Original Dead Men

[John Studden]

.......Around these parts a man has to be able to lay Gold or Slap Vinyl with equal enthusiasm...............D

[Larry White]

.
.
People are thinkin' of pullin' out, right after the recent break-ins.

These boys from the north got us all runnin' scared!

They pull into the alley late at night and park wherever they want,

they do illicit activities,

they dump their garbage and never look back,

they break into the businesses and steal whatever they want...


They're tryin to live off us like coyotes live off a buffalo carcass!


But that old Blake fella is a step ahead of 'em. Figured I'd build me a
security door over my front door, added some bars to the window too.



Kinda reckoned no reasonable burgler would want to break in to prison.

...they won't find it so funny, when they're all shot to heII and doyin'!

Now I can button up my town tighter than a nun's corsette!


Now you keep on as you are, you'll get your chance, soon enough....

-AHO!

[Larry White]

You can't stop the clouds by the deletion of a reply.....

You ain't got no jerdiction in here!

[Tony Segale]

the eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn from the crow.

[Larry White]

Like my friends, I’d been in the sign business, and was good with vinyl.

But vinyl didn’t allow for much expansion of the craft.

So after an introduction to gold leaf, and some years with Rick Glawson,

I turned in my transfer tape and rode away to see how much I could expand it.

First time I met Sally Jenco was when I and my 12K backed him up in a

sign job he was doing for some drunken business men.

Sally asked me right there on the spot if I’d care to partner up with him in his gold leaf business.

Which is why I was with him now, and why I still carry the 12K.

We’d been laying gold leaf together for the last dozen years or so,

and as we looked down on a town called Leucadia, I had no reason

to doubt that we’d be doing just that in the foreseeable future.

But gilding has a way of making your foreseeable project that which never happens,

and the unforeseeable that what your project becomes…

[Larry White]

.
Those boys organizin' the Conclave were asking a lot about you, Sally.

Wondered if you still went to Letterhead meets.

Said I didn't know.

Know you've gone to some in Wilmington. And in Valencia. And Leucadia.

They're gonna ask you about it, so you might want to have an answer ready.


...they're gonna be pleased....


Guess they can't not invite us...kinda like Boarshank....

[Tony Segale]

well, you know very well I've gone to a meet, William.

Went to a walldog meet once, didn't talk much between us.

[Larry White]

I'll give it a go! This is a repost, due to those hackin' scoundrels!



I copped the image of the Drug Store from the movie Apaloosa, and did a layout drawing in Corel Draw to scale it to the area I had, and some existing old windows I wanted to use. I was also able to figure out the size for the vertical signs, which I decided to do in glass.



This building will be going in front of my line jig...what an eye sore.



I printed out a picture of the signs and traced them with a fine line sharpy. I then rescanned them back into the computer and ran the Corel Trace program on them, then computer cut them out of sandblast vinyl.



After sandblasting, I measured out the correct amount of glue and flowed it over each panel. I used 6 fluid ounces/sq.ft.



Once the glue gelled, I cut around the mask and removed it.



After the glue had dried, I rolled it into my spray booth, and with a little heat and a fan, it started chipping.



Here they are after the glue chipped off.



A detail. These have been done on bronze glass, and will be silvered in a bit.



I took these signs down to Rod's, and he silvered 'em up for me with his spray silvering. ...that happened quick!



Here's the finished silvering...right over the masking!



The mask is removed.



Then they are fully coated with asphaltum varnish. Careful now! Backing with some paints can cause the silver to tarnish!



Here's how they came out.



Built this boardwalk to build it up on. It's on casters so I'll be able to roll it away from the line jig when I need to use it.



Framed up the front wall...as seen from the back. Time flies...it's already passed twelve.



Reverse painted the window lettering with gold one-shot.



Here it is from the front....so far. That's enough for now! ....It's gettin' late!



Well, I did up some doors, and paneled over the plywood with some nice pine boards.
Built-up the upper section, with nice windows, so we can see who's comin' to call.
Then the tricky part, installing the top onto the bottom. Hard not to have a job like this, without a little stress.



But not impossible.



Again, paused the movie and captured a still of the wood signs for the front of the Drug Store. I printed them out and traced around the characters with a pencil, then enlarged it to the correct size on Kinko's large format copier. For the Drug Store sign, I hand cut a vinyl stencil right on the wood blank and spounged in some color, next I'll do the drop shadow and the names at the top. For the upper sign, I think I'll transfer the copy and handletter it, by gosh.



Blocked in the drop shadow, and the upper text.



Whipped out a little frame. Hit it with some steel wool and gave it a coat of asphaltum wash...ready for installation. Only way to handle it!





Fabbed up the crown molding for the top.



Got it installed along with the upper sign. Also got my lovely wife to stitch up some awning material. Imagine that, a grown woman, doing that for her old man. Sung a little song as she sewed it!... You know Rose of Alabama?



And there you have it!

-AHO!
Bill Blake's Gild and Build

[Tony Segale]

Hey, Slow down! SLOW DOWN! Watch out down there!

[Tony Segale]

time to update that 360 video, Mr Black.

[Tony Segale]

does anyone else here have anything else to say except Billy Blake is a buildin fool
and I don't know what town he's talkin about?

[Larry White]

Paints a pretty picture, don't it!

Ya, I'm 17 kinds of a dam fool! Not that I cared about it none!

But YOU!

You wouldn't know the difference between goldshine and lizard dung,...and there's a big difference!

A BIG DIFFERENCE!

So, you go on home now, Sally. You go on home....

....I'm building Dickinson's mansion next, so SHADDUP!


This is an uncertain kind of work we do....

[Tony Segale]

Mr White.

Do you own a horse?

Well son, while the bees are in the butter,
I suggest you get on that horse and ride.

Ride and don't look back.

Now.

[Roderick Treece]

Well I geuss it was gonna come to this.I thought this was called "The Hand Lettering Forum" !! Not the Whip out the vyinl mask and sponge so I can fake an old western sign forum". I challenge you to try and do a layout with charcoal or chaulk then paint it by hand.



"Again, paused the movie and captured a still of the wood signs for the front of the Drug Store. I printed them out and traced around the characters with a pencil, then enlarged it to the correct size on Kinko's large format copier. For the Drug Store sign, I hand cut a vinyl stencil right on the wood blank and spounged in some color, next I'll do the drop shadow and the names at the top. For the upper sign, I think I'll transfer the copy and handletter it, by gosh."

[Tony Segale]

You want considerations?
Now, I want those quills in the dirt!
Him first, the Brush Hand!

[Larry White]

Treece, this is an uncertain kind of work we do.

I know you're good, Treece, but you're not as good as twenty of us.
Of course I'm willing to hand letter! You think I do this because I'm scared
to hand letter?! ...And you?

You afraid to hand letter?

Your point is...significant. The idea is stupid.
You see for acurate replication, one needs vinyl, not charcoal.

Now you go on home, Treece...you go on home...
and let me continue to do what I came here to do!

[Tony Segale]

Shoulda painted that drug store while you had the chance, Blake.

No Paint!

With latex!

Picture say...



One time!

[Larry White]

[Roderick Treece]

Sweet!
can't wait to see it in person.

[Jerry Berg]

Boy does that look nice! I like that crackle effect. I'd like to know the processes on that piece, someday? Good on your town there Larry. Your havin' too much fun.

[Larry White]

Well you asked me!....

Cut glass to 18 x 5-1/2", scalloped edge, drilled holes.
Masked for sandblasting (computer cut stencil).
Depth carved "Whole lot of Nothin'".
Surface etched "Altaville" for glue chipping.
Flowed glue over area, allowed to gel, cut glue and removed mask.
Allowed to chip.
Finished "Whole lot of Nothin'" in gold bronze powder. Hand painted drop shadow.
Blended gild on glue chipped letter centers, 18K to 16K to 12K at the top.
23K burnished gild bright line. Hand painted drop shadow.
16K burnish gild behind scalloped edge.
Ragged ruby shellac, in multiple sessions around outer perimeter of background.
Applied crackle finish, filled cracks with asphaltum. Clear shellac entire back.
Applied 3 colors of japan paint in an oval pattern and blended.
Backed up entire with middle value japan.
Will flock the back on Friday.
Altered free standing candle holder from the thrift store into decorative bracket.
Hung in Machine for my PERSONAL enjoyment!

-Aho!

[Jerry Berg]

Thanks Larry,

What brand of crackle finish did you use? Oh, and thanks for reply. I love new ideas and processes, it feeds my creative hunger and keeps me motivated. Doing just one thing would'nt be much fun now would it.

Jerry

[Larry White]

I aquired that crackle solution on account of a fella,
name a, name a, Rod Treece. Remember that?
Little incident back there man, in Leucadia.

He crackled his background in his tent while he's eatin’ breakfast.

Well guess who bumbed some off him.
Ha, ha...that was me! Yep, crackle finish,
asphaltum glaze, hung that sucker up,
sparkles like a darn Christmas tree!

Ya, can’t eat eggs though,
but bacon I can always go for....

[Tony Segale]

Blake, you are a funny one. You’re actually gonna try to convince me that the difference between a thrift store candle holder and a decorative bracket is your alterin it? You best take stock in yourself boy. Huh? I mean, you were someone’s apprentice once weren’t ya? Your poor ole mentor. God almighty. I don’t know if you’ve been told this before, but a, cheeses, your shop is a little low on decorative glass, ain’t it? I remember the emptiest dam gilder's studios, my whole imagination freezin’ up, wits, couldn’t even gather ‘em, funny, I just think about Machine. Well, that’s me...that’s me. Flat screen, someone waitin’ for ya. Studios can be cold, Blake, I remember lot of ‘em. Ya, just the smell of someone familiar, the sound of somethin’ other than your own dam shadow...and a bright flat screen...

[Roderick Treece]

Now a fellow can only stand to be talked about so much! You think just cause you brought that crackle juice home you can use it and then show it off like that ! Them fighten words and if I get a chance we might have to have our selfves a crackle duel at high noon friday. Just you and your Altaville and me and my Denali crackle.

Ps We know who's Bacon it was !

[Larry White]

You won't find it so funny, when your project is all shot up and broken!

COME ON!! ...If you're comin'!!

You Know Nothing!

[Tony Segale]

let bygones be bygones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGldM85d ... re=related

[Larry White]

What is this?!

WHAT IS THIS?!

This garbage, that I don't want!

Why would I have to be a victim of all this garbage, the crud that you like.
Jenco, you know nothing about gilding glass. Nothing! NOTHING!

I gild everything perfectly, leaf by leaf. You know nothing.

[Larry White]

It's so strange you don't remember anything about my building...

[Tony Segale]

just might make some sense to start over.