Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum! 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.
I took most of the day yesterday looking through my library and found some info about glue chipping glass in an old book.
To make a shell chip:
Screen print small circles (circles or dots ) of glue on the glass. When it becomes solid, rescreen them again, and again, giving the glue thickness. place it in an oven to chip, clean after the chipping is done, reglue the entire area, doing a double chip to the glass. It said, this will make a shell pattern.
Has anyone tried this?
Erik, Let us know if it works !!!
Back when I was searching glass decorating patents in the patent library, I came across a fair amount of "petty" patents that proclaimed some "special new and useful method" dreamed up by rival glass decorators. One mentioned dipping large tree leaves into glue and placing them on glass. One described predipping strips of paper into glue in order to glue chip store fronts on site.
Yet another explained the discovery that placing acid on glass in a pressurized chamber as producing a wonderful mother of pearl finish imparted on to the surface.
Many of them seemed long and drawn out processes. Most seemed like they where proclaimed mainly to bluff or mislead their competitors. I could imagine one glass shop laughing their "arses" off thinking that the poor bastards of a competing shop are pressuring their glass in an acid chamber trying to duplicate a product achieved in a much easier (and safer) manner.
In the case of this patent you found, I could easily see them laughing at their competition screening, and screening, and screening, in the hope of arriving at the exact look the proclaimer of the patent easily achieved with a simple adjustment of glue application and drying technique.
Pat
I was getting excited at the idea of these multi-step processes...my imagination firing on the possibilities it could open. Just think how sweet it would be to create and control different glue chip patterns and create a new type of pearlescent finish. (I recently an enquiry for a pearl finish, and after trying various methods with mica powders backed with gilding, I'm still yet to achieve the effect I am looking for)
Then the brilliant realization, that yes, we should stay grounded when it comes to hints and rumours of amazing new methods. There may well be some great ideas, but patents can be misleading.
I have a friend who, as a highly-educated chemist, spends a lot of time working of patent applications for his clients. He gave me in interesting insight into the thinking of patent writing. A lot of the effort goes into obfuscation rather than illumination. it's about preventing someone stealing your idea.
I posted this quite awhile ago, but thought I'd add it here again.
I created this pattern by placing 6" x 3" ovals cut out of craft paper and placing them in the wet glue, overlapping slightly and offsetting each row a bit. After the glue was dry, and in my chipping booth, just as it started to chip, I tapped each open area between the paper with my x-acto knife. That started the chipping in a "snail" sort of pattern but then the glass chipped in big waves where the paper was. The finished piece had a kelp forest look to it.
Thanks Larry!
I like the border, looks like a cigar box design, beautifull.
Is it mica or chipped?
p.s. Larry, I have constantly made photo's for you from the workshop, but the wifi connection does not work.
Now it is late at night and I forgot my photo cable....
They will come...
Just saw a slideshow of the work that Noel did through the years.... I was speechless, what a genius!
And again the realisation that I missed a lot of cool meets.
Maybe I can combine the Burningman festival next year with a visit....
) of glue on the glass. When it becomes solid, rescreen them again, and again, giving the glue thickness. place it in an oven to chip, clean after the chipping is done, reglue the entire area, doing a double chip to the glass. It said, this will make a shell pattern.
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads