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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.

"My Sign Kit"

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

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

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Mike Jackson
Site Admin
Posts: 1705
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 11:02 pm
Location: Jackson Hole, WY
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"My Sign Kit"

Post by Mike Jackson »

If you received your latest Sign Craft Magazine, I had an article in it about sign kits.

Seems like this would be a great place to let people post a photo of their sign kit...or kits.
MySignKit800.jpg
MySignKit800.jpg (92.27 KiB) Viewed 3270 times
This is my first sign kit. I bought it at Neo Sign Supply in 1972 or 1973 in Oklahoma City.

Feel free to post yours in this thread. MJ
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
Richard McKinley
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:42 pm
Location: howard, Oh

Re: "My Sign Kit"

Post by Richard McKinley »

Mike

I enjoyed your last SC article about your sign kit. It brought back memories when I was apprenticed at Cotter Sign Company in Dayton, Ohio. During the summer we would hire additional mechanics to cover the busy season, most of which were traveling from the south to the northern areas. Some were real characters, but all carried their kits into the shop, storing them in their own cabinet Cotter provided each person.
Every sign kit was different and had unique contents especially interesting for an eighteen year old startup. Every kit had the regular greyhounds. quills, fitches, cutters and red sable brushes. There was the usual chalk line, pounce wheels, a variety of stabile pencils. razor blades and exacto knives.
After the basic contents, each mechanic depending on their specialty, had gilder supplies or a larger collection of fitches and cutters. Tons of chalk, charcoal and always a maul stick whether they used it or not.
Various lengths of wooden yardsticks, metal rules etc.
Then there were mechanics whose work soared above the average mechanic, that possessed kits with a minimum of supplies.
After several passing seasons, I could look at a person's sign kit and determine if they were truly a master of the craft or a skilled journeyman. Very few carried their own paints upon arrival but left in the fall with their kits stuffed with an assortment of lettering paints.

Sorry to ramble just reflecting my years in the industry.
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