Posted by Mike Jackson on February 18, 2004
These two photos were sent me by Larry White. I don't know if for a fact, but I believe these are two of the large pieces being purchased for the American Sign Museum. They are about 8' long.
I have always joked that "any chip" is a good chip! As a decorative clear glass piece, that is probably true. When you try to solution gild or even water gild over an area that seemed to chip, but left a frosted looking area behind, you will discover it doesn't take the solution well and it it is hard to get a good water gild over it. Many of the examples from Rawson and Evans pieces that survive seem to lack many of the remnant "frosted" chipped areas. The photos we have to look at are too small to really make much judgement, but knowing they silvered a large portion of their backgrounds, it seems they had it figured out so they had the least numbers of problem areas.
Pat Mackle probably has it figured out just from years and years of shear volume. The door glass at the Wort Hotel tells me he does. The secret might be a full double chip. I need to do more testing on that to ease my own curiosity. Some of the Rawson and Evans pieces if have seen appear to have been double chipped, and they even mention double chipping prices in their catalog.
In my last test piece, I squirted glue just onto the frosted looking areas remaining from the first chip. It worked fine, but you might be able to see some slightly unnatural looking chip "changes" if you knew what to look for. If doing the same thing again, I'd probably consider reglueing and rechipping the entire letter areas. Again...they are just tests to let me know and learn what I might eventually NEED to know on a bigger project.
The "perfect" chip probably has different meanings to different people, too. There is a "Fern Chip", "Iceberg Chip", "Snail Chip" and probably others. If you were shooting for a Snail chip and only got a fern chip, you might be terribly bummed. Right?
Mike
Larry White
Robin SharrardOne of my customers called and said that the glass that was sent over was the wrong size and to throw it out. It was tempered and could not be modified. I looked at it and thought, I'm not gonna chuck it, I'll use it for a sign. So I made this Milestone Manufacturing sign resembling one of the old R&E signs. The background is all glue chipped. Yes, you can glue chip tempered glass, it's just not as nice as standard plate glass. You get more of a snail type chip. But the whole thing chipped evenly, so I was happy. Next was to silver it. This was definately the largest piece I ever silvered. (The finished frame size is 110" x 36".) The silver went down remarkably well. I then backed it up (with asphaltum), stripped the unwanted silver and painted a split shade on the letters. I then did a brush blended background and marble panel. I went over to Lowe's Home Center and bought some base board molding and some handrail and made the frame. This sign really knocks you upside the head when you walk into our less than glamorous shop.
...and no, you don't have to refrost the glass when double chipping. The glue will grab the existing sandblast along with the ridges and nooks and crannies of the first chip.
-LW
Robin SharrardThanks for the info Larry, very nice piece. Hope to see it in person some day. Didn't know you could glue chip tempered glass. I have a bunch of tempered quarter plate laying around the studio, so I'll have to experiment...Robin
Mike, When you do a second chip on the entire area, do you need to refrost it first?
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads