A couple of years ago while out at Larry White’s Dead Man event I did a Dickinson’s Metal Works project and, utilizing Sarah King’s expertise, did an “angel gildâ€￾ using the copper mirroring solution for the main lettering.
https://handletteringforum.com/forum ... php?t=1327
Over time, the lettering began to take on a blue hue. It looked pretty cool, if I could just arrest it. Unfortunately the patina (thanks, Bruce, for your pedantry) has continued and a lot of the areas are now black.
What I’ve noticed is that some of the lettering is totally unaffected. I had done the background simulating various metal plates, in keeping with the “metal worksâ€￾ theme. Some of the plates were done using aluminum bronzing powder. Others were done using aluminum leaf. Then I backed everything up using Fine Gold backup or One Shot (I don’t remember!)
Anyway, the areas where the aluminum leaf overlapped behind the copper lettering is where the copper color has remained unaltered. I suppose the thick aluminum leaf created some type of barrier. I’m no chemist so I don’t know the related science but this is simply my observation. I also realize I’m talking about a copper solution as opposed to copper leaf so maybe it’s a completely different problem. However, similar to water gilding, the copper is held to the glass with a solution and gives a mirror finish as opposed to being held to the glass with an oil size or a varnish and giving a matte finish.

Here is a bit of a rabbit trail but it is in response to Kelly's comments about apprenticeship and Larry's comments about calligraphy and doing work by hand. (By the way, that IAMPETH site is incredible.)
My youngest son just returned from 6 months in Japan. While there he studied shodÅ￾ - the Japanese word for calligraphy - and brought back for me a couple of brushes and ink. He's been showing me some of the elementary strokes and techniques he learned in building the Chinese characters which shodÅ￾ is based on. A great Chinese movie by one of my favorite directors, Zhang Yimou, is Hero. Besides being a rich, poetic ballet of color and movement, it integrates the art of calligraphy into the story-line depicting it as a life-long, disciplined craft and an expression of the inner person.
Here is a quote from the Japan Calligraphy Education Foundation:
"There are almost no example of even geniuses creating outstanding art without reference to the past traditions. In order to transcend the rules, one must study and master the techniques and follow the moral values of the teachers of the past. Respect the tradition, master it and find your self-expression within it; such has long been the teaching of the Kampo Ryu in ShodÅ￾."
That is a far cry from our contemporary mantra, which seems to be:
"Respond to the marketing trends and buy the latest computer at Best Buy. Then go online and download a free font. To express yourself, simply type in your words, distort, and then move on to the next diversion."
I admit that as a 21st century American, I prefer instant gratification to the life-long discipline of learning a craft, and I really like the ease and hitherto untapped capabilities afforded by my computer. But I shouldn't be cavalier about the potential negative effects of technology and lose the rooted character of hand lettering, hand calligraphy, hand-executed art. I'm thankful that I began to learn the trade in pre-computer days and therefore I have a grounding to take with me when I sit down at the computer which is not a part of the vocabulary of young people entering the trade today. And I want to be someone who is continuing to learn the craft.
That is part of why I love this trade and the people who post on this forum.
Well, the snow has quit for now and I've shoveled about 1/2 of my driveway. I'd better get back out there.
Dan

We're socked-in with a blizzard here in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Glad I didn't need to get out into it today. No sign of it letting up. So, Doug, enjoy your warm weather. I'm actually enjoying this snow as I sit by the fire sipping rum & egg nog. I would have put my money on Ames as well. Check ou...

Russ,
Good to hear from you.
I was just heading off to bed and saw your post.
Wow, wish I could have joined you guys. Looks like a great intimate group - working with and learning from the very best.
Thanks for sharing these pictures.
Dan

Wow.
This is really cool.
Nice clouds, Bill . . . (or whoever did them.)
Now get back to work! We're watching.
Dan

Congratulations, Larry.
Sometimes with these competitions I end up scratching my head wondering why a certain piece took first place.
There is absolutely no head scratching here.
Your poetry continues to inspire me.

Congratulations, Larry.
Sometimes with these competitions I end up scratching my head wondering why a certain piece took first place.
There is absolutely no head scratching here.
Your poetry continues to inspire me.

I have a client who has 3 small transoms (13" x 23") that they want to have some glue-chipping done on. They are insulated units that have already been built and I would just need to do the sandblasting and chipping before they are installed. The glass is double-strength, non-tempered. I'v...

Hi John, To achieve the effect you're after, I don't really think mica powders would do the job. The mica powders that Kelly refers to are kind of cool and don't fade. I've used them some on glass and I know they are used in a number of ways for faux finishing and stuff like that. Sepp Leaf could pr...

Hey Doug, It's almost June. When do you think you'll be heading this way? I would love to have you stop by on your journey. Fort Collins is a short detour from I-80. Hope you have found some other folks to visit along the way as well. If you go to the Cincinatti meet you'll probably see Kent there. ...

Hi Roderick, I haven't checked the site for quite a while. Just logged on and saw your post. I should be working on lettering a truck but thought this as good a diversion as any. I've done window gilding with the GerberMask method a number of times. A couple of things I've found to be helpful: If yo...

Felix, What do you hope to blast in your cabinet? I bought a GlassPasser (the one Mike displayed here) a few years back and it has been a great investment for me. I have limited space so a small unit like this works well for most of what I do. I've been able to blast pieces as large as 4' x 12' or 6...

Well, Dave, if it would make you happy I guess you could show us some other photos.
OF COURSE WE'D LIKE TO SEE THEM!

Dave, I can't speak to the brilliant cutting acid etching techniques - I'll leave that to Pat or others. I love the vintage photo, seeing the piece in context in it's early life. The facia sign to the left says something about " . . . and Drapery Stores Ltd." Any idea what the rest of it s...

Doug, I could go on looking at that "A" all day. And I suppose all the letters and elements share the same level of depth and intricacy. It's a heartbreaker to see that the piece is cracked in the upper left corner. I reiterate Larry's question (although I suspect he knows something of the...

Kelly, I'll let Raymond speak for himself but there are a couple of nice features about silicon carbide. For one thing, aluminum oxide, which has a brown color, seems to cling to everything including the back of the glass. You get some of this with silicon carbide, but not that much. Silicon carbide...

Hi Ron.
I did it all in reverse on the glass. As is always the case, it's pretty unforgiving so there are elments I'm not happy with but lets not talk about that.

OK I finally finished my project. http://www.walljewelry.com/post/Dickinson-Seese2.jpg I used the copper mirror solution on all the lettering. The band across the middle is airbrushed to look like a diamond plate strip, dropped behind everything else. The rest of the background is airbrushed with bl...

Jim-
Well, I didn't take any pictures (not exactly a portfolio piece.)
If I get a chance to stop by the brewery I'll take a couple of shots and them in the future.

Thanks to all for the different input here from everyone as well as the advice from Kelly Thorson in a personal email. The brewery came by this morning and picked up the finished barrels. What I ended up doing is using Gerber Mask for most of it. On some areas I used intermediate vinyl as a mask whi...

Tony,
What type of european antics does she do?
Yeah, give her my name.
It would be cool to install a Segale sign here and maybe people would think that I did it!

Thanks for the heads-up, Larry. Laramie is about 1 hour north of me. I did some gold leaf work there a couple of months ago and will be there again on Friday of this week for another project. I'll give Mark a call and see if I can meet with him. By the way, I'll get my Dickinon project done one of t...

A local brewing company has 24 wooden barrels they want to use for point of purchase displays. They would like me to paint their logo on the sides of the barrels as well as on the top. Of course it is a rough surface and the logo will probably span one or two metal straps. Has anyone dealt with a si...

GEET,
It isn’t what are you missing but what did you miss.
Larry White just hosted the “first everâ€￾ Dead Man meet and those of us who attended are having a difficult time stepping out of that real world into this present illusion.
Larry did an incredible job of organizing it. If you know Larry, nothing is done half heartedly. The theme, décor, project and atmosphere were all wrapped around Jim Jarmusch’s cult-film, Dead Man, which was constantly running either in the background or in the one-liner conversations that were taking place among the participants. (In the midst of it all we were able to pull off angel gilding, depth carving, acid etching etc on our glass pieces)
The kicker was on Friday night when Tony Segale donned his apron and bonnet to be transformed into Sally, as he barbequed a slab of meat and mess of beans for all of us attending Philistines. I don’t care what anyone says, he makes a good pot of beans.
Sorry to break the mystique of this running conversation.
I’ll tell you one thing for sure . . . I wouldn’t trust no words written down in no email , especially from no Dickenson out in the town of Machine . . . your just as likely to find your own grave.
An appropriate segue into your Ghost Town letterhead meet . . .

Doug,
It looks beautiful.
Will you be able to post a finished picture?
Isn't gold on glass great?

Mike,
Welcome back. We're thankful that your family is safely home in spite of everything.
Next time you head down this direction you should stop in Fort Collins.
Dan

Doug, If I understand correctly, the terms first and second surface have to do with the progression of viewing the glass from the outside. The outside of the glass is first surface, the back of that glass is second surface. Most of our glass work is done second surface. If you were working on an win...

This topic comes up every so often on this forum. Interesting that the "Hand-Lettering Forum" only discusses it sporadically. I, for one, need these reminders of the uniqueness of hand-lettering. It is the essence of sign-making from which all other forms of sign-making are derivative. Hop...

Doug, I'm not sure exactly what a transparent black Japan Color would be - I assume just a lot of varnish mixed in with the Japan Color. The Prussian blue Japan Color is fairly transparent. Is is possible that he was recommending putting down a Prussian Blue panel (which has the appearance of being ...

Sarah, The inks Rick sold were Naz-Dar transparent screen inks. You could buy it probably in quarts from a sign/screen printing supplier but he packaged them in small tubes. Esoteric Sign Supply may still carry them. I'm pretty sure Ron Percell with Letterhead Sign Supply carries the same thing now....