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.

What size water size brush?

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

Post Reply
Doug Fielder
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:08 pm
Location: Port St Lucie, FL
Contact:

What size water size brush?

Post by Doug Fielder »

Hello,

I am just about to buy my first water size brush and was wondering what size is the most usefull, and why there are different sizes. Are there bigger ones for larger letters?

Thanks again.
Doug F.
FALLOUT Grafix
Port St Lucie, FL

Formerly from NJ, Formerly from VT,
Formerly from SF, CA, Formerly from NC,
Formerly from CO, FINALLY settled in FL!
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Size

Post by Raymond Chapman »

I have two - a 2" and a 1" (which I've never used). The 2" works for me for everything.

Some folks don't use a brush at all, but rather a pump spray bottle. I've never tried one, but then I don't do a lot of glass gold either.
Tony Segale
Posts: 702
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:20 am

Post by Tony Segale »

just used my 1" on a recent job, but mainly use the 2".
The one inch work well because the letters were double outlined prior to gilding, in a glass transom install above eloborately carved wooden doors and casings, so I didn't want to overload and drip any of the excess water size.
I saw the pump spray bottle method used in SoCal last Feb, even tried it, works well.
and he took that golden hair and made a sweater for baby bear.
http://www.tonysegale.com
http://www.tonysegale.wordpress.com
Doug Fielder
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:08 pm
Location: Port St Lucie, FL
Contact:

Post by Doug Fielder »

Great, thanks.

What type of pump spray bottle? The kind they sell for olive oil at the kitchen store or your regular type of spray bottle?
Doug F.
FALLOUT Grafix
Port St Lucie, FL

Formerly from NJ, Formerly from VT,
Formerly from SF, CA, Formerly from NC,
Formerly from CO, FINALLY settled in FL!
Tony Segale
Posts: 702
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:20 am

Post by Tony Segale »

A pump spray bottle similar to one used for hair spray.
Easy investment as long as you clean it thoroughly first.
and he took that golden hair and made a sweater for baby bear.
http://www.tonysegale.com
http://www.tonysegale.wordpress.com
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Post by Raymond Chapman »

You can get the pump sprayers in the garden section of most home improvement stores.

Just be sure to clean them well and rinse out with distilled water. I'll have to try one.
Mike Jackson
Site Admin
Posts: 1705
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 11:02 pm
Location: Jackson Hole, WY
Contact:

Post by Mike Jackson »

We tried a spray bottle and I didn't like it at all. To each his own, I guess.

With a water size brush, you can put the water exactly where you want it and let the excess drip down the glass. When working on most gold glass work, you start at the top and work down when laying the leaf. Once one row of leaf is layed, you can then brush the water size just below the last line without getting additional geletin on the bottoms of the previous line. With a spray bottle, you end up overspraying onto the previous line. With a water size brush you can flood the glass a bit towards the top edge of the stroke. Spraying gives you a larger concentration in the center of the squirt...again with less control.

I wouldn't say "don't try it". Try it and see if you get similar results. Maybe it will work out fine for you. You can buy empty spray bottles at almost any Kmart or WallMart. I've been warned to clean the extremely well as some can contain or give off remnant plasticisers for a while. Some old gilders liked Pyrex heating pots (coffee pots) over aluminum, steel, or copper pots. I am not sure how critical all this is, but worth mentioning.

Good luck,
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
Best of the Tetons
Raymond Chapman
Posts: 345
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:50 pm
Location: Temple. Texas

Post by Raymond Chapman »

For years I have used an old porcelain cooking pot for my size, but it developed some cracks and rust started showing through, so when I got some more gold jobs to do I went to Wal-Mart looking for a replacement.

What I found was a great little stainless steel container used to store cooking grease. It had a lid and a strainer, which is discarded. The pot is about a pint and has a handle that doesn't stick out, but runs down parallel to the side of the container. Just the perfect size for size. And it's easy to hold.
Doug Fielder
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:08 pm
Location: Port St Lucie, FL
Contact:

Post by Doug Fielder »

Thanks so much,

I m running a test here at home with a spray bottle my girlfriend doesn't need. It is working pretty good so far, the sprayer lays out a nice even mist and wets the surface pretty quick. I cannot compare to the brush method, because it has been 5 years since I did it that way. Also, this is the 4th time I have ever done glass gilding, so everything is new to me.
I wish I had been around 25+ years ago doing this, then I probably would have found someone to teach me the right way (in their opinion).
I stopped into Bob Fitzgerald's shop (author of Practical Sign Shop Operation) 8 years ago in Manasquan, NJ and asked him about learning sign painting, and he walked me out the front door saying that it was all vinyl and that he was too old. I think he has passed on, but I will never forget meeting him and seeing his large shop. There are still a couple of shops in Manasquan with gold window lettering done by him, which are a great site.

Thanks all for sharing your years of experience.
Doug F.
FALLOUT Grafix
Port St Lucie, FL

Formerly from NJ, Formerly from VT,
Formerly from SF, CA, Formerly from NC,
Formerly from CO, FINALLY settled in FL!
Post Reply