
Views: 11690

Re: Le Franc 3hr tac time

Okay, now I'm confused. Andrew Lawrence wrote: "However a 50/50 mix with LSS quick and Lefranc 12 hr gave it a nice 1-3.5 hour window for gilding. At hour 4 it was dried so it looks like I've found the sweet spot. Brightness was all similar in all cases." Is this a 50/50 mix of LSS quick a...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:39 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: hand gilded boat name with v-carved effect
Replies: 3
Views: 4191

Re: hand gilded boat name with v-carved effect

Andrew - is MING all 23K with different directions of burnish? It looks like the thin lines dividing the letters are 2k burnish too (?).
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:01 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Le Franc 3hr tac time
Replies: 12
Views: 11690

Re: Le Franc 3hr tac time

Rick, there was a thread mentioning the new LeFranc sizes sometime in 2014, I think. My contribution was DON'T MIX 3 AND 12 HOUR SIZE. I have happily mixed LeFranc slowsize and Rolco quick for many years, but when I had a problem mixing the new formula (sort of ropy looking, dried way too fast) I ca...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Dec 08, 2014 1:03 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: De-lamination?
Replies: 15
Views: 14144

Re: De-lamination?

I wonder what adding hardener does to the drying/curing time.
I have always avoided adding extra chemicals to paint if I can, so now I have no experience to draw from.

(Bruce Buckley, I can't find your old post, and it sounds interesting. Could you re-post it?)
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:54 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: De-lamination?
Replies: 15
Views: 14144

Re: De-lamination?

Here is another possibility, although your photos seems to show distinct bubbles rather than color changes. In 2005 we did a series of glass panels for a (new construction) ice cream shop, using 2tone letters with black outlines, mirror gold border stripes, and a mottled brown background over all. I...
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:03 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Advice needed!
Replies: 5
Views: 5559

Re: Advice needed!

Why not paint the pictorial on a separate board and mount it behind the glass (with a spacer so it doesn't touch the glass)?
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:01 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Space Cadet
Replies: 3
Views: 3589

Re: Space Cadet

Umm, maybe the cart is coming before the horse? Remember the Signpainter's Trinity: LAYOUT COLOR LETTERING in that order. Your letters look fine to me, but what is the layout? Quick thumbnail sketches are a great technique. How generous are the borders? Basically, how does the proposed sign fit into...
by Lee Littlewood
Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:48 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Advice on Signing Work
Replies: 3
Views: 3758

Re: Advice on Signing Work

A rubber stamp can be "inked" with enamel paint and stamped on. Of course you'd need two: one forward for boards and in reverse for windows. Another possibility is a small silk screen - I have seen one stretched across the screwtop lid to a canning jar. The problem with silkscreen is you h...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Nov 08, 2014 6:26 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Screen Printing_One Shot Paint
Replies: 9
Views: 10145

Re: Screen Printing_One Shot Paint

We do a small amount of screen printing in our shop, sometimes on site. It is a nice technology to have available and really only requires a few pieces of equipment [dark room, washout sink, pressure washer, good light source, vacuum frame (can be home made)]. One of the nice things is being able to...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Nov 08, 2014 5:56 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: How was this made?
Replies: 4
Views: 4629

Re: How was this made?

Is it illuminated?
How big?
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:28 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: LeFranc 12 Hr Slow Size
Replies: 9
Views: 8511

Re: LeFranc 12 Hr Slow Size

I did a test in May 2012 with my "new" L&B 12 hour [sort of a tan label, it said: "Mixtion (gold size) - 12 hours (lead free)" bought in 2010] against my "old" L&B 12 hour (yellow label) from '05 or so. They looked and acted very similar - gold laid at 12 hours ...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:55 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Spinning goldleaf
Replies: 6
Views: 10667

Re: Spinning goldleaf

Eric, I think you have the correct vision - the size is grooved and the gold (being incredibly thinner than even the thinnest size you can lay down) just goes along for the ride. What I visualize is this layer of jelly-like material (the size) with a thin thin thin layer of gold laying on top. We kn...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:39 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Carving Brandy
Replies: 6
Views: 6538

Re: Carving Brandy

Great Stuff, Mr Bernhardt!
Did the punched background work out? With punched wood, how much do you worry about the crushed wood expanding over time?
by Lee Littlewood
Sun Oct 12, 2014 6:57 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: OFFICIAL LOCATION OF INTERNATIONAL LETTERHEADS 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 12558

Re: OFFICIAL LOCATION OF INTERNATIONAL LETTERHEADS 2015

"... collection of photos of Australian signs. It's primarily focused on gold leaf glass work, but it's a database I've been compiling for a long time and covers an extensive range and a history of gold leaf window signs covering over 150 years. " WooHoo Yeah! I've not been to Australia, b...
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:29 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: What to do first? Gilding or silvering?
Replies: 7
Views: 6942

Re: What to do first? Gilding or silvering?

I'm not sure if the ancient sign masters did much solution gilding/silvering - you don't find much about it in old books. The mirror makers did some wonderful decorative work for bar signs and such. In any case, Larry has the best overview. After you have done any alterations to the glass, and clean...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:49 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Introduction
Replies: 2
Views: 2867

Re: Introduction

For small-muscle skills, practice is a great thing. But don't forget to sketch with a pencil - it can do many things that a lettering brush can't, plus it is good when practice is discouraging. In Philadelphia you should find many good signs and letters to sketch. Here's part of one from Shorpy.com ...
by Lee Littlewood
Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:17 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Clear Coating Reflective Glass Beads
Replies: 12
Views: 10756

Re: Clear Coating Reflective Glass Beads

great work, Chris. The scientific method is slow and tedious, but you get real info at the end. And of course we get it for free, so what's not to like? You didn't say if the final mix (40:1 aluminized beads: clear beads; clear topcoat) lets much of your custom base colors show through. It sounds li...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:54 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Favorite Products
Replies: 3
Views: 3753

Re: Favorite Products

Umm, it is a bit like asking a bunch of cooks what ingredients they like best. There are different brushes for different surfaces, different paints ditto, different solvents, different substrates.... And of course different places have different supplies available. The needs and requirements of the ...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:38 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: NEED HELP- Storefront Sign
Replies: 1
Views: 2070

Re: NEED HELP- Storefront Sign

If you've done metal signs before you should be OK. A traditional sign type was the galvanized sheetmetal sign made with bends on all 4 sides to hook over wood 1"x2". Any sheetmetal shop can do it. The wood stiffens the metal but the whole thing is light weight. Mount with screws through t...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:23 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: How to remove amalgams on mirrror?
Replies: 2
Views: 2595

Re: How to remove amalgams on mirrror?

Can you mask it and sandblast it? But I don't imagine you could do that and still have a smooth surface. ................................................ This is what we have done once or twice - the real mirror guys may know something better. It is a messy, smelly, high-risk project. Something like...
by Lee Littlewood
Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:07 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Glass Tombstones
Replies: 32
Views: 37800

Re: Glass Tombstones

Wow - very nice. I especially like the red glow in the center, even if I can't figure out how it works.

The overall look is traditional but a bit different, which maybe describes your mum?
by Lee Littlewood
Fri Jun 13, 2014 12:32 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Hi, Newbie Here
Replies: 7
Views: 5729

Re: Hi, Newbie Here

That ripple glass seems a bit cruel to start out on... Good on you for sticking with it. On the 'gaspipe' letter you picked it would make sense to use tape top and bottom - you get better coverage and don't have to work so hard to get sharp corners. It's not an appropriate technique for every letter...