Posted by Roderick Treece on April 30, 2003
Danny BaronianI have a backpainted project on glass. the letters have a 22k bright gold outline with black outlines and clear centers.I been trying to make a spray mask to air brush in the centers .So far I've tried heavy paper with a little spray glue but it leaves a little residue and still has some overspray.Next I tried clear mylar.But I got the same results.I don't think I can use vinyl because it would bring up the gold.I've been wiping off the over spray and residue and that works ok but I think it could be done better.It's all hand painted so starting witha spray mask didn't seam to be an option.
In a pinch you can use intermediate vinyl. Clean the glass as usual then apply some shadow kaolin powder. You should be able to get this at a drug store. If not you can use rouge powder. Put either on sparingly. Carefully clean the glass exposed through the mask. While the kaolin powder could be left on, you'll get a cleaner job with it off for glass work.
Apply the mask and proceed as usual.
A better mask than the intermediate vinyl is Gerber I paint mask. Make sure to specify Gerber I because there is a no. 2 but is more aggressive. No. one has blue text on the backer, no. 2 has red text.
I'm sure others could add to this, but this should be a start.
Danny
Roderick
Danny BaronianMy letters are about 4" high and have clear centers,Bright 22k outlines , with black outlines after that.When finished it will have abalone flakes sprinkled in( more on the bottom and less on the top )than medium to dark blue fade airbrushed in the centers.
I'm sticking with the clear mylar with alittle spray glue.Like traditional stenciling.If you spray the glue and let it dry for a while than stick it down to something other that your project first it lowers the tack and doesn't leave as much residue and as far as the overspray is concerned it's not that bad .I don't use that much vinyl so i'd have to go out and get some to try it with vinyl.I have used alot of vinyl spray mask to do mass production goldleaf windows but this is just one piece and I like to stay as trditional as possible.
Roderick
Danny BaronianThe other Danny suggested and even better material, clear static cling . You can usually get it by the foot rather than purchase a whole roll.
Danny
Danny BusselleAs usuall, test first on a sample, not the final!
Danny
Lee LittlewoodQuestion: Have You Tried CLEAR FRISKET I use it a lot on Illustrations where I am very concerned about Lifting or catching another color.
D. BernhardtI'm not sure i understand where you are now in the project. Do you have the black outlines and mirror gold outlines done, with clear centers left ? You want to do a matte gold center with airbrushing in the varnish?
If you've already got the mirror gold on and backed up then you don't need to worry about overspray except outside the black outlines, and it can prob'ly be wiped back (as you say). If you're trying to do an airbrushed color center wtih no gold it may take a while to build up enough color but you may be able to wipe back as you go. What size letters?
If you're trying to do a "Boston job" with both mirror and matte gold done in one gild then putting in the center varnish by airbrush sounds pretty hard to me, but I'm klutzy with teh airbrush. Again, what size letter. One helpful thing, if you were putting varnish centers in by hand, is to dust the glass with kaolin (or white pounce) and the varnish strokes show up much better. After the varnish is dry be sure to wipe off teh powder before watersizing. Also, after the varnish is dry, you can rub it gently with fine steel wool and improve the matte effect plus hide the little lumpies I always get in my varnish centers.
Mike JacksonHope i get what you are doing so ignore all this if not. First trying to protect very delicate areas (bright lines) and the backgnd (clear glass) from over spray.
This is one I got from the BOSS! and a big hats off to him.
Gentle spray of shellac over area and then apply the liquid frisket or mask available from and art shop(Watercolourists use it for that purpose)on areas to be protected...do the finishing as per requirements and let dry. Do all other back-ups etc and with alcohol on cotton swab clean off excess shellac. Minor amounts of back-up will come off but no worries...they are minor. Just enuf to stain the cotton....finish the job as you like.
Tip 1...soap and water in a sable brush works good a for appling mask if the job is upright. Soap prevents the frisket from sticking in brush.
Tip 2...Ball up a little of the dried mask to use like an eraser and will remove excess mask at end. A little finger work might also be necessary.
Good luck and let us know what happens!
Danny BaronianDoug,
I was tying at a fly tying expo a few weeks ago (looks and feels much like a Letterheads meeting). I was watching another guy tie a fly and he made the comment, at this show you have to tie in some token CDC and Zelon for it to be a real fly. CDC is a feather on ducks that they use to preen themselves. It aids in their floatabliity. Zelon is a stiff, silky material used on wings and shucks. Both products seem to be in fashion right now. None of that matters here, except to give a chuckle to the shellac step you mentioned.
For Rick, and a lot of the old timers, "It ain't much of sign unless you use some shellac and some asphaltum somewhere along the way on the sign".
Mike
Good one Doug,
How many times did Rick tell us about shellac, more than a few times!
This one would be good for the tips section.
Danny
Mike Jackson
Vance GalliherHi Danny,
My answer might not be exactly what you are needing here, but it might be food for thought. My concept would be "work smarter--not harder". If I knew I wanted to airbrush the interiors of the lettering, I would try to figure out a way to design the sign so that the area that needed airbrushing was almost all protected by the time I got to that step. In other words, I might include a larger outline, an extra shadow or a panel running behind the lettering so the areas needing masking were minimal or non-existent. If the shadows bumped into the next letter, there might be only a tiny bit of area to mask. If the glass is going to get a solid background color, then do all that prior to spraying. You would have absolutely no overspray to deal with.
In the example above, I left the centers of Curtis and Barber Shop open so the v-carved lettering could show through, but it could have easily been airbrushed instead.
Your project might not lend itself to this approach, so the answers given by the others might be of more benefit.
Good luck,
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson - It should get even better......do you folks realize how amazing all of this is ?......this site has been up for what.. a couple years or so ?....and i always come here to learn something.......i always felt this was the forum of exchange.....of "how do i do what i want to do"?....and i know a lot of great people who know how to do "this or that".....and suddenly here they are !!........they're beginning to show up !!........and i for one truly appreciate all the new input and engery...(my printer is busy as well doug)..... folks we know of or read about... but never hear fom ..and here they are !....so thank you mike for the space....thank you all for sharing your information ....... i'm not a religious person, but with the image of rick in t-shirt and sandals.....sharing the gift is --like... vance
Hi Vance,
Thanks for the note of encouragement! I have been leaning on Noel Weber, Mark Oatis, Dave Butler, Bill Hueg, Dave Smith, Doc Welty, John Studden and a long list of others to make some posts on this BB. In a couple of weeks, I should get to see most of them again in person. I hope to get them in front of a computer long enough for each to make a post to see how easy it is--and what they are missing. There are a few that posted on here a long time ago, such as Larry Whan who might enjoy seeing the new activity. If anyone has contact with them or any other craftsman interested in quality sign info exchange, please direct them here.
I have been doing my best with the time I have available to stir the post and get things going, but in the long run it will take the conbined energy of the entire group to keep it hoppin' and interesting.
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson
Doug,
I was tying at a fly tying expo a few weeks ago (looks and feels much like a Letterheads meeting). I was watching another guy tie a fly and he made the comment, at this show you have to tie in some token CDC and Zelon for it to be a real fly. CDC is a feather on ducks that they use to preen themselves. It aids in their floatabliity. Zelon is a stiff, silky material used on wings and shucks. Both products seem to be in fashion right now. None of that matters here, except to give a chuckle to the shellac step you mentioned.
For Rick, and a lot of the old timers, "It ain't much of sign unless you use some shellac and some asphaltum somewhere along the way on the sign".
Mike
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads